North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Softball Heads to Hampton Inn Pirate Clash
3/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 2, 2005
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Wolfpack Softball Travels to Hampton Inn Pirate Clash, Mar. 4-5
NC State hits the road this weekend, Mar. 4-5, for the Hampton Inn Pirate Clash. The tournament is hosted by East Carolina in Greenville, N.C. NC State is 18-8 on the season after a week that saw it win six of seven games, and eight of its last 10. NC State has outscored its opponents 46-12 over the last 10 games and is seven games ahead of the pace it set last year in winning 32 games in its inaugural season. In the Hampton Inn Pirate Clash, NC State will play James Madison and Princeton on Mar. 4, and take on Delaware and Liberty on Mar. 5.
Pack Wins Four-Of-Five At Seahawk Classic
NC State finished fourth in the Seahawk Classic despite leading the field in runs scored over the first two days and posting a 4-1 record. NC State defeated Appalachian St. twice (2-0, 3-0), Charleston Southern (6-0), Delaware St. (11-2) and lost to UNC Greensboro (2-0). NC State's Abbie Sims was named to the all-tournament team after winning three games without surrendering a run in 18 innings pitched. She struck out 25 batters and allowed just three hits and six walks. Shaina Ervin took the lone loss, but improved to 6-5 on the season after pitching 13 strong innings, allowing two runs on nine hits while striking out 18 batters.
6-1 Week Moves NC State to 18-8
Wolfpack softball enjoyed the spoils of a 6-1 record this week, and has now won eight of the last 10. During that 10-game stretch, NC State has outscored its opponents 46-12, losing by identical 2-0 margins to Ohio State in the FAU Classic and to UNC Greensboro in the Seahawk Classic. During the six-win week, NC State hit .301 as a team, and held a team ERA of 1.52. Lisa Nentwig, despite playing in just three games, led the team in average with four hits in eight at bats, including her first career double. Heather Gelbard led the team in hits with 10, while Sims and Lee Hasper each collected five RBIs. Hasper hit two home runs during the week, tops on the team, and Shanna Smith had a double and a home run, the first of her career, to slug a team best .727 in the seven games.
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 385 career wins in 11 years, which included 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. Sims had seven of those, with Shaina Ervin notching the other three. Through 26 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 Sims, 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 191 hits, 37 doubles, three triples and 14 home runs in 26 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.
Powerful Hasper
"Not known for her power" could have been senior Lee Hasper`s scouting report coming into the 2005 season. She had zero extra base hits in 34 games last season, but is currently third on the team in slugging after 26 games this season. She has two doubles, fourth on the team, and three home runs, second on the team. Her 10 RBIs is fifth on the team, and four more than she had in an injury shortened season in 2004.
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.
