North Carolina State University Athletics
Softball, Tar Heels to Meet at ACC's
5/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
RALEIGH, N.C. - NC State softball will face arch rival North Carolina in its opening round contest at the ACC Championships for the second year in a row on Friday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Blacksburg, Va. Live stats and video will be offered online via TheACC.com throughout the first two days of the tournament, while Sunday’s championship game will be televised via the ACC regional sports network.
NC State enters the weekend at 28-26 (9-12 ACC) and will occupy the fifth seed for the third time in program history, shadowing both the 2004 and 2008 campaigns. The Pack is 2-3 all-time at the ACC Championships as the fifth seed.
Landon Warren has led the team offensively all season, posting team highs in batting average (.325), on-base percentage (.402), hits (53) and doubles (8). Stephanie Call has driven in 35 RBIs with 14 home runs and 93 total bases, while Alyssa Allbritten has hit seven long balls and collected 24 free passes.
Lindsay Campana has put together another fine season in her final year with the Wolfpack, posting a 1.19 ERA with a 17-11 record and 234 K’s. She has allowed 28 earned runs in 193 2/3 innings of work. Call’s performance in the circle improved down the stretch of the season, resulting in a 2.82 ERA and an 8-10 record.
NC State’s History at the ACC Championships
All-Time Record: 8-9
Championships: 1 (2006)
Title Game Appearances: 2 (2006, ‘08)
Seed History: 2004 (No. 5), ‘05 (No. 4), ‘06 (No. 1), ‘07 (No. 2), ‘08 (No. 5), ‘09 (No. 6), ‘10 (No. 5)
By Year: 2004 (0-2), ‘05 (1-2), ‘06 (5-1), ‘07 (0-2), ‘08 (2-1), ‘09 (0-1)
By Seed: As No. 1 (5-1), No. 2 (0-2), No. 4 (1-2), No. 5 (2-3), No. 6 (0-1)
Vs. Seed: No. 1 (1-1), No. 2 (2-1), No. 3 (1-1), No. 4 (1-1), No. 5 (2-1), No. 6 (0-3), No. 7 (0-1), No. 8 (1-0)
Vs. Team: Boston College (1-1), Florida State (1-1), Georgia Tech (1-2), Maryland (0-3), North Carolina (4-1), Virginia (0-0), Virginia Tech (1-1)
Scouting North Carolina
North Carolina (39-17 / 11-10 ACC) will serve as the fourth seed at the ACC Championships, having spent 10 weeks ranked in the top-25 during the regular season. Danielle Spaudling (1.04 ERA, 18-4, 168 IP, 275 K’s) has pitched well as of late after recovering from an injury sustained during the Tar Heels conference opening slate at Florida State, while Amber Johnson (2.26 ERA, 20-13, 201.2 IP, 216 K’s) remains solid.
Spaulding’s offensive game has remained as strong as ever, having compiled a team-leading .354 average with 40 hits, eight home runs and 31 RBIs. Christine Knauer is batting .338 with 53 hits and 39 stolen bases in 43 attempts.
The All-Time Series
NC State leads the all-time series, 14-10, after taking two of three this past March in the annual regular season meeting. The Pack has won four of the previous five duels between the two programs during ACC Championships play.
Navas No Stranger to UNC
Wolfpack head coach Lisa Navas is certainly no stranger to North Carolina and head coach Donna J. Papa, having spent two years as her assistant in Chapel Hill from 2001-02. In fact, North Carolina’s only ACC title in program history came while Navas was on staff in 2001. During her tenure at UNC, the Tar Heels had one All-America, eight All-ACC honorees and three all-region players.
ACC Championships Format
The 2010 ACC Championships will operate under a single elimination format for the second time in league history. The conference tournament, which began in 1992, had always operated under a double elimination format until moving to single elimination in 2009.
In the National Rankings
NC State’s 2.30 team ERA is ranked 48th in the country, while the offense is slated 43rd for home runs per game with 0.91. The Pack has crushed 49 long balls to date.
RPI Watch
The Pack’s RPI was positioned at No. 55 in the latest NCAA release on May 4.
Going, Going, Gone
The Pack has shown an affinity for the long ball this season, blasting 49 to date. That ranks third among league teams, trailing only Georgia Tech (107) and North Carolina (60). Stephanie Call leads the way with 14 bombs, while eight other players have at least two or more. In all, 10 Wolfpackers have gone deep this season. The Pack is 21-8 when at least one player goes yard.
Call Makes History
Stephanie Call hit her 14th home run of the season at UNCW on April 21, setting a new Wolfpack record for home runs in a single season. Jen Chamberlin (2006, 07) and Heather Gelbard (2007) both enjoyed 13-homer campaigns during their time in Raleigh.
Among All ACC players, Call ranks fourth in home runs, tied for seventh in RBIs (35) and eighth in total bases (93).
Warren Among Leagues Best Offensively
Landon Warren ranks in the top-10 among all ACC players in two different offensive categories, including tied for sixth in total hits (53) and 10th in batting average (.325).
Campana Can Deal
Lindsay Campana continues to dominate for the Wolfpack, posting the league’s second best ERA at 1.19. With a 17-11 record, Campana has allowed just 28 earned runs. Her strikeout total (234) is fourth among all conference pitchers, despite the fact that her 30 appearances aren’t even in the top 10 among league hurlers.
On the national scene, Campana’s ERA ranks 14th among all NCAA pitchers. She is also 35th in strikeouts, 39th in hits allowed per seven innings (4.88), 47th in K’s per seven innings (8.4), 61st in shutouts (5) and 68th in wins.
Double Dinger Days
Five Wolfpackers have gone deep twice in a single game this season, with two players doing it in the same game. Stephanie Call and Bridget Desbois both mashed two against North Dakota State (2/19), while Breanna Andrews (Delaware State, 3/13), Landon Warren (North Florida, 3/14) and Alyssa Allbritten (Boston College, 4/3) did it individually.
