North Carolina State University Athletics
Wednesday, May 12
Louisville, KY.
3:30 PM
NC State
vs
North Carolina
NC State Set for ACC Softball Championships
5/11/2021 7:03:00 PM | Softball
LOUISVILLE, KY. – The NC State softball team is set for the 2021 ACC Softball Championships in Louisville, Ky. from May 12-15. The Wolfpack enters the tournament as the seven-seed and will face off against 10-seed, North Carolina, May 12 at 3:30 p.m. in the first round. The matchup will be broadcast on ACC Network.
ACC CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
NC State is looking to continue its recent success at the ACC Tournament, after going 2-1 at the 2019 event. With its appearance in the 2021 tournament, it is the first time since 2014-15 NC State has qualified to back-to-back ACC Championships (The 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
The Wolfpack is 15-16 all-time in the tournament, including appearing twice as the seven seed. In 2019, NC State became the first eight-seed to reach the semifinal round since 2011. The team has won at least one game and advanced to the semifinals in the ACC Championship the last three tournaments participated in.
ALL-ACC ACCOLADES
The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its annual awards and All-ACC teams, Tuesday afternoon. NC State had three student-athletes selected – Angie Rizzi, Randi Farricker and Sam Russ. RIzzi was named to the second-team with Farricker and Russ both earning third-team honors. The trio marks the most All-ACC selections for NC State since 2015, and ties for the second-most all-time.
It is the first honor for both Rizzi and Farricker, and the second for Russ in her career after previously earning second team accolades in 2019. Russ is the eighth NC State athlete all-time to earn multiple All-ACC honors in their career.
#HOMERUNMINDSET
NC State continues to lead the ACC and rank top-20 nationally with 1.41 home runs per game. The Wolfpack leads the ACC and has been top-20 nationally every week since opening its 2021 schedule. As a team, NC State has 69 home runs, which ranks fourth all-time at NC State.
The Pack has been led in the power department by Randi Farricker, who claimed the regular-season ACC home run title with a conference-best 17 home runs. The redshirt junior ranks 11th nationally and her single-season mark is fourth all-time at NC State. Farricker also leads the ACC and is top-35 nationally with a .819 slugging percentage. Rizzi and Logan Morris also have double-digit home runs this season, making NC State the only school in the conference to have three or more players with 10+ home runs.
A LOOK AT NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina enters the tournament with a 14-25 record, including a 6-18 record against common opponents with NC State compared to the Pack's 10-15 record. The Tar Heels earned a win last weekend against Louisville to secure their place in the tournament.
Kristina Burkhardt has been the highlight of the Tar Heels offense with a team-best .339 batting average. The fifth-year player also leads the team with eight doubles, 40 hits, 25 runs and a .559 slugging percentage.
The main key for success this season for the Tar Heels has been Brittany Pickett in the circle. Pickett has a 10-8 record in the circle, as North Carolina has just four wins this season that belong to another pitcher. Pickett owns a 2.62 ERA across 117.0 innings pitched with 126 strikeouts. Pickett also leads the Tar Heels with a team-best seven home runs.
NC STATE-UNC SERIES HISTORY
The NC State-North Carolina series history is a lengthy one, going back to NC State's inaugural season in 2004. North Carolina owns a slight lead in the all-time series, 27-22-1. The two teams have faced off against each other in the ACC Tournament a total of nine times, with NC State holding the narrow 5-4 lead in those games. North Carolina is the most frequent opponent for the Wolfpack in the ACC Tournament.
The last time the two teams faced off was in the 2019 ACC Championship Semifinals, where North Carolina defeated NC State, 6-1, after the Wolfpack upset the No. 1 seeded Virginia Tech Hokies the day before.
ACC CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
NC State is looking to continue its recent success at the ACC Tournament, after going 2-1 at the 2019 event. With its appearance in the 2021 tournament, it is the first time since 2014-15 NC State has qualified to back-to-back ACC Championships (The 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
The Wolfpack is 15-16 all-time in the tournament, including appearing twice as the seven seed. In 2019, NC State became the first eight-seed to reach the semifinal round since 2011. The team has won at least one game and advanced to the semifinals in the ACC Championship the last three tournaments participated in.
ALL-ACC ACCOLADES
The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its annual awards and All-ACC teams, Tuesday afternoon. NC State had three student-athletes selected – Angie Rizzi, Randi Farricker and Sam Russ. RIzzi was named to the second-team with Farricker and Russ both earning third-team honors. The trio marks the most All-ACC selections for NC State since 2015, and ties for the second-most all-time.
It is the first honor for both Rizzi and Farricker, and the second for Russ in her career after previously earning second team accolades in 2019. Russ is the eighth NC State athlete all-time to earn multiple All-ACC honors in their career.
#HOMERUNMINDSET
NC State continues to lead the ACC and rank top-20 nationally with 1.41 home runs per game. The Wolfpack leads the ACC and has been top-20 nationally every week since opening its 2021 schedule. As a team, NC State has 69 home runs, which ranks fourth all-time at NC State.
The Pack has been led in the power department by Randi Farricker, who claimed the regular-season ACC home run title with a conference-best 17 home runs. The redshirt junior ranks 11th nationally and her single-season mark is fourth all-time at NC State. Farricker also leads the ACC and is top-35 nationally with a .819 slugging percentage. Rizzi and Logan Morris also have double-digit home runs this season, making NC State the only school in the conference to have three or more players with 10+ home runs.
A LOOK AT NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina enters the tournament with a 14-25 record, including a 6-18 record against common opponents with NC State compared to the Pack's 10-15 record. The Tar Heels earned a win last weekend against Louisville to secure their place in the tournament.
Kristina Burkhardt has been the highlight of the Tar Heels offense with a team-best .339 batting average. The fifth-year player also leads the team with eight doubles, 40 hits, 25 runs and a .559 slugging percentage.
The main key for success this season for the Tar Heels has been Brittany Pickett in the circle. Pickett has a 10-8 record in the circle, as North Carolina has just four wins this season that belong to another pitcher. Pickett owns a 2.62 ERA across 117.0 innings pitched with 126 strikeouts. Pickett also leads the Tar Heels with a team-best seven home runs.
NC STATE-UNC SERIES HISTORY
The NC State-North Carolina series history is a lengthy one, going back to NC State's inaugural season in 2004. North Carolina owns a slight lead in the all-time series, 27-22-1. The two teams have faced off against each other in the ACC Tournament a total of nine times, with NC State holding the narrow 5-4 lead in those games. North Carolina is the most frequent opponent for the Wolfpack in the ACC Tournament.
The last time the two teams faced off was in the 2019 ACC Championship Semifinals, where North Carolina defeated NC State, 6-1, after the Wolfpack upset the No. 1 seeded Virginia Tech Hokies the day before.
Players Mentioned
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/ Softball
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