North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Softball Hosts Wolfpack Challenge, Mar. 18-20
3/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 17, 2005
UPDATED BRACKET: Due to weather, the schedule HAS BEEN CHANGED!
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* Due to the heavy rain in Wake County, the schedule for this weekend will be altered as a result. More information will be available online at GoPack.com as soon as it is determined.
2005 Wolfpack Challenge
NC State will host its first "official" tournament this weekend, Mar. 18-20, as the 2005 Wolfpack Challenge gets under way. The Wolfpack has co-hosted the Triangle Classic with North Carolina the last two years, and hosted a fall tournament earlier this year. NC State will play Ohio, St. John's, Marist and Western Kentucky in pool play, before the 13 team tournament goes into bracket play on Saturday evening and on Sunday. Purdue, Akron, Western Illinois, Fairfield, Illinois-Chicago, Central Connecticut State Univ., Canisius and UNC Wilmington round out the field.
Wolfpack Sports a 21-10 Tournament Record
Thirty-one of NC State's 37 games this season have been played at tournaments, and NC State has been the victor in 21 contests for a .677 winning percentage. The Wolfpack is 3-1 in home games (and 1-1 in the conference) at home, and is 0-2 in its road slate so far this season. Things will change after this weekend, as the 2005 Wolfpack Challenge is the last tournament before the ACC Championship, May 12-15. Twenty-two regular season games await the Pack after this weekend, including 15 ACC contests.
NC State Splits With No. 20 Florida St. To Open ACC
After three conference wins a year ago, NC State is already 1-1 after a split with No. 20 Florida St. in the ACC opener for the Wolfpack (the third game was rained out). Last season, NC State lost both games, by scores of 8-0 and 2-0, but won 2-1 and lost 5-2 this season.
Chamberlin Swings Away
Jen Chamberlin hit her sixth home run of the season, a three-run blast off of No. 1 Arizona pitcher Alicia Hollowell, to move into 12th all-time in home runs in the ACC with 18. She hit 12 as a freshman a year ago. Chamberlin leads NC State and is ranked in the ACC in four different categories; home runs, RBIs, slugging and on base percentage.
Shanna Smith Smashing As Shortstop
Freshman Shanna Smith started the year sharing time at first, but quickly moved into the starting lineup as the everyday starting shortstop for the last 11 games. Smith leads the team with a .393 batting average on 11 hits and in on base percentage (.469) during that time span as NC State has gone 6-5. She has recorded a hit in three straight games and is 7-for-10 in those three contests, including a 4-for-4 performance in the win over Miami (Ohio).
Navas Reaches 50
Fifty wins, that is. With the 3-0 win over Appalachian St. on Sunday, Feb. 27 at the Seahawk Classic, NC State head coach Lisa Navas won her 50th game at NC State. She now has 391 career wins in 11 years, and 56 wins in two seasons at NC State. Her coaching career includes nine years at Barry Univ. in Miami, Fla.
Shutting The Door
In its inaugural season of 2004, NC State pitchers combined for 10 shutouts in 59 games. Abbie Sims had seven of those, with Shaina Ervin notching the other three. Through 37 games in 2005, the Wolfpack staff has already amassed 10 shutouts. Sims has five, Ervin two, and freshmen Brooke Isley and Megan Dalthorp each have one, with one combined shutout between Sims and Isley. Sims had her first career no-hitter against James Madison this season, while Dalthorp pitched a five-inning no-hitter in her first career start against George Washington.
Five Times The Run
Three NC State players have enjoyed the number five this season, as Abbie Sims, Heather Gelbard and Jennifer Patterson have each had five RBIs in a game, a school record. Gelbard was the first to accomplish the feat, going 5-for-5 with a grand slam and five RBIs against Mississippi Valley State on Feb. 6. Patterson followed, hitting a school record three doubles and collecting her five RBIs in a 10-0 win over Rutgers on Feb. 20. Not to be out done, Sims hit her own grand slam, the second in school history, and drove in five runs in an 11-2 win over Delaware St. last Saturday.
1-2-3-HR: Wolfpack Pounding Out The Hits
It's all about the stats. NC State has 247 hits, 46 doubles, five triples and 21 home runs in 37 games this season. As a comparison, in 59 games a year ago the Wolfpack offense managed 385 hits, 53 doubles, one triple and 36 home runs. The 36 home runs ranked NC State 48th in the NCAA with 0.61 long balls a game.
Wolfpack Picked Fifth in the ACC in 2005
Head coach Lisa Navas' Wolfpack squad was picked to finish fifth in the ACC by a vote of the seven coaches. NC State garnered 18 league votes, trailing unanimous No. 1 Florida State (49), Georgia Tech (40), North Carolina (35) and Virginia (23). Maryland was sixth with 16 votes, while league newcomer Virginia Tech was seventh. NC State finished fifth in the ACC in 2004, posting a 3-7 league mark and a 32-27 record overall.
