Early in the season, it was a rocky road for NC State softball. Just 10 games into the season, the red-and-white sat at 3-7, lost without a clear path to follow.
But head coach Lindsay Leftwich built her team to fight through the struggle and rise to the occasion.
“Our theme for the year is called stack ‘em up,” Leftwich said in the preseason. “It’s kind of like a brick theme, pulling out of NC State and our red bricks and what built us. And trying to continue to think that small, smart choices plus consistency plus time equals this radical difference in wherever you’re headed.”
NC State focused on those smart choices, consistency and time, with the full support of fans at Dail Softball Stadium. And now, just two weeks after a sub-.500 record, the Pack sits in the midst of a 10-game win streak with an undefeated record at home.
The most recent addition to the streak was an 8-1 domination of Loyola Chicago (8-12) as NC State (13-7) secured the sweep of the Wolfpack Classic.
Much like the beginning of the season, the Wolfpack’s opponent struck first and fast as the Ramblers drew first blood with an unearned run in the top of the second inning.
It took a few innings, but the Pack began to stack up runs in the fourth inning behind three errors from Loyola Chicago, giving it a sudden 4-1 lead. It could’ve panicked after three-straight scoreless innings, but instead the red-and-white capitalized on the opportunities it was given and took the lead that it would hold for the rest of the game.
NC State extended its lead in the fifth inning after a fielder’s choice brought home another run, further establishing its dominant hold on the game and raising the momentum to its highest point.
That momentum finally broke through in the sixth inning. After walking in her first two at-bats, the Ramblers opted to give sophomore second baseman Kendall Simmers a pitch she liked, and the slugger made them pay with a 226-foot, three-run moonshot over the center field wall — her fifth home run of the season, second only to freshman third baseman Lily Livingston’s six.
She never Simmers. pic.twitter.com/fT6jZpYJCj
— NC State Softball (@PackSoftball) March 1, 2026
NC State wasn’t just hot from the batter’s box, but from the pitching circle as well. Redshirt-junior righty Wynne Gore marked her fourth win of the season, pitching 6.1 innings with three strikeouts and allowing just one run across five hits. Gore leads the Pack with a 1.43 ERA, the only pitcher under a 3.00 ERA.
Next up, the Pack continues its homestand against Elon on Tuesday, Mar. 3. First pitch is set for 5 p.m.
