With three All-ACC hitters returning to the lineup, the N.C. State softball team is looking to step up to the plate to prove non-believers wrong and compete for the ACC championship this spring.

“As a team, we’re going to be really good. I don’t think we’re fifth in the conference. I see better things from us than that,” catcher Miranda Ervin said.

Ervin led the team last year with a .320 batting average, which included seven home runs and 28 RBI. Ervin’s on-base percentage, home runs and slugging percentage were all good for second-best on the team.

Despite her statistics from a year ago, Ervin said she has plenty of room for improvement, and she has set lofty goals for herself to accomplish this season.

“I expect to do a lot better than last year. I want to be consistent all the way through this year,” Ervin said.

“I’d like to hit .400. It’s always been a goal of mine to hit .400. In high school, I hit way above that,” Ervin said “But in college, if you hit .400, it means you’re a pretty good hitter — especially in the ACC — so that’s pretty important to me.”

Hitting just after her in the lineup will be junior Jen Chamberlin. Chamberlin was first team All-ACC for her performance last season, and she says she has improved since receiving that honor.

“I definitely feel more comfortable, and I feel like I’m hitting the ball a lot more solid than I have in my two years of playing,” Chamberlin said.

According to Ervin, Chamberlin is the hitter the team expects to step up and deliver key hits in the upcoming months.

“I look heavily upon Jen Chamberlin for RBI,” Ervin said.

“If we’re in the three-four holes, I usually look to her because if I get on base, I know she’s going to get me in somehow or at least move me up. I look for key hits in the hole whether it’s a home run — because she’s got a lot of power — a single or even a fly out.”

Team home run leader and an All-ACC performer, junior Heather Gelbard brings the experience of a .310 average back to the mix along with 213 at-bats and 66 hits, best on the team in the latter two categories.

“Gelbard is a very consistent hitter,” junior pitcher Shaina Ervin said. “I have no doubt that when she gets in the box, she’s going to get a base hit.”

Another returning All-ACC, better known for her arm, junior pitcher and outfielder Abbie Sims also posted a .275 batting average, six home runs and 33 RBI.

Sims’ runs, hits and sacrifices were among the most on the team, and along with Gelbard, Miranda Ervin and Chamberlin, she will play a vital role in the Wolfpack’s run production, coach Lisa Navas said.

“I think that if we get the same production that we’ve been getting from Chamberlin, Ervin, Sims and Gelbard, we’ll be really good this year,” Navas said. “Those kids have done an outstanding job to this point.”

Rounding out the outfield with Sims will be senior captain Jessica Willems and junior transfer Alycia LePage.

“I look for our outfielders to step it up big time this year. They’ve been working hard non-stop,” Miranda Ervin said. “I just look forward to them anytime they’re called upon to do what we as a team do.”

Though the team gained two freshmen — catcher Lisa Gott, and first baseman and designated player Mackenzie Mangum — in the offseason, Navas said she does not expect a huge contribution from either, but rather that the season will serve as a valuable learning experience for them.

“They understand what their role is. We have a team that’s returning, and there are not a lot of spots open. So they understand that this is a year for them to learn and help us out in different areas,” Navas said.

“Mackenzie Mangum can swing the bat. She’s got a beautiful swing, but she’ll be able to help us down the road.”

With a 7-3 record against the four teams picked to finish ahead of State in the ACC this year, Ervin said expectations from the team run high, though they know they are still flying a bit below the radar.

“All we have is each other, so I look forward to us coming together and for everyone to know what their role is,” Ervin said. “People don’t respect us yet, but they will after this year.”