The NC State softball team is set to host Duke on Wednesday for its first game against an ACC opponent this season.
The Wolfpack (11-4) is on its best start in program history and is riding a six-game win streak.
This past weekend, NC State won five games in three days while hosting the Fairfield Crabtree Invitational, defeating Bucknell and Saint Joseph’s twice and defeating Indiana. The Blue Devils (12-2) have won three games in a row, their last game being an impressive 1-0 win against No. 4 Texas.
Duke has six players in its lineup who are batting above .300 so far this year. On the Wolfpack scouting report, Rachel Crabtree and Caroline Jacobsen will be the two that State pitchers will need to be wary of the most. Crabtree leads the team with a .410 batting average, while Jacobsen has four home runs and 17 RBI’s to lead the team.
Pitching-wise for the Blue Devils, Peyton St. George and Shelby Waters have each pitched over 30 innings so far and have ERA’s below 2.00. St. George has 35 strikeouts to her name, while Walters has 26 strikeouts so far.
For the Wolfpack, senior outfielder Tatyana Forbes has come out of the gate swinging, as she is batting .569 on the year. In just 15 games Forbes has 29 hits, which is first in the ACC. Junior outfielder Sam Russ and redshirt junior infielder Randi Farricker have also been key hitters so far for NC State with .400 and .366 batting averages, respectively.
Despite not having batting averages over .300, junior infielder Logan Morris and senior outfielder Brigette Nordberg have made their presence known with pop in their bats. Morris has three home runs and a team-high 20 RBI’s, while Nordberg leads the team with four dingers.
Expect to see sophomore Sydney Nester start on the mound for the Wolfpack. Nester has pitched 56 innings with a 3.50 ERA, and has recorded 57 strikeouts. Devin Wallace could also see some action against the Blue Devils, as she has pitched 39.1 innings with a 3.03 ERA and 40 strikeouts to her name.
The Blue Devils softball program has only been around for two years. With only four matchups between the tobacco road rivals, NC State and Duke have split the all-time series 2-2. However, NC State won two of three in a weekend series in Durham in 2019.
First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Dail Softball Stadium. Follow @TechSports on twitter for live updates.
