April 18, 2008

Raleigh, NC (UWIRE) -- In its last four seasons, N.C. State softball has gone 11-2 against rival North Carolina.

The Wolfpack looks to continue that pattern of success this weekend when they take on the Tar Heels at home with a double-header on Saturday and a 1 p.m. match up on Sunday.

"It's the series we've been waiting for all season," senior first baseman Lisa Nentwig said.

At the top of the conference standings and ranked No. 15 nationally, the Heels will be one of the team's toughest opponents this season. Carolina has gone 42-8 on the season including a 13-1 mark in conference.

However, sophomore pitcher Lindsay Campana said if there was ever a time that State could compete with a highly ranked team, that time is now.

"We've really come together as a team," Campana said. "Our pitching, our hitting [and] our defense -- they're all showing up, and we're all just really working together."

State owns a record of 27-20 overall and is coming off series wins against Charlotte and Maryland. The team has depended heavily on last-minute heroics to win its last several games -- something that Campana views as a positive.

"We're making some clutch plays at the end, which coach says [are] giving her grey hairs," Campana said. "We're really fighting to the end, which is something we weren't doing at the beginning of the season."

Freshman Alyssa Allbritten led the most recent comeback against Charlotte on Tuesday. She notched her 17th double of the season in the third inning and hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth to put the Wolfpack ahead for good. Senior outfielder Blair Harkey said Albritten needs to maintain that focus to perform well this weekend.

"Albritten's done well all season," Harkey said. "She just needs to keep that mindset and not come into this series and put too much pressure on herself."

"Shanna is just someone that we can expect to come out every weekend and produce," Harkey said. "I don't think we're going to have any problems with her."

Harkey said anything can happen in a rivalry game. It matters little who is ranked higher in this type of match-up.

"More than anything, Carolina is a rivalry, and it's more of a mental game," Harkey said. "It comes down to whoever wants it more."

The Pack will go into this series having won nine in a row against Carolina -- a streak dating back to 2005. Although this squad is completely different than those State has faced before, Harkey called this weekend's match-up a "win-or-die-trying" series and thinks her team has what it takes to pull off an upset.

"We've seen it before -- games where we're not supposed to win," Harkey said. "It's anybody's game."

Nentwig said the pack will need to bring their "A-game" to perpetuate their dominance over the Tar Heels.

"We know that if we lose now, it defeats everything that we've done," Nentwig said. "We've got to keep that streak going."

(C) 2008 Technician via UWIRE