North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Softball Heads to Virginia for ACC Showdown
4/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 21, 2006
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Virginia Series Awaits NC State Softball
NC State will travel to Charlottesville, Va. this weekend to face the Virginia Cavaliers in a three-game ACC series. NC State is tied for second in the ACC and stands at 40-17 (10-5 ACC) while the Cavaliers are seventh with a 25-19 (5-9 ACC) record. The two teams met earlier this season in the semifinals of the Buzz Classic, with the Wolfpack winning a thrilling contest, 8-7.
Look Closer ...
Virginia Cavaliers • 25-19 • 5-9 ACC (t-7th)
Apr. 22 (DH - 1 & 3 p.m.) • Apr. 23 (1 p.m.)
Virginia leads the series 3-5 ... NC State has won the last two meetings, including a 8-7 win at the Buzz Classic earlier this season ... The Wolfpack is 1-3 at The Park including two neutral site losses and losing the conference doubleheader in 2004 ... The Cavs are 4-5 at home this season and 1-4 in ACC play ... NC State is 9-4 on the road and 2-1 in conference road games.
Roller Coaster Meeting For Virginia, NC State
The two teams had quite a game earlier this season. NC State took a 1-0 lead in the second on a solo home run from Miranda Ervin before the Cavs scored four in the fourth for 4-1 lead. That lead grew to 6-1 after the top of the fourth before NC State started its comeback.
Lisa Nentwig homered in the fourth to trim the lead to 6-2, and Ervin's three-run blast in the fifth pulled NC State within a run. Shaina Ervin drew a bases loaded walk on a full count with two outs in the sixth to tie the game at six.
The Cavaliers scored the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh on a RBI double from Amy McKean, but NC State scored twice in the bottom half of the inning for the win. Shanna Smith walked to force in a run with the bases full, and Tess Corona scored from third as the catcher committed an error trying to pick her off for the winning run.
Pack Tied For Second In ACC After Series Win Over Florida State
NC State is in second place in the ACC after taking two of three from perrenial ACC power Florida State. The Wolfpack is just one game back from conference leader North Carolina, and will play Virginia and North Carolina in road ACC series to close the season.
Abbie Sims went nine innings and allowed just four hits in a 2-0 shutout of the Seminoles in game one. Shanna Smith broke up a no-hitter in the ninth with a single up the middle, and Chamberlin hit a bomb off of the scoreboard in right centerfield for the winning runs.
In game two, NC State built an early lead, 5-0, then hung on against a furious Florida State rally to sweep the doubleheader, 6-5.
Florida State salvaged game two with a 2-0 win, as NC State committed three errors, including two in the first inning as FSU scored twice for the win.
Lucky Number 40
For the second straight season NC State has posted 40 wins after winning 32 its inaugural season. The 40 wins ranks sixth in the NCAA this season. With the doubleheader sweep over Elon on Wednesday (8-0, 2-0) the team stands at 40-17 with six regular season games remaining; three against UVA and three against North Carolina. NC State is also 10-5 in conference play, a school record for ACC wins after three in 2004 and seven in 2005. Last season the team went 41-25 overall to set the school record for wins.
RPI Ranks Wolfpack 30th
NC State is ranked 30th in the most recent Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) for NCAA softball released late Wednesday (before NC State swept Elon). Ranked fifth among ACC teams, the Wolfpack has 11 wins against the RPI top-50, the most among all conference teams. NC State's schedule is ranked 43rd toughest nationally and its .691 winning percentage ranks 35th in the NCAA.
Pitching Pacing Pack
The pitching has always been strong at NC State, but perhaps this season's staff has put up the most impressive numbers. As a staff the Wolfpack hurlers have 16 shutouts, already tied for the school record, and have won 40 games, second all-time. With 420 strikeouts and just 141 walks, the staff is fanning over 2.9 more batters than it walks, a school record, and is 71 collective strikeouts short of topping the school record set last season.
NC State Is ACC's Top Defense
As a team, NC State leads the ACC in defense in conference games. In its 14 ACC contests, the Wolfpack has committed just 10 errors for a .978 fielding percentage and has turned five double plays, third in the conference. The catchers have been doing their job as well behind the plate, allowing only six steals in 15 attempts, the best mark in the league in conference games.
In all games this season, NC State is second behind Maryland with a .971 fielding percentage, a mark which would rank as a school record if the season ended today. The catchers have thrown out 22 of the 54 (.407) would be base stealers, the best percentage in the league.
