North Carolina State University Athletics
Softball Hosts Kent State Tuesday at 1 p.m.
3/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 28, 2006
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Wolfpack Softball Hosts Kent State Golden Flashes
NC State (28-12) will host the Kent State Golden Flashes (9-12) in a home doubleheader on Tuesday, March 28 with game times set for 1 and 3 p.m. NC State has won eight of its last 10 and 12 of its last 15 games heading into the contest, while the Flashes wrapped up play at the State Farm Pirate invite with a 1-0 loss to ECU in nine innings. The Wolfpack pitching staff has tossed seven shutouts in the last 12 games and has a team ERA of 0.97 in that stretch.
Look Closer ...
Kent State Golden Flashes • Mar. 28 (Doubleheader - 1 & 3 p.m.)
The Golden Flashes won the only meeting between the two teams, taking a 10-5 win in eight innings in 2004 ... It was just the fourth game in school history and the first extra inning contest for the Wolfpack ... Heather Gelbard went 2-for-4 in the game with two doubles and three RBIs, and Shaina and Miranda Ervin each drove in a run in the loss.
Hokies Take Series With Two, One-Run Victories
The Virginia Tech Hokies took two-of-three games from the Wolfpack this past weekend, winning games 1 and 3 by a 3-2 and 2-1 margin, respectively. The Hokies' ace, Angela Tincher, took out Abbie Sims twice despite Sims allowing just five runs in the two games. The offense exploded in game two for NC State, as it won 8-0 in five innings with Shaina Ervin allowing two hits in the shutout. Shanna Smith went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and a walk-off home run in the fifth to invoke the run rule.
Nine Ball
With a narrow 3-2 loss to Virginia Tech in the first game last Saturday, NC State's nine-game win streak was snapped. The streak, the second longest in school history behind an 11-game run in 2004, used solid defense, strong pitching and clutch hitting as the team was clicking on all cylinders.
The team fielding percentage was a sparkling .986 with only four errors in 66 innings over the streak. First baseman Lisa Nentwig (74 chances), third baseman Jen Chamberlin (28 chances) and shortstop Shanna Smith (43 chances) were error free to solidify the infield.
The team ERA over those nine games was an impressive 0.74, with Shaina Ervin leading the way with a 0.33 ERA and a 4-0 record. She allowed opponents to hit just 1.69 against her. Abbie Sims led the team with an opponents batting average of .158, and posted a 4-0 mark and a 1.18 ERA by striking out 31 batters in 29.2 innings pitched.
Offensively, the team hit .279 with 69 hits (7.6 per game), 37 runs (4.1), 12 doubles, two triples and six home runs. Shanna Smith led the team with five steals and had nine hits, including one double, triple and home run. Chamberlin had two homers and two doubles, while Miranda Ervin (.412) and Nentwig (.400) led the team in average.
ACC Standings
NC State is 4-2 in league play, tied for second in the conference. The four conference wins is already the second best mark in the Wolfpack's three seasons, with the 7-7 mark from last year the high point. NC State gets its next two ACC opponents at home, with Maryland (Apr. 1-2) and Georgia Tech (Apr. 8-9) coming to Walnut Creek Softball Complex.
Chamberlin: No Place Like Home...
The return home has been sweet for Jen Chamberlin, who leads the team in nearly every offensive category at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex this season. She is batting a team best .400 in the eight games, with 10 hits (1st on the team), five home runs (1st), nine RBIs (1st), 26 total bases (1st) and slugging percentage (1.040, 1st).
...Especially Home Against The ACC
All six conference games have been at home thus far for the Wolfpack, and Chamberlin is lighting up the league pitchers in those games. She leads the team with a .421 batting average and eight hits, four home runs, 21 total bases and a 1.105 slugging percentage.
Smith Spiking
Not to be out-done, but Shanna Smith stock has been spiking. The sophomore shortstop has hit .400 in 2006 league play after hitting a team best .341 in 14 games last season against ACC opponents. Her seven RBIs in ACC games ties for the league lead and she is second in triples, second in home runs, fourth in runs scored, second in walks, sixth in on base percentage and third in slugging percentage.
