North Carolina State University Athletics
Softball Heads to Clearwater for USF adidas Invitational
3/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
RALEIGH, N.C. - Following a brief home stretch that saw the Pack post a 4-1 record with two wins over No. 19 Florida State, the NC State softball team will hit the road again this week for the USF adidas Invitational in Clearwater, Fla., Thursday, March 8 through Sunday, March 11. The Wolfpack will begin the tournament by competing in Pool B alongside Chattanooga, Long Island, Mercer, Michigan State and Villanova.
The Wolfpack will start play on Thursday by taking on Villanova at 11 a.m. and Mercer at 1 p.m. On Friday the Pack will battle Long Island at 11 a.m., before challenging Chattanooga at 1 p.m. On Saturday NC State is scheduled to play Michigan State at 1 p.m., and will play in another game to be determined. Depending on how the Pack fares during the first three days, it could compete again on Sunday.
This year marks the second-straight appearance by NC State at the USF adidas Invitational. A season ago the team went 6-2 at the event with wins over Hofstra, Buffalo, Temple, Long Island, Virginia Tech and Purdue.
The tournament will mark the first time that NC State has ever stepped on the diamond with Michigan State and Villanova. The Pack, however, stands at 3-0 combined against Chattanooga, Long Island and Mercer, boasting one win over each program.
Aside from the Pack, three other ACC teams will compete at the event, including North Carolina (Pool A), Virginia Tech (Pool C) and Georgia Tech (Pool D).
The Pack is certainly no stranger to playing games in Florida, holding a 16-15 all-time record in the Sunshine State. In 2004, the program’s inaugural year, Coach Lisa Navas' team went 2-7 in games played in Florida, following with a 2-3 performance in 2005 and a 8-4 showing in 2006. Earlier this season, the Pack went 4-1 en route to winning the Cox Communications Classic in Gainesville, beating host No. 19 Florida twice.
Following the USF adidas Invitational, the Pack will hit the road for the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif. Tournament play runs from Thursday, March 15 through Sunday, March 18. The Pack will open up its share of play against Pacific on Thursday at 9 a.m.
