NCSU Student Media
Sitting in the dugout, the Wolfpack softball team cheer on their batters on the field. N.C. State won 4-2 against Toledo Sunday, February 26, 2012 in their final game of the Wolfpack Classic. Photo by Ryan Parry.
There may be something special and unexpected brewing this season within N.C. State Athletics.
This past weekend in Miami, the Wolfpack softball team won the Florida International University Panther Invitational. State had a little of everything in South Florida. There was great pitching, timely hitting and even an abundance of runs scored while playing the hosts.
The Pack finished 4-1 over the weekend and gained some sweet revenge when it defeated Kansas, the one team that had bested it, in the championship game.
Whenever there is a coaching change following losing campaigns, expectations are typically negligible.
A deeper look within the softball team shows that this year’s squad is loaded with upperclassmen. In Miami, two-thirds of the members of the team that received playing time were upperclassmen.
That veteran presence was augmented by sophomore shortstop Renada Davis, last season’s Freshman of the Year, and freshman first basemen Hanna Sommer, who batted .400 with two home runs over the weekend.
Another sophomore, Emily Weiman, was the Pack’s winning pitcher in all four of its victories in Miami.
Some of the quotes coming from the members of the team in the buildup to this season have been encouraging. The stated desire of many to reach the NCAA Tournament this year belies the common perception that N.C. State is in a rebuilding mode. The addressing of new head coach Shawn Rychcik by members of the team as “Coach Ry” shows an acceptance of its new leader and a collective willingness to do what it takes to change its fortunes.
Rychcik, for his part, has been supportive and excited. His most common complement given to his team relates to how impressed he is with the off-season work of the squad.
If there is a recent situation within N.C. State athletics to give the softball team’s potential some context, it would have to be last season’s men’s basketball team.
When Mark Gottfried was hired, there had been years of sustained mediocrity for Pack basketball. Gottfried’s personable demeanor combined with a rotation that consisted of two seniors and three juniors, along with two sophomores who led the squad in scoring and assists.
The team showed a willingness to learn and also worked hard in the off-season. There were ups and downs: N.C. State won only roughly two-thirds of its games last season, but the Pack managed to defy expectations and had a wonderful season.
Like the men’s basketball team, some pragmatism is in order for Rychcik’s squad. The softball team is likely to have its ebbs and flows in 2013, but the potential to exceed pre-season prognostications is real. State returns to action this weekend when the Pack continues its sojourn in Florida at the University of South Florida Tournament in Tampa.
State has a schedule that appropriately mixes manageable games with contests against bigger name schools. The games the Pack faces in the buildup to conference play should be enough to excite members of the team but not so much that State would feel intimidated.
The stated goal of N.C. State softball is to compete for league and national honors. The Pack may have the ability to reach that stage sooner than the experts realize.