Last season, the softball team wasn’t lacking leadership.

Coach Lisa Navas’ team boasted a roster with nine seniors — almost twice as many as this season.

Only five seniors are on the team this year, and with seven freshmen and two transfers, leadership could be a challenge.

That’s where senior first baseman Lisa Nentwig comes in. Nentwig will be one of the leaders this season for the team, she said, going into the fifth season in softball’s existence at N.C. State.

“My strengths are getting the whole team together and leading them to do the right things,” Nentwig, a communication major, said.

In addition to leading, Nentwig is a people-minded person in general, which helps her on the field and off it.

“She is a very outgoing individual,” Navas said. “She looks out for the freshmen, helps them deal with college life. She helps make their transition easier.”

But getting to where she is today wasn’t an easy path. Her dad forced her to play softball, and it took a while for her to catch on.

“When I was eight, my dad just signed me up,” Nentwig said. “I hated it at first … I started enjoying it about a year after I first started.”

While growing up in Miami, she had a fairly competitive environment. Her parents were separated, so it was “just me, my dad and my two brothers.”

She said this made her more outgoing and more competitive. And because all three other family members were involved in baseball, it helped her get into softball even more. Her twin brother, Brian, played a special role in her development.

“Since Lisa is my twin, we are extremely close,” Brian said.

Brian played baseball into the collegiate ranks, and attends Florida State. He has constantly pushed her to perform better.

“I make sure to talk to her to see how the team did. We travel around to every game that we can possibly see. If she’s ever having a rough time on the field, I’m always there to give her advice,” he said.

And he is there when she needs him.

“He’s always been my biggest fan,” Nentwig said.

Even now with Brian attending Florida State, the twins do a good job of staying close, according to Brian.

“We have had the closest relationship our entire lives, especially now that we’re at different schools. We talk at least once a day to see how each other’s doing,” Brian said.

The team opens its season today at the UCF Softball Tournament in Orlando, Fla. And her coach is excited about Nentwig’s final year.

“She’s a joy to be around. She has a great personality. She’s never in a bad mood,” Navas said.