Holding Leads
The 2006 Wolfpack squad is especially good at holding leads, and is a perfect 15-0 when leading after two innings, 18-0 after three innings, 20-0 after four innings, 19-0 after five innings. and 21-0 after six innings. The only time NC State has lost after leading in the first inning was against Fordham on 2/26/06 after it failed to hold a 1-0 lead and lost, 3-1. The Wolfpack is 13-1 when holding the lead after the first stanza.
On the flip side, NC State is 3-7 when trailing after three, 3-9 after four, 3-10 after five and a paltry 1-11 when trailing after six innings.
Scoring Trends
When the team has scored three or more runs it has posted a record of 24-1 this season and is 22-4 when holding its opponent to two or fewer runs ... When the Wolfpack scores first it is an amazing 21-1 and is 14-2 when scoring in the 1st inning ... NC State has scored 34% of its runs this season in the first or second inning.
Shutting The Door
The pitching staff has done its job this season, shutting out 11 opponents thus far in 2006, a mark that ranks second all-time. The team notched 10 in 2004 and a school-record 16 in 2005.
Abbie Sims in ACC & NCAA Record Books
Abbie Sims has posted some impressive numbers so far in her career, but her strikeouts numbers could be considered staggering. Her 679 career strikeouts rank 10th in the ACC career record books and is nine shy of moving into ninth place all-time.
Even more impressive is her standing in the NCAA record books. Sims has fanned an average of 9.5 batters per seven innings pitched (a complete game in softball), a mark that ranks 17th all-time in NCAA history. She is currently the fifth among active pitchers, trailing only four all-Americans - Cat Osterman (Texas), Monica Abbott (Tenn.); Alicia Hollowell (Arizona); and Jennie Ritter (Mich.). Sims is second all-time among ACC pitchers behind former Georgia Tech All-American and ACC career leader in strikeouts, Jessica Sallinger.
Chamberlin Packs a Powerful Punch
Junior slugger Jen Chamberlin has 30 career home runs, sixth all-time in the ACC and first among active players in the league. The junior is just 16 dingers away from the ACC record of 46. Chamberlin's seven home runs this season rank second in the league and is first on the team.
Shanna Smith Steals
Shortstop Shanna Smith is proving to be quite the thief. She is the school record holder in career steals (28) and percentage (.848) - and she is only in her sophomore year.
Smith stole nine bases in 10 attempts in 2005, setting the single season Wolfpack record for steals and stolen base percentage (.900). She is now 19-23 this season, more than doubling her total from last season through 40 games.
Smith's 19 steals in 2006 rank first in the conference and her .48 steals per game is third overall.
Smith uses her speed when she puts the ball in play as well, racking of three triples (second in the ACC) and seven doubles (t-5th in the ACC and first on the team).
The 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 opened on February 10-12 in Auburn, Ala., NC State had only one home date before the Boston College series on Mar. 18. The Wolfpack then plays 14-of-18 overall in Raleigh before finishing the season on the road the last month for the final 13 games.
Gelbard Doubles Up
Heather Gelbard is a professional hitter, but she excels in the classroom as well. The junior has started 152 games (most on the team) and has played in 163, posting the most career hits (167) and doubles (27) on the team while ranking second in batting average at a .310 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 No. 1/1 Arizona and No. 3/3 Tennessee.
NC State has two wins against top-25 teams, beating No. 23 Virginia Tech and No. 18 Missouri. Overall, the Wolfpack has faced five ranked teams.
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 heading into the season. 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-America 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.
Back-to-Back-to-Back Bombs
Maybe we should have seen it coming, only no one could remember ever seeing such a feat before. The team hit back-to-back-to-back dingers against Tennessee Tech Saturday night at the Worth Wildcat. After losing a tough game to 3/3Arizona, NC State needed to rebound against Tech, and it's safe to say that happened in a big way.
Jen Chamberlin, Jennifer Patterson and Shaina Ervin each hit home runs for the historic program first.
Before this game, NC State had hit back-to-back home runs in three games; twice in 2004 (Shaina Ervin and Allison Cuculich, Caroline Blount and Heather Jedrey) and once in 2005 (Miranda Ervin and Allison Cuculich.
Navas' 600, 400
Another coaching milestone for Lisa Navas. The Wolfpack head coach has led a team in 600 career games after the win against Minnesota on Feb. 12 in Auburn, Ala. She won her 400th game last season at Virginia Tech, and currently holds a career record of 433-196-1. She has 98 wins at NC State since starting the program in 2004.
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.
