The NC State softball team has seen its share of dramatic games early on in the season, featuring a win on a walk-off home run to beat Boston College, as well as a walk-off loss versus Louisville on an NC State error in the very next game. By winning two games in both its three-game series in the young season, the Wolfpack should have some confidence as the season progresses. Here are some takeaways from the Wolfpack’s first six games.
Thin run margins are unsustainable
The Pack (4-2, 4-2 ACC) has earned a winning record through its first six games, but a closer look at the scores indicates that NC State is playing more like .500-level softball. NC State is 2-2 in one-run games, including both of the aforementioned walk-off results. Additionally, a run differential of seven over the course of six games means that the Wolfpack is winning its games by an average of just over one. For the program to build on its 19-6 start a season ago, that figure will have to improve.
Forbes’ drop in production
One glaring deficiency in the Wolfpack lineup is the drop in production from redshirt senior outfielder Tatyana Forbes. Forbes led NC State in OPS, OBP and total bases in 2020, but her 2021 campaign has not yielded the same results. Forbes has still batted .368 and managed a .478 OBP, but she has not yet mustered an extra-base hit this season and leads NC State in strikeouts with six.
Forbes cannot be blamed for the Pack’s losses, as she batted 3-5 with three walks in the Wolfpack’s two losses. Additionally, Forbes was left on base thrice in the season opener against Boston College.
New faces in new places
Despite Forbes’ mediocre performance at the plate, the Pack has had other players step up and score runs to compensate. Chief among these are redshirt freshman pitcher/infielder Sam Gress, redshirt junior infielder Randi Farricker and redshirt junior outfielder Sam Russ, the top three hitters in OPS for NC State. Gress may be a surprise to some, as she was primarily a pitcher for the Pack in 2020. Gress has transitioned to second base quite well and leads NC State hitters in OPS, OBP and HBP.
Farricker has also been hitting well, leading the team in slugging percentage and walks, but Russ is perhaps the biggest improvement of the bunch. Primarily known for her baserunning and hitting for contact in previous years, she has added hitting for power to her tool set in 2021. Russ has already bested her home run total from last season and leads the Wolfpack in total bases.
Trahan bolsters pitching arsenal
There are some new faces in the pitcher’s circle for the Pack as well. Redshirt senior Abby Trahan last pitched for Southern Miss in 2019, where she logged the best ERA in Conference USA before transferring to NC State, where she was redshirted for the 2020 season. Trahan has combined with redshirt sophomore Sydney Nester to form a formidable duo, as both right-handers are sporting ERAs under 3.00 and WHIPs under 1.50 through five appearances each. The two are not without their flaws though, as Trahan has allowed three home runs to Nester’s one, and Nester has walked more than twice as many batters as Trahan.
With a sample size of only six games, it is difficult to conclusively determine how the rest of the season will play out. But for the Pack to replicate its 19-6 record in 2020, Forbes will need to return to form and the squad will have to start building and then holding multi-run leads.
