Softball travels to Florida State for second ACC matchup

Leigha Bruce, Staff Writer • March 21, 2019

Freshman pitcher Sydney Nester winds up to pitch against Wisconsin on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019 at Dail Softball Stadium. Nester pitched three innings, striking out two and giving up four hits, five walks and one earned run. The Wolfpack lost 6-3.

NC State Softball (16-11) will kick off its second ACC series of the season this weekend when it travels to Tallahassee, Florida to compete against No. 3 and defending Women’s College World Series Champion, Florida State (28-3).

The Wolfpack suffered a series sweep against No. 25 Virginia Tech last weekend and the ‘Noles have won their past three games by five or more runs.

Key Players – NC State

Junior Bridgette Nordberg from NC State has been one of the Pack’s biggest assets offensively as she’s sported a total of 12 home runs this season while batting .367. In a three-game stretch earlier in the year, Nordberg went 8 for 11 with five homers putting up 14 RBIs. Fielding wise, the junior has performed nearly perfectly with a .970 fielding percentage, while only committing one error this season.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Sydney Nester is upholding a 8-3 record this season on the mound with a 1.73 ERA. Pitching a total of 77 innings so far, Nester has made a name for herself as a first-year starter only allowing 25 runs.

Sophomore infielder Logan Morris is currently boasting a .604 slugging percentage on the year with 14 RBIs. The transfer from USC Upstate was ranked among the top three on her team in hits with 52 doubles and eight home runs.

Key Players – Florida State

Sydney Sherrill is leading the ‘Noles with a batting average of .464 and eight home runs. As a utility player, she has compiled 30 putouts with a .954 fielding percentage. As the 2018 ACC Freshman of the Year, Sherrill had one of the best freshman years in program history with 81 hits, 29 of which were doubles.

Meghan King has come off the bump with a 1.35 ERA after pitching 88 innings this season. King has maintained a high record of 14-1, while only allowing a total of 19 runs. After earning All-ACC First Team honors in 2018, the senior continues to showcase her skills on the mound.

Leading the ‘Noles in home runs this season is Cali Harrod, tallying nine in just 92 at-bats. The utility player has yet to commit an error this season with a flawless 1.000 fielding percentage and 28 putouts.

The Wolfpack’s series against Florida State will begin Friday evening at 6 p.m. and can be streamed on ACC Network Extra.