North Carolina State University Athletics
Softball Hosts Doubleheader Against Coastal Carolina Apr. 20
4/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 20, 2005
RALEiGH, N.C. -
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Coastal Carolina Lady Chanticleers In Raleigh For Doubleheader
The Coastal Carolina Lady Chanticleers will come to Raleigh on Wednesday, Apr. 20 for a non-conference doubleheader. The two teams played three games in 2004, with NC State holding a 2-1 advantage in the series. NC State (34-22) is 6-5 at home on the season while Coastal Carolina (19-18) is 2-4 in road contests. The Wolfpack is fresh off of a sweep of ACC foe Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and will face two non-conference opponents this week before hosting ACC rival North Carolina to close the regular season next week.
400 Wins For Lisa Navas
Wolfpack head coach Lisa Navas became just the third ACC coach to win 400 career games when NC State downed Virginia Tech in the second game of a doubleheader, 9-7 in eight innings, on Apr. 16. Her career record stands at 401-183-1 (.686) after nine seasons at Barry (335-134-1) and is in her second year with NC State (66-49).
Wolfpack Offense Explodes In Va. Tech Sweep
NC State found the cure for its sluggish offense over the weekend in Blacksburg, Va. Feasting on the Hokies' pitching staff in a three-game ACC series sweep, NC State hit .411 as a team, collecting 44 hits and scoring 28 runs while setting team records for hits and runs in an ACC contest (10 runs in game three and 17 hits in game two, which also tied the overall school record). Every Wolfpack starter had at least one hit in the first two ball games, and eight of the nine starters hit safely in the third game on Sunday. Four players recorded four RBIs or more and four others hits over .500 in the three games., led by Abbie Sims' 5-for-7 performance and six RBIs. Miranda Ervin hit two home runs and had six RBIs of her own along with a team high seven hits.
2005 Surpasses 2004 Marks In Overall And Conference Wins... Already
NC State surprised many in 2004 with an impressive 32-27 inaugural season, including a 3-7 ACC mark. In 2005, it took five fewer games to match the 32-win season, and the sophomore edition is writing its own record book as it stands on 34 wins and counting after 56 games. The 2005 ACC record is already quite impressive, as NC State holds a 5-6 league mark with a three-game series with North Carolina still on the conference slate. Overall, NC State has seven regular season games remaining before postseason play.
Miranda Ervin Named ACC Player Of The Week
Fresh off of her hot hitting against Virginia Tech, catcher Miranda Ervin was named ACC Player of the Week on Monday by the league office. Ervin hit .538 (7-for13) over the weekend with two home runs and six RBIs. Both bombs came in the third game on Sunday, Apr. 17 making her the second player in NC State history with two home runs in a game. Her sister Shaina accomplished the feat last season. She had five RBIs in the final game which tied a school record as well, and she slugged a team-high 1.000 and collected 13 total bases.
Sims' "Perfect"-ion Leads To ACC Player Of The Week
Abbie Sims was perfect from the circle against Central Connecticut State on Mar. 19 -- literally. Sims tossed the first perfect game of her career and the first in school history in an 8-0 win over CCSU at the 2005 Wolfpack Challenge. She struck out 16 of 18 batters faced in six innings, including the final 13 to end the ball game. For the weekend, Sims recorded two wins and notched her second save of the season to earn ACC Player of the Week honors for the second time this season and third time in her career.
Chamberlin Swings Away
Jen Chamberlin hit her ninth home run of 2005 on Apr. 16 against Virginia Tech, and 20th of her career, to move into 11th all-time in home runs in the ACC. She hit 12 as a freshman a year ago, and currently leads the Pack with the nine long balls, second in the conference.
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 56 games in 2005, the Wolfpack staff has amassed 13 shutouts. Sims has seven, Ervin three, and freshmen Brooke Isley and Megan Dalthorp each have one. Sims and Isley have combined for one shut out as well.
Everything Coming Up Fives
Four NC State players have enjoyed the number five this season, as Abbie Sims, Heather Gelbard, Jennifer Patterson and Miranda Ervin 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. on Feb. 26. Ervin was the most recent to get five RBIs, hitting a three-run blast in the first inning against Virginia Tech on Apr. 17 and a two-run home run in the fourth.
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 conference 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.
