North Carolina State University Athletics
Softball Heads to FAU "Strike-Out" Cancer Tournament
2/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
RALEIGH, N.C. - After opening the 2008 season with a 3-2 slate at the UCF Softball Tournament, NC State will return to Florida this weekend, this time in Boca Raton, for the FAU “Strike-Out” Cancer Tournament. The Pack will play in at least five games between Feb. 15-17. The games might take place on the field, but the real battle at the FAU “Strike-Out” Cancer Tournament is cancer. Aside from the games, the event will also serve as a fund raiser for Relay for Life.
NC State is proud to combine forces with FAU and the rest of the tournament field in the battle against cancer. Wolfpack softball, and the entire NC State athletics department, is certainly no stranger to battling cancer. Last week the Wolfpack women’s basketball team, led by hall-of-fame head coach and breast cancer survivor Kay Yow, held it’s third annual Hoops For Hope event, raising over $42,000 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s Triangle affiliate. An additional $10,000 was presented to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund, an newly formed off-shoot of the V Foundation for Cancer Research.
The V Foundation for Cancer Research, one of the most recognizable cancer research fund raising outfits in the United States, was founded by former NC State men’s basketball head coach Jim Valvano and ESPN. Valvano inspired millions with the Cardiac Pack’s memorable run to the 1983 NCAA championship, but his battle against cancer captivated the sports world and brought much needed attention to properly funding research in the hopes of one day developing a cure. To date the V Foundation for Cancer Research has raised more than $70 million.
Host Florida Atlantic, out of the Sun Belt Conference, carries a 2-2 record after falling to Michigan and UMass at the conclusion of the Kick-Off Classic. Blair Bodenmiller leads the Owls at the plate with a .364 batting average and five runs, while Amy Bukovich has three RBIs. Amber Barton carries a 1.94 ERA in 18 innings.
Kent State, a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), stands at 2-3 after opening the year at the Carolina Classic in nearby Chapel Hill, N.C. After downing George Washington and NC Central, the Golden Flashes dropped three straight, falling twice to East Carolina and once to host North Carolina. Jessi Carmichael certainly had a productive weekend in Chapel Hill, hitting .588 with 10 hits, two home runs, five RBIs and three runs. Kent State and NC State have not met since the 06 season.
Miami (Ohio), out of the MAC, will also kick off its season in Boca Raton. State and the Redhawks have not faced each other since 06. Last year Miami went 26-35-1, going 14-8 in league play. The Redhawks only played one ACC team in 07, falling to Georgia Tech (10-0).
Missouri State, from the Missouri Valley Conference, has yet to take the field in 08. Picked to finish fifth in the MVC, the Bears return their entire pitching staff, and 15 letterwinners overall, from a year ago. In 07, Missouri State went 21-29 after winning the MVC title in 06.
Long Island, hailing from the Northeast Conference, will begin its season in Boca Raton. The contest between the Wolfpack and the Blackbirds will mark the third straight year that the two programs have gone head-to-head.
The Pack is 6-2 all-time against teams participating in the FAU “Strike-Out” Cancer Tournament, having previously played three of the other five teams in contention. State is 2-1 all-time against both Miami (Ohio) and Kent State, while posting a 2-0 slate against Long Island. The Wolfpack has never faced Missouri State.
NC State is certainly no stranger to playing games in Florida, holding a 23-21 all-time record in the Sunshine State. In 2004, the program’s inaugural year, the red and white went 2-7 in games played in Florida, following with a 2-3 performance in 05, an 8-4 showing in 06 and an 8-5 clip in 07. So far this year State is 3-2 in Florida, having already played at the UCF Softball Tournament.
