Softball Travels to No. 19 Notre Dame for Final ACC Series

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State softball team will hit the road for its final series of the season, as the Wolfpack heads to 19^th-ranked Notre Dame. Saturday's doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m. and will air live on ESPN3/Watch ESPN, while Sunday's game will begin at noon.

The Wolfpack enters the weekend with a 22-31 overall record and a 5-16 clip in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play, while the Fighting Irish are 37-9 and 11-6 in league action.

Last season, NC State swept the three-game series at home against Notre Dame. The Irish were ranked No. 23 at the time and it was the first time in program history that the Wolfpack swept a three-game set against a ranked opponent.

The Pack leads the all-time series with Notre Dame, 4-1, as the teams have met five times with each matchup as conference opponents since 2014.

Last Time Out
In its last outing, NC State dropped a 5-3 decision against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in its final home game of the season. Notre Dame split a doubleheader with Louisville in its most recent contest, dropping the second game of the twin bill, 8-3.

Ross Approaching Single-Season Records
Junior Tyler Ross enters the weekend within striking distance of a couple NC State single-season records. She has scored 51 runs this season and would break the record by scoring two runs this weekend. In addition, the Cameron, N.C., native has 25 stolen bases and needs just two more to break the record in that category.

A League of Her Own
Ross is the only player among NCAA Division I softball with 15 or more home runs (17) and 25 or more stolen bases (27). The junior outfielder has been a true dual-threat this season, forcing opponents to be careful with her at the plate and on the basepaths.

Homering Wolfpack
With 66 home runs as a team in 2016, NC State has now hit at least 66 home runs in each of head coach Shawn Rychcik's four seasons. The Wolfpack has hit a homer in 38 of 53 games this year.

Gimme Six
NC State has compiled a record of 17-5 when scoring at least six runs in a contest. In comparison, the Wolfpack has just five wins when plating five runs or fewer.

Lucky Number Two
The Wolfpack has hit two or more home runs on 19 occasions this season and has won 14 of those contests.

In addition, NC State has also scored 43 runs in the second inning – the most it has scored in any frame this season.

Crucial Third Inning
NC State owns a 16-6 mark when leading at the conclusion of the third inning.

Scouting Notre Dame
- Notre Dame heads into the weekend as the top offense in the ACC, as the Irish have a team batting average of .352, which is fourth best in the NCAA.
- The Irish have scored 328 runs in 46 games, an average of 7.13 runs per game.
- The Wester sisters headline the team's offense, as Karley owns a batting average of .441 with a team best 75 hits, while younger sister Ali has a .420 clip with 63 hits.
- Despite not hitting many home runs (33), Notre Dame is second in the conference with 69 doubles as a team.
- In the circle, Allie Rhodes has seen the bulk of the action with a 17-5 record to go along with a 2.86 earned run average (ERA).
- As a team, Notre Dame pitchers have compiled a 3.06 ERA.

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Softball Travels to No. 19 Notre Dame for Final ACC Series

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Players Mentioned

Tyler Ross