The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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That fear was realized to an extent this fall when the Pack went 8-0, but did not perform to the best of its ability. At one point, Rychcik asked his team to think back to when they played No. 1 Oklahoma last March — a 3-0 loss for the Pack — and how badly they wanted to beat the Sooners because they were the underdog trying to make a statement. "We're everybody's Oklahoma now, at least to everybody in the conference and our in-state rivals," he remembered telling his squad. "We're the team that everybody comes after and nobody is laying down for us; they're actually getting up for us." The message was received, and he was pleased with how quickly the team returned to doing what they had done in his first 12 months on the job. Rychcik said the team made more improvements during the second half of the fall after their games finished than while they were playing them. "The fall games highlighted what we needed to work on," senior second baseman Chelsea Tate said. "Our coaches really just worked with us individually to get our fundamentals right and make sure our team is ready for the spring games. We have a challenging schedule right away with Arizona State's tournament, and that's what we're working towards." Three of the Pack's four All-ACC selections from a year ago return, including both first-teamers in ACC Pitcher of the Year Emily Weiman and shortstop Re- Key Players To Watch Junior Renada Davis, SS The former ACC Freshman of the Year has earned firstteam all-conference honors in each of her collegiate seasons. She set school records for batting average (.362) and on-base percentage (.450) as a rookie, then set standards for home runs (26), total bases (146) and slugging percentage (.768) last year. Davis also led the team with 51 RBI and 50 runs scored. Senior Kirsty Grant, C Grant has started 88 games and played in 101 contests since transferring from Tallahassee (Fla.) Community College, with most of her time coming behind the plate. In addition to finishing third on the team with a .293 batting average last season, she also led the team with seven stolen bases. Junior Emily Weiman, RHP The Pasadena, Md., native has served as the team's ace for the past two seasons, but emerged as one of the best hurlers in the land last season. In the ACC championship game, she retired all 12 batters she faced after the Pack put its lone run on the board, and head coach Shawn Rychcik noted that Weiman has the confidence to be the difference in 1-0 games going forward. nada Davis, who will enter their junior years. Weiman was also named the MVP of the ACC Championship and led the league with 33 wins, 3231⁄3 innings pitched, 54 appearances and 52 games started — all of which stand as school records. She also ranked second in the conference with 271 strikeouts and third with a 1.97 ERA, which begins to explain why her teammates call her Superwoman and her coach jokes that she wears a cape under her jersey. Meanwhile, Davis earned her second straight first-team laurel after she led the league and finished third nationally with 26 home runs, another program standard. She also paced the ACC with a slugging percentage of .768 and led the team with a .305 batting average. Senior catcher Kirsty Grant rounds out the group after she was named second-team All-ACC. A total of seven position players return to the lineup, including other key performers such as first baseman Hanna Sommer, who batted .297 as a rookie, and senior outfielder Scout Albertson, who blasted 12 home runs and knocked in 35 runs last year. "I'm excited to have a target on our back this year," Tate said. "I love putting on our jersey and knowing we are the team to beat. Our team dynamic is completely different this year with the addition of nine new girls, so I'm excited to see what the season has in store for us. "With our entire infield returning, along with some other players, we're preparing to build off the success we had last year to reach a higher standard and keep improving the program." ■ ■ By The Numbers .628 Head coach Shawn Rychcik's career winning percentage in nine years as a head coach, which includes 306 wins, a mark of 127-46 (.734) against league foes, four conference titles and five NCAA Tournament victories. NC State improved its record by 12 wins from the 2012 campaign, and the team's ACC record went from 5-15 to 13-7. NCSU faces 22 opponents on this year's slate that reached the 2013 NCAA Tournament. 12 22 ■ Key Dates To Watch At Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz., Feb. 6-8 — The Pack will kick off the campaign at Arizona State's tournament, which will feature two teams that finished last year in the top 10, among others. Vs. Virginia Tech, March 22-23 — NC State made history last year when it recorded a 10-2 victory in the first game of the series — the program's first runrule win over a ranked foe.The Pack later completed the doubleheader sweep over the No. 19 Hokies for NCSU's first same-day sweep of a top-25 team since 2007.While the third game of the series was snowed out, the Pack proceeded to knock Tech out of the ACC Tournament. The ACC Championship, May 8-10 — This year's conference tournament will be held in College Park, Md., and the Pack has a title to defend. A strong postseason run starts in the league tournament, and State is hoping another stellar finish can propel the squad to a deep NCAA run. Noting The Pack • Nearly 40 individual and team school records fell last season, including program standards for runs scored (288), slugging percentage (.491), home runs (66), RBI (266) and fewest losses (20). • NCSU played just 15 games at home last year, and will benefit from 23 games inside the friendly confines of Dail Softball Park this season. • The Wolfpack had never reached the NCAA regional championship game before, and the team's only two losses in the final 14 games came against regional host Tennessee, which finished as the NCAA runner-up. Senior catcher Kirsty Grant, who has played in 101 contests with 88 starts for the Pack, ranked third on the team with a .293 average and led the way with seven steals in 2013. Photo by Larry Blankenship Newcomer To Watch Freshman Tyler Ross, OF The rookie from Cameron, N.C., is the daughter of two collegiate athletes and has been a known softball phenom since being named a MaxPreps.com Sophomore All-American. She is expected to be the Pack's regular starting center fielder, while classmate Courtney Mirabella, a pitcher, could be another to watch. January 2014 ■ 61 60-61.Softball Preview.indd 61 12/5/13 3:25 PM