North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Softball Travels to Auburn for Tiger Invitational
2/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 9, 2006
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Tiger Invitational Website • Auburn Tigers • Feb. 10-12
Tiger Invitational in Auburn, Ala. On Deck
The third season of Wolfpack softball will swing into high gear as the team travels to Auburn, Ala. for the Tiger Invitational, Feb. 10-12. The tournament is the first of five that NC State will play in this season, and the Tiger Invitational will feature the Wolfpack against five opponents over the weekend. Three of the five teams (Centenary (La.), Auburn, Miami (Ohio)) are coming off of appearances in the 2005 NCAA Championships, while Evansville and Minnesota round out the field.
A Closer Look....
NC State will play Centenary at 1 pm and Evansville at 8 pm on Feb. 10, Auburn and Miami (Ohio) at 3 and 5:30 pm, respectively on Feb. 11, and close with Minnesota on Feb. 12 at 9 am. It will be the first meeting between the Wolfpack and all of the teams except for Miami (Ohio), as the Redhawks downed the Wolfpack 4-2 at the UNLV Tournament on Mar. 3, 2005.
400 & 40 For Lisa Navas
Wolfpack head coach Lisa Navas became just the third active 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, 2005. Her career record stands at 408-186-1 after nine seasons at Barry (335-134-1) and two years at NC State (73-52). She picked up her 40th win of the season as NC State won the North Carolina series on Apr. 28 as the Wolfpack was one of only three ACC teams to win 40 games last year.
2005 > 2004: Basic Wolfpack Softball Math
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. With a record of 41-25 and 7-7 in the ACC, NC?State far surpassed the inaugural season's marks. Add in a fourth place finish in the ACC in 2005, and the Wolfpack softball team improved on its fifth place finish from its first season.
Sims-ational
Abbie Sims posted a 7-1 record in the ACC and 20-7 overall as one of the top pitchers in the conference as a sophomore in 2005. Her 20 wins ranked fifth overall, and she was third in winning percentage (.741). Sims finished third overall in the ACC in ERA at 1.27, and was second in strikeouts with 10.50 per game. Her nine shutouts ranked fourth in the conference and she allowed opponents to hit just .143 against her, tops in the ACC.
She tossed the first three no-hitters of her career in 2005, including the schools first perfect game, en route to two ACC Player of the Week awards. Sims used her bat effectively as well, racking up 13 RBIs in conference games, tied for first in the ACC.
Everything Coming Up Fives
Four NC State players enjoyed the number five during the 2005 season, as Abbie Sims, Heather Gelbard, Jennifer Patterson and Miranda Ervin each had five RBIs in a game, a school record. Gelbard was the first to pull it off, 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 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. She became the first player to have five RBIs in a game twice, collecting five in the first game of the UMass doubleheader on Apr. 20. after a three-run double and a two-run home run.
Chamberlin Packs a Powerful Punch
Junior slugger Jen Chamberlin has 23 career home runs, 11th all-time in the ACC and second among active players in the league, despite having just two years under her belt. She is halfway to the ACC record of 46 career home runs and has made steady improvements defensively, with a strong arm and quick glove at the hot corner.
Road Warriors
If you want to see Wolfpack softball in action this season at home, don't blink! Of the 36 days that NC State plays at least one game, only ten of those are at home. When the season opens on February 10-12 in Auburn, Ala., NC State plays at home only once before March 18. The Wolfpack then plays 11 straight games at home and 14-of-16 overall in Raleigh before finishing the season on the road the last month.
Gelbard Doubles Up
Heather Gelbard is a professional hitter, but she excels in the classroom as well. The junior has started 122 of the teams 125 games in the first two seasons, with 118 of those starts coming at the leadoff spot. Gelbard has done plenty to stay at the top of the lineup, posting the most career hits (128) and doubles (24) on the team while ranking second in batting average at a .312 clip.
In the classroom Gelbard is equally talented. She became the first All-American in softball at NC State as a third-team ESPN The Magazine CoSida Academic All-American. In addition, Gelbard was named to the ACC Honor Roll in back-to-back seasons. For her play on the field, Gelbard was honored as a second team all-ACC pick in 2005.
NCAA Bound?
NC State missed out on the NCAA Championships last season, despite an impressive showing against postseason bound clubs. The Wolfpack posted a 13-11 mark against teams that eventually made it to the postseason, including a 7-6 mark against ACC teams that made the tournament.
The 2006 Wolfpack softball team upped the toughness of this season's schedule as it aims for its first NCAA appearance. The 2006 schedule features games against 12 teams that made the NCAA Championships last season, including Women's College World Series participants Arizona and Tennessee.
Navas in NCAA Record Book
Lisa Navas has been a standout leader over her 11 years as a head coach, and her position in the NCAA record books backs this claim. For coaches with fewer than five years at the Division 1 level, Navas ranks first in terms of winning percentage with a .687 mark. She ranks second among coaches who meet that same criteria over a ten year period. If her winning percentage holds over the next two seasons at the Division 1 level, Navas could rank somewhere in the top-20 for active coaches.
Michelle Green Joins The Staff
Standout pitchers are common on the NC State team, with Abbie Sims, Shaina Ervin, Brooke Isley and Megan Dalthorp all combining to solidify the staff the past two seasons. Now Michelle Green joins the team as an assistant and pitching coach after a four-year career at Georgia that included two All-American seasons.
Her career at Georgia ended with Green as the greatest pitcher in Bulldog history. She is the all-time school leader in wins (104), ERA (1.30), shutouts (47.5) and strikeouts (1,070). She posted a 39-8 record and 1.10 ERA in 2003, striking out 407 batters en route to her first All-America selection. As a senior in 2005, Green sported a 27-4 mark and 1.35 ERA, fanning 272 batters in 187 innings pitched.
Green is a recent graduate of the University of Georgia, receiving a B.S. in sport studies with an emphasis in business. She will be pursuing a Masters Degree at State in Sports Management.
Gametracker links are available throughout the tournament, with the exception of the opener against Centenary. Check the NC State Softball Schedule for all of the game times and Gametracker links.
