The NC State softball team looks to bounce back this year after a heart-breaking season last year. The Pack will have three seniors and five new freshmen this year.
NC State finished 23-33 (6-18 ACC) last season. Last season was difficult for the team as the year before that, the Pack made a strong run in the postseason finishing in the super regionals.
This year’s team only lost two seniors to graduation, Maggie Hawkins and Lana Van Dyken. Hawkins was a valuable asset to the team, as she contributed a .298 batting average with 45 RBIs. Van Dyken was solid on defense, as she finished the season with a 92.6 fielding percentage.
Second team All-ACC catcher Molly Hutchison, outfielder Tyler Ross and second basemen Molly Martin will lead the team this season as they all enter into their senior year.
Hutchison had an outstanding junior season, as she tallied the second-highest batting average of .329, led the team with 51 RBIs and was a brick wall on defense with a 98.3 fielding percentage while committing only four errors in 234 attempts.
Ross led the team in hits, home runs, batting average, slugging percentage and set a new team record of 27 steals. Ross tallied a .380 batting average, 18 home runs and posted a .766 slugging percentage. As one of the leaders on the team, the Pack will rely on her hard work and dedication to craft a successful season.
Martin contributed great effort on the field as she tallied a 90.8 fielding percentage, with 30 putouts and 29 assists.
NC State brings in five new freshmen, including pitcher Peyton Silverman. Last season the Wolfpack struggled with pitching as it saw a 5.06 ERA for the season. Hopefully for the Pack, Silverman will be able to help improve the team’s ERA this season.
Head coach Shawn Rychcik returns for his fifth season with the team. Rychcik has tallied a respectable 132-93-1 (48-41 ACC) record with NC State. Rychcik looks to go back to his winning season strategies in order to get the Pack back into postseason play.
The Pack does not have an easy beginning to this season as it plays five ranked opponents in its first 12 games, including defending champs No. 1 Oklahoma as well as No. 8 UCLA. To add onto that, State plays No. 6 Michigan and No. 16 Minnesota in the ACC/B1G Challenge.
After the Pack faces off against the Sooners, the season lightens up before conference play. This year, the team will face rival UNC-CH at Chapel Hill. On a positive note, the seniors will end the regular season at home as the team squares off against Louisville in a three-game series.
The Wolfpack begins play by traveling to Florida to face North Florida on Friday. The Pack opens up at home Feb. 17 against No. 6 Michigan in the aforementioned ACC/B1G challenge.
