The NC State softball team will look to bounce back this year after a disappointing season in 2017.
The Wolfpack finished 18-38 (10-14 ACC) last season in what was supposed to be an improvement upon the previous year’s 23-33 (6-18 ACC) shortcomings.
The Wolfpack lost three players to graduation following 2017; left fielder Tyler Ross, catcher Molly Hutchison and second baseman Molly Martin. Ross was the team’s best hitter, leading the Wolfpack in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and a number of other categories while holding a .318 batting average. Hutchison was second on the team in home runs and slugging percentage, and hit .271.
Losing Ross and Hutchison will be a huge detriment to the Wolfpack’s hitting power, as Ross and Hutchison combined for over 50 percent of the team’s long balls in 2016, hitting 21 of the squad’s 39. The Wolfpack returns only one player with over five home runs last year, sophomore first baseman Cheyenne Balzer.
The Wolfpack will be looking for another big year from 2017 All-ACC second team member, sophomore outfielder Jade Caraway, who led the Pack last year with a .389 batting average. Senior outfielder Macauley Prickett will look to build on her good 2017 campaign, as she was third on the team with a .279 batting average and started every game for the Pack.
Pitching will again be an issue for a Wolfpack team that had a 5.93 team ERA and not a single player with an ERA below 4.87. The Wolfpack’s ace in 2017, Peyton Silverman, transferred to Central Connecticut State University, so the Pack is left without a single pitcher with 100 or more innings pitched.
Junior Brittany Nimmo will likely take over as the team’s ace for the 2018 season. Nimmo went 5-12 last year with a 7.17 ERA and will surely be looking for a much better season. The Wolfpack also returns senior reliever Harli Hubbard, who finished last year with a 10.91 ERA in 25.2 innings pitched.
Head coach Shawn Rychcik returns for his sixth season with the team. After compiling a 109-60-1 record and an NCAA Super Regional appearance in his first three seasons at the helm, Rychcik has seen his team go 41-71 over the last two years.
The Wolfpack has a favorable schedule, as it doesn’t have to face a single preseason top-25 team until its final three games of the season against No. 10 Florida State.
NC State gets to play Ohio State and Northwestern at home in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, which takes place on Feb. 16-18, and will travel to Chapel Hill in April for its three-game series against rival UNC-Chapel Hill.
The Wolfpack begins play this Friday in Fort Myers, Florida, against Georgetown in the FGCU Kickoff Classic. The Pack’s home opener is Feb. 16 against Ohio State.
