After enduring a weekend in which it blew two late inning leads against UNC-Greensboro and Jacksonville, the NC State softball team returns to Dail Softball Stadium for its home opener.
The team finished the weekend 3-2, defeating Coastal Carolina twice by scores of 5-1 and 7-5, and Kansas in a 3-1 victory.
The Wolfpack lost to UNCG despite leading 9-5 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning and 10-9 heading into the bottom of the eighth. In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, State led 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh and 7-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth but blew both leads again.
Senior first baseman Maggie Hawkins and junior outfielder Tyler Ross led the way for the Wolfpack, with Hawkins delivering eight hits in 16 at-bats and Ross contributing eight RBIs. In total, the duo combined for 15 hits, five home runs, 13 RBIs and 12 runs. The rest of the team combined for 19 hits, two home runs, 18 RBIs and 20 runs, showing that Hawkins and Ross were dominant over the competition.
The effort earned Ross the ACC Player of the Week Honors, her third career nomination. The Cameron, North Carolina native was a Second-Team All-ACC selection last season after starting 60 games for the Wolfpack.
Junior pitcher Courtney Mirabella threw two complete games and carries a 2-0 record with a 3.5 ERA into this weekend. Sophomore pitcher Harli Hubbard took the loss in both of the Pack’s defeats but bounced back to pitch a complete game in the Pack’s 7-5 win over Coastal Carolina on Sunday.
The coming weekend will feature the Wolfpack squaring off in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge versus Nebraska and Wisconsin. The tournament will also feature both Big Ten teams playing Louisville at Dail Softball Stadium.
Nebraska enters the tournament at 5-0 after sweeping the UNI Dome Classic. The Cornhuskers are led by junior infielder MJ Knighten, who was a First-Team All-Big Ten selection in 2015 and is currently hitting .632 with five home runs and 14 RBIs after one weekend of play.
On the mound, the Cornhuskers feature three different starters who could make an appearance this weekend. The Huskers are led by 5-foot-7 right-hander junior Cassie McClure, and the Wolfpack could also see senior right-hander Emily Lockman or sophomore Taylor Kadavy.
The Wisconsin Badgers enter the weekend sitting at 4-1 after a successful Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona. The lone loss for the Badgers came against the BYU Cougars, who bested them by a score of 5-4 before the Badgers rebounded to defeat the University of Nevada, Portland State and UC Riverside to close out the weekend.
The Badgers pitching staff is anchored by junior left-hander Kirsten Stevens, who holds a 1.68 ERA on the season.
Both Nebraska and Oklahoma were eliminated in the Baton Rouge Regional of the College World Series last season, while NC State was eliminated in the Eugene Regional and Louisville in the Los Angeles Regional. It’s evident all four are talented teams that will take the field this weekend.
State will need to address its late inning woes to earn victories this weekend, as its Big Ten opponents will have the offensive firepower to make it pay if the Wolfpack can’t put them away.
