The University of Louisville softball team will travel to NC State for its last three games of the regular season, according to an April 30 announcement. The No. 24-ranked Cardinals currently hold a 41-10 record and are 16-5 in conference play after sweeping Syracuse at home last weekend.
This series is important as it marks the end of regular season play for both teams, with Louisville looking to maintain its strong standing before postseason tournaments begin. The games are scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 5 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m., with all matches streamed on ACCNX.
Louisville’s offense is led by Madison Pickens, who has a .460 batting average, along with Chelsea Mack who holds a .453 average and leads the NCAA with 39 stolen bases. Bri Despines and Camryn Lookadoo have also contributed significantly, ranking third and fourth on the team in batting averages respectively. As a team, Louisville leads the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in stolen bases (117) and triples (25), while ranking second in both on-base percentage (.449) and batting average (.358). Five players have recorded at least 30 RBIs this season.
On the pitching side, Anna Wise leads Louisville’s staff with a 3.02 earned run average (ERA) over more than sixty innings pitched, while Alyssa Zabala has notched twelve wins and ninety strikeouts across thirty-six appearances.
NC State enters the series with a record of 26-23 overall and is currently sixth in conference play. The Wolfpack recently defeated East Carolina by ten runs in five innings. Their pitching staff features Wynne Gore and Morgen Talley, who together have twenty wins this year; Talley also leads her team with ninety-nine strikeouts. Offensively, Maia Townsend has posted a .358 batting average through fifty-seven hits this year.
Lindsay Leftwich is now serving her third season as head coach for NC State’s program.
