The N.C. State (2-3) softball team will play host to Greensboro (0-0) today at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex. The doubleheader with the Spartans will be the first of just six opponents the Pack will play at home this season.
The Wolfpack are coming off a trip to the Tiger Invitational in Auburn, Ala., that saw them defeat Centenary College and Minnesota. The Invitational is the first of five tournaments the Pack will participate in this season.
Juniors Miranda Ervin and Abbie Sims received all-tournament honors. Sims fanned 11 batters in their final tournament game against Minnesota, marking the 28th time in 43 total starts she has topped double-digit strikeouts in a game.
The Pack also faced No. 17 Auburn in the tournament, which Sims said serves as good preparation for the busy month of February.
“Coming out and playing No. 17 in the nation, we stepped it up a little bit,” Sims said. “We know what to expect, we know what level we need to get to. That type of higher-level competition set the bar for our season.”
Since their inaugural year, State has posted a respectable February record of 23-19. However, competing in just their third season, the Pack are still trying to establish an identity in the ACC and among the rest of the nation.
“We want to make a name for ourselves,” said Sims. “We haven’t been around very long, but we’re still a team to fear.”
Sims, an All-ACC selection in 2005 for her stellar 7-1 conference record and 20-7 total record, was also third in the conference with an ERA of 1.27.
Last season, opponents hit a paltry .143 against her, which was tops in the ACC. She also had 13 RBI in ACC play, tying her for the conference lead.
“She’s been one of our best players and she’s critical in terms of her play,” coach Lisa Navas said. “The thing we are working on with her is being consistent and being a top player.”
Offensively, junior slugger Jen Chamberlin, who is chasing the all-time ACC homerun record, leads State. She currently sits at 23 for her career, halfway to the record of 46. Her 23 round-trippers is already good enough to place her 11th in ACC history.
Like NCSU, Greensboro is undergoing change and trying to re-establish itself under the leadership of new coach Jennifer Herzig, who has 11 players returning from last season’s team.
“UNC-G has a new coach, they get very excited to play us,” Navas said. “They come to play every time. They are very upbeat and [do a lot of] talking. It’s going to be a good, hard-fought game.”
Junior first baseman and All-Southern Conference selection Jennifer Bonilla, who hit a team-leading .350 last season with seven homeruns and 30 RBI, paces the Spartans. Their hitting prowess is a concern for the Pack’s infielders.
“We know that they put the ball in play at the plate, so we are going to work on the fundamentals and basics, defensive-wise,” senior second baseman Tess Corona said. “As long as we make the basic routine plays, we should be fine.”
State is seeking its first NCAA Championships berth after missing it last year despite a 13-11 record against teams that were postseason bound. To earn that coveted berth, Navas said she knows her team must improve on the mistakes that were made in the Tiger Invitational last weekend.
“The mistakes that happened are still things that we can control,” Navas said. “I think we will get better throughout the season.”
The Pack are also gunning for the ACC conference title, which will require sifting through a schedule that contains 12 teams who appeared in the NCAA Championships in 2005.
“I think [the ACC] is wide open this year,” Navas said. “We have a very tough schedule ahead of us, [but] we can play with anybody in the country.”
