NC State Softball Hosts USC Upstate Wednesday Afternoon

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State softball team begins a five-game homestand Wednesday afternoon when it hosts USC Upstate. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. at Dail Stadium.

The Wolfpack enters the contest with a 15-18 record on the season, while the Spartans are 28-6 and have recently been receiving votes for the top-25 polls.

NC State and USC Upstate have met four times in the history of the programs with the Wolfpack owning a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Wolfpack is 2-0 against the Spartans at home.

Last season, the teams split a doubleheader in the Pack's first-ever trip to Cyril Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C. NC State won game one, 10-1, but dropped the second contest in the twin bill, 3-1.

The Wolfpack dropped its most recent outing at Louisville and the Spartans will play at UNC-Chapel Hill Tuesday before facing the Pack Wednesday.

Rychcik Approaching 400
Fourth-year head coach Shawn Rychcik is approaching 400 career wins. Rychcik currently has 395 wins to his credit and needs five more wins to reach the milestone.

The More, The Merrier
NC State has out-hit its opponent 12 times this year and is 11-1 when accomplishing the feat.

Scoring First
The Wolfpack has scored first in 12 of its 15 wins this season and in contrast, has just three wins when the opponent scores first.

Crucial Third Inning
NC State has compiled a record of 10-2 when leading after the third inning. In contrast, the Wolfpack is just 2-12 when trailing at the end of the third frame.

Homering Through the Record Books
Wolfpack junior Tyler Ross has 29 career home runs, which is tied for fourth in program history. Ross will tie Bethaney Wells with her next home run for third all-time and will occupy the position exclusively with two home runs.

Classmate Molly Hutchison has homered 28 times in her Wolfpack career and is tied for sixth in the NC State record books.

Scouting USC Upstate
- The USC Upstate Spartans head to North Carolina with a 28-6 record in 2016.
- Upstate dropped two of three games last weekend against Florida Gulf Coast in its most recent outing of the season.
- Virginia Tech is the lone common opponent for both teams to this point in the season, as NC State won two of three games against the Hokies and USC Upstate lost to VT, 6-0.
- USC Upstate has scored 216 runs in 34 games, an average of 6.17 runs per game. In addition, the Spartans have a team batting average of .318 led by Brittany Case with a .352 clip.
- In the circle, junior college transfer Holly McKinnon headlines the pitching staff with a 1.91 earned run average (ERA) and a 17-2 record. As a team, the group has combined to tally a 2.53 ERA.

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NC State Softball Hosts USC Upstate Wednesday Afternoon

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Players Mentioned

Molly Hutchison

Tyler Ross