Smith Spiking In ACC
Shanna Smith's stock has been spiking. The sophomore shortstop has hit .300 in 2006 league play after hitting a team best .341 in 14 games last season against ACC opponents. Her nine RBIs in ACC games ties for ninth in the ACC, sixth in home runs, fourth in runs scored and tenth in slugging percentage.
She is one of the top stolen base machines in the ACC, stealing an eye-opening 25 bases in 29 attempts.
Holding Leads
The 2006 Wolfpack squad is especially good at holding leads, and is 33-3 when scoring first this season. The Wolfpack is 16-2 when holding the lead after the first stanza, 20-1 after two, 28-2 after three and 30-1 after four. NC State is 28-0 when leading after five innings and 30-0 when up after six.
On the flip side, NC State is 1-7 when trailing after two, 3-8 after three, 4-11 after four, 3-12 after five and a paltry 1-14 when trailing after six innings.
When the team has scored three or more runs it has posted a record of 33-3 this season and is 32-7 when holding its opponent to two or fewer runs.
Shutting The Door
The pitching staff has done its job this season, shutting out 16 opponents, a mark that ties for first all-time at NC State. The team notched 10 in 2004 and a school-record 16 last year.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Wolfpack has been shut out 10 times and has scored just 15 runs in its 17 losses.
Chamberlin Packs a Powerful Punch
Junior slugger Jen Chamberlin has 33 career home runs, fifth all-time in the ACC and second among active players in the league. The junior is just 13 dingers away from tying the ACC record of 46.
Chamberlin's 10 home runs this season rank second in the league and are first on the team, and her seven home runs against ACC teams is first in the conference.
She has hit 10 or more home runs in each of her first three seasons and could become the first player in ACC history to get double digit dingers in each of her four seasons.
Abbie Sims in ACC & NCAA Record Books
Abbie Sims has posted some impressive numbers so far in her career, but her strikeout numbers could be considered staggering. Her 755 career strikeouts rank seventh all-time in the ACC and has had over 240 in each of her first three seasons. At her current pace of 251 K's a season, she could finish her career with over a 1,000. Only three other ACC pitchers have topped the 1,000 strikeout mark.
Even more impressive is her standing in the NCAA record books. Sims has fanned an average of 9.45 batters per seven innings pitched (a complete game in softball), a mark that ranks 18th all-time in NCAA history. She is currently 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 on the list behind former Georgia Tech All-American, Jessica Sallinger, the ACC career leader in total strikeouts (1,398).
Shanna Smith Steals
Shortstop Shanna Smith is proving to be quite the thief. She is the school record holder in career steals (34) and percentage (.872) - 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 25-29 this season, smashing her total from last season through 57 games.
Smith's 25 steals in 2006 rank second in the conference. Smith uses her speed when she puts the ball in play as well, racking of three triples (third in the ACC), eight doubles (second on the team) and scoring the fifth most runs (44).
Shaina Ervin Named ACC Player of the Week (4/3/06)
After an outstanding week for junior pitcher Shaina Ervin, she was honored with her first ever ACC Player of the Week selection. Ervin went 3-0 during the week with two wins over Maryland and a win over Kent State. She posted two shutouts and a 0.37 ERA, striking out 17 while walking just two batters. Despite allowing a home run in the top of the seventh of game one to Maryland, her first run allowed in 26 straight innings pitched, Ervin was almost unhittable as her .143 opponents batting average suggests. She tossed a one-hit shutout (infield single) against Kent State on 3/28 and had won eight straight decisions.
Navas' 600, 400, 100
Another coaching milestone for Lisa Navas. NC State and Navas have won 100 games in the program's first three seasons after a sweep of East Carolina on 3/22/06. 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 448-203-1 (.688).
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 have been at home.
NC State is in the midst of a 13-game road trip to close out the regular season. The team has six more games before the ACC Tournament on May 11-14.
When the season opened on Feb. 10-12 in Auburn, Ala., NC State had only one home date before the Boston College series on Mar. 18. The Wolfpack then played 14-of-18 overall in Raleigh and finish 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 179 games (most on the team) and has played in 180, posting the most career hits (179) and doubles (30) and ranking second in batting average (.304) on the team.
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, posting a 2-3 mark.
The Wolfpack also is 11-10 against teams ranked in the RPI top-50.
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.
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. Miranda Ervin and Abbie Sims hit back-to-back dingers against Georgia Tech on Apr. 8, 2006.
Everything Coming Up Fives
Four NCState 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 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.™™
