After going 3-1 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in addition to a strong win during the week against Elon, NC State softball will remain home this weekend to host three schools for the Fairfield Crabtree Invitational.
Heading into the weekend, the team will take on two doubleheaders this weekend, starting off Friday against the Bucknell Bison at 2:15 p.m. and against the Saint Joseph’s Hawks at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Pack will continue its weekend at 3:00 p.m. against the Indiana Hoosiers and at 5:30 against Saint Joseph’s once again. NC State will wrap up its action-filled weekend with a game against Bucknell Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
Bucknell (6-3) are currently sitting on a three game winning-streak, after going 4-1 last weekend in Buies Creek, North Carolina. This will be the first time in school history that the Wolfpack will face the Bison, yet Bucknell currently sits 3-2 in all-time meetings against other ACC opponents.
Pitcher Raeanne Geffert will be a player to watch in the circle for the Bison. After a huge weekend, Geffert currently sits on the top of the league and second in the nation with 66 strikeouts, as well as a 1.54 ERA. With impressive statistics for Bucknell, it is crucial for the Wolfpack to get the bats going early.
Saint Joseph’s (2-3) will be returning from Florida on a two-game losing streak, falling to Appalachian State and Lehigh, giving them a 2-3 record for the weekend. This will be the first meeting between the Hawks and the Wolfpack since 2011.
Notable players for the Hawks will be catcher/utility Erica Lawrence, currently leading her team with a .500 batting average, as well as a slugging average of .625. Leading Saint Joseph’s in hits is utility Kirstin Cox with six in 19 at-bats. The pitching workload has been distributed by a couple players for the Hawks, but we can expect to see pitcher Saige Sutz, as she is currently pitching the most with seven strikeouts and an ERA of 3.00.
The Indiana Hoosiers (3-6) will be coming off of a 1-3 weekend in Durham, for the Big Ten/ACC challenge, dropping two games to Duke and one to Syracuse. The Hoosiers and the Wolfpack have only met once before, back in 2009.
Indiana currently sits 34th in the nation for triples with outfielder Taylor Lambert ranked tenth in the nation with two triples. The Hoosiers also sit 35th in the nation for stolen bases as well as 42nd in doubles. Pitcher Emily Goodwin will stand as a threat for the Wolfpack as she remains top 40 in the nation for strikeouts with 36. Goodwin has played the last four games in a row for the Hoosiers.
With a game-heavy weekend, NC State has the opportunity to add five more wins to its record. The Wolfpack will be looking to senior outfielder Tatyana Forbes to help get runs on the board, as she currently leads the Pack in batting average with .559 and in slugging with a .706. Another notable leader for NC State is junior outfielder Sam Russ, with 13 runs scored and 36 at-bats. Russ is now second all-time at NC State with 58 career stolen bases.
With the Pack currently sitting 6-4, gathering some wins will be crucial for the Pack to boost its record. Starting off the season will a strong record will be useful heading into ACC early next month, and potentially looking ahead to earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.
