Progress remains slow for NC State softball

May 6, 2026; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Louisville Cardinals outfielder Chelsea Mack (10) slides into second base in the first inning against the NC State Wolfpack at Palmer Park. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

NC State’s softball season came to an unpleasant end in the ACC tournament earlier this week—the Wolfpack gave up a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh to lose in walk-off fashion to Louisville. Thus concluded a 27-26 (7-16) campaign, and the third year for head coach Lindsay Leftwich.

It’s been 11 years since NC State made the NCAA tournament, and 11 years since the team was even or better in league play. The results since 2015 are ugly and point to the futility of existence that underlies all things. What was I talking about? Oh, right.

Leftwich inherited a mess here and has done well in the time since to stop the bleeding and improve the program’s recruiting substantially. That hasn’t resulted in a breakthrough on the field, but there have been many small frustrations along the way, the ACC tournament game against Louisville being just the latest.

She’s put together back-to-back recruiting classes that are very good, and the first of those did deliver on the field: three of the team’s four best hitters this season were freshmen. (The fourth is a sophomore.) That includes two-way phenom Morgan Talley, who was fourth on the team in OPS while leading the team in innings pitched. If Leftwich’s hit rate on this incoming class is similar—and the best player in the class is a pitcher—then there is good reason for optimism.

But. In this era, the big question is retention, and NC State has endured difficult portal departures over the last couple of years. If Leftwich can keep her young core together, then she should have a team capable of a breakthrough sooner than later. Just getting back to NCAA-caliber would represent an incredible accomplishment. It’s an important offseason ahead.