The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/535299
JULY 2015 ■ 127 following five consecutive losing seasons in conference play. Davis, who had been named 2012 ACC Freshman of the Year, had offers from other schools and considered leaving, uncertain about the future of the Wolfpack program. Weiman, who had gone 14-18 in her 25 starts as a freshman, never considered leav- ing but wasn't sure about her standing with a new staff. Both decided to stay because, despite be- ing from out of state, they had developed a strong bond with Raleigh and NC State. As it turns out, they really needn't have worried. Weiman was the only experienced pitcher on the roster and Davis was the hardest out on offense. They thrived under a differ- ent style of play that Rychcik and his staff brought to the program, relying heavily on Weiman's drop-ball pitching and Davis' ability to get on base. "When the new staff came in, we were basically starting from the ground up," Da- vis said. "There was nowhere to go but up. It was, 'Let's give it all we've got, because we can't lose.'" Davis became the team's leadoff hitter and smacked a remarkable school-record 27 home runs as a sophomore. "They coached us differently," Davis said. "Light bulbs just sort of went off." Weiman pitched almost every inning, won a career-high 33 games and posted a career- low 1.97 ERA. Even when the team dipped in the middle of the season, returning from a California road trip with an overall losing record, Weiman saw that she and her team- mates could compete with the best teams in the country. CHANGERS Davis concluded her NC State career as the program's all-time leader in 10 offensive categories, including batting average (.356), runs scored (176), doubles (47), home runs (65) and RBI (tied, 155). PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP "The two of them have been invaluable since we got here. … They have helped get us on the map, gotten people to talk about our program. We had to have them and some other players who completely bought into what we wanted to do to have the instant success that we've had." ■ Head coach Shawn Rychcik on Weiman and Davis