North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Softball Releases 2006 Schedule
11/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Nov. 10, 2005
Complete 2006 Wolfpack Softball Schedule
The softball team at NC State is entering its third season of competition and each year the schedule has grown tougher. Expect nothing less from the slate of games in 2006. Two of the top-11 seeds from the 2005 NCAA Tournament are on the schedule, as NC State will play Arizona and Tennessee. Both squads advanced to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City last year. The schedule includes 21 guaranteed games against 12 NCAA Tournament participants from 2005.
The Wolfpack squad is coming off of an impressive 41-25 season overall, a 7-7 mark in ACC play and a fourth place finish in the conference during the regular season. Last season, NC State posted a 13-11 record against NCAA Tournament teams, including a 7-6 mark against ACC teams that made the postseason.
The season starts in early February, with NC State and head coach Lisa Navas travelling south to Auburn, Ala. for the Tiger Invitational. The three day affair from Feb. 10-12 will pit NC State against Miami (Ohio) and Auburn University, both NCAA teams from a year ago. NC State defeated Miami (Ohio) last season 4-2 in the only meeting ever between the two schools, and the Auburn Tigers and the Wolfpack have never met.
NC State travels to Tuscon, Ariz. the next weekend, Feb. 17-19, for the Worth Wildcat Tournament. The tournament will mark the longest distance travelled for the Wolfpack in its three years, as the team competed in the UNLV Tournament in Las Vegas, NV last season. At the Worth Wildcat Tournament, NC State will play national power and host school Arizona and take on Missouri and Tennessee Tech, all three NCAA participants in 2005. The Wolfpack has never played Missouri or Tennessee Tech, and lost it's only meeting to the Wildcats, who were ranked #1 last season when the teams met.
The third tournament on tap will be the USC Round Robin in Columbia, S.C. from Feb. 25-26. NC State will face off with teams to be announced in this tournament.
Entering March, NC State will head to the Buzz Classic in Atlanta, as ACC rival Georgia Tech hosts its annual tournament, Mar. 3-5. NC State will again face Miami (Ohio) at the Buzz Classic.
NC State University's spring break will provide an opportunity to travel to a number of tournaments, beginning with the Buzz. After the Buzz, the team will head to Jacksonville, Fla. to play a doubleheader against North Florida before continuing south to Clearwater, Fla. for the USF adidas Invitational. South Florida will be the tournament host, and NC State will take on SEC power Tennessee, and NCAA participant Hofstra posted an impressive 40-8-1 record last season, and defeated NC State in the only meeting between the squads in 2004.
With the tournament season out of the way, NC State will come home for a lengthy stand. Starting on Mar. 18, the Wolfpack open ACC play with a three game series in Raleigh against league newcomer Boston College. Virginia Tech comes to Raleigh the following weekend as NC State swept the Hokies last season before Tech made it into the NCAA Tournament.
A midweek matchup at home against Kent State follows, and NC State will then host Maryland the next weekend on Apr. 1-2. The team travels to Coastal Carolina for a doubleheader after the 11-game homestand, then hosts league foe Georgia Tech in a series in the final home games of the season, Apr. 8-9.
The rest of the season is spent away from Raleigh, starting with a trip to Charlotte for a doubleheader. A return to Florida to take on Florida State, and a trip to Charlottesville, Va. will take the Wolfpack out of state towards the end of the season.
A three-game series in Chapel Hill against North Carolina on Apr. 27-28 will be followed by the ACC Tournament which will be held in Chapel Hill for 2006 from May 11-14.
