North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Softball Spends Weekend at South Florida Tournament
2/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 19, 2004
RALEIGH, N.C. -
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NC State will fly to Tampa, Fla. this Friday to begin play in the University of South Florida Best Western Tournament (Feb. 20-22). The Wolfpack will face Rhode Island (0-0) at 10 a.m. and then Pittsburgh (0-0) at noon on Friday. NC State will then take on host USF (10-2) on Saturday at noon before entering pool play. Other teams include Maryland (0-0), Hofstra (1-5) and Temple (1-2).
The Wolfpack opened its inaugural season with a 1-3 record earned from the Triangle Classic. NC State picked up its first win in an 8-0 shutout of Mercer on Saturday, Feb. 14. The three losses included an extra inning loss to Kent State, 10-5 and the Pack gave up just three runs combined against Radford (the first game played on Friday) and Louisville. Freshman third baseman Heather Gelbard led the Pack with five hits, which included four doubles, had three runs and three RBI. Gelbard leads the team in on-base percentage at 46.7 percent and in slugging percentage with 69.2 percent. Freshman catcher Miranda Ervin had three hits, including on double and three RBI. Her double was nearly a home run, but bounced off the fence to be ruled a ground rule double. Freshman pitcher Abbie Sims earned two runs in her eight at bats. Sims has a record of 1-1, allowed five hits with just one run to go along with 15 strikeouts. The USF Best Western Tournament is NC State's second of six tournaments this season.
The Rhode Island Rams will kick off their 2004 slate with this tournament appearance. The squad finished with a 21-22 record last season and finished 8-8 in the Atlantic 10 conference. The university has earned 20 or more wins in each of the last 10 seasons. The Rams return seven position starters and 11 letterwinners. Junior outfielder Nicole Haywood headlines the list of returners with her 28 hits last season, which included a team-best eight doubles, two home runs and one triple. She also had 14 RBI. Sophomore pitcher Jenna Thurston returns to the circle after a solid freshman campaign. She finished with an ERA of 1.39 and a 15-8 record. Head coach Christine Sutcliffe begins her second season at the helm.
The Panthers will also open their 2004 season at the USF Tournament. The program is entering its seventh season. Last year Pittsburgh finished with a 24-31 overall record and an eighth place finish in the BIG EAST with a 7-13 slate. The Panthers return four position starters and eight letterwinners. Sophomore second baseman Francesca DiMaria leads the returners with 40 runs, 54 hits (13 doubles, three triples and six home runs). Sophomore Christa Hunter is the only returning pitcher. She finished her freshman season with a 10.04 ERA after making just four appearances. She had a 0-2 record. Michelle Phalen, who has accumulated a record of 96-177-1 after seven seasons, coaches the Panthers.
The USF Bulls have already accumulated a 10-2 record since opening their season back on Jan. 31. The squad earned its first win of the year against Bethune-Cookman, 10-2 before falling to Florida Atlantic 3-10. The losses stopped there however as USF won seven-straight before losing to Michigan State, 10-5 on Feb. 14. The team in currently riding a two-game winning streak heading into the tournament. Senior outfielder Hollie Groves leads the team with 47.4 batting average after recording 18 hits, five of which were doubles and three were home runs. She has a team-high 18 RBI as well. Senior pitcher Leigh Ann Ellis has a 1.87 ERA and a 6-1 record. In her nine appearances, she has allowed 27 hits, walked 14 and struckout 31. The Bulls are coached by Ken Eriksen who is in his eighth season. Last season he directed USF to a national ranking of 25 after finishing with a 54-19 overall record and a 17-6 C-USA record, good for second place. He has a career record of 323-174-1.
Maryland, Temple and Hofstra are the additional three teams participating in the tournament. Among those, the Terrapins will be the only team without any previously played games. Temple is 1-2, while Hofstra is 1-5.
