NC State softball finished its season a month ago after getting punted out of the ACC tournament by Georgia Tech in its first game. However, highlight performances by redshirt sophomore Aisha Weixlmann in the pitching circle and fifth-year Logan Morris at the plate show that this season should still be celebrated.
The Pack’s strengths were really highlighted this season in its non-conference play, where it excelled with a .589 win percentage. However, playing in the notoriously difficult ACC led to some frustrating outcomes for NC State, including a low .292 win percentage in conference.
NC State started off strong with three invitationals to start the season, only recording two losses and beginning ACC play with a series win over Syracuse, but the Pack was then swept by Duke and Virginia and only put up one win against UNC-Chapel Hill. NC State went on to win series against Louisville and Boston College but was also swept by Florida State and Georgia Tech, the latter of whom ended the Pack’s season in the first round of the ACC tournament.
Weixlmann stood out as the main pitcher for NC State this year. With 26 starts in 38 games, six of which were full-game performances, Weixlmann came out of this season with a 13-8 record and tossed a total of 127.2 innings. She recorded a total of 138 strikeouts with an ERA of 3.78 and pitched two shutouts against Longwood and Campbell.
In addition to Weixlmann, the Pack also utilized graduate student Maddie McPherson, whose record this season was 13-12 and recorded 140 total strikeouts with an ERA of 3.97.
In regards to head coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift’s home run mentality, the Pack delivered with 82 total home runs this year, 30 more than their opponents hit. Morris led NC State with 14 homers this season, followed by graduate student Carson Shaner with 11 home runs. There were only four members of the roster without a home run this season, which goes to show it really was a team effort this year. Morris also led the team in batting average at .376 and hits with 59, while sophomore Kaylee Lambrecht led the team in runs with 38.
Morris was named to the All-ACC Second Team at the end of the regular season for her amazing batting skills, which helped elevate the team. She is the 15th Pack member to be named to the Second Team in program history.
In other Wolfpack softball news, former NC State player Tatyana Forbes recently announced that she will be playing professionally with the New York-based Smash It Sports Vipers this summer.
