NC State pitcher Rylee Wyman’s ‘mental training’ helps lead to early success

It did not take long for NC State softball pitcher Rylee Wyman to find success in the circle this spring, though she threw less than three innings during the Pack’s opening weekend in Florida. 

When NC State returned to Raleigh this weekend, Wyman anchored the red and white’s pitching staff during the Marucci Classic. The pitcher made five appearances over three days for the Wolfpack, and sported a 0.86 ERA while she tossed 16.1 innings with just three runs allowed and a walk to go with 19 total strikeouts. 

Wyman’s best performance of the weekend? A seven-inning two-hit game against UConn where she allowed just one run with 11 strikeouts and did not walk a batter. Her near dozen strikeouts were the most by an NC State pitcher since the 2022 campaign. 

The Gardnerville, Nev., native’s electric weekend led to an ACC Pitcher of the Week nod by the conference office on Tuesday morning. Not a bad start to her sophomore year. 

It is not a coincidence that Wyman has found success in the circle for the Pack, and it has come from her focus on the mental aspect of softball. The pitcher noted that it has been a significant focal point since the summer for her. Wyman has been able to take what she has learned, and has applied it to her bullpens, which have led to positive outcomes on the diamond.

For first-year coach Lindsay Leftwich, that’s been the biggest point of growth for Wyman since Leftwich arrived in Raleigh. 

 “She’s really learned to function and fight through adversity and not want to run from it,” Leftwich said. “Confidence is earned in your preparation. She’s prepared different than ever before, physically, and prepared her brain different so I think it gives her the ability to be a lot more confident.”

A big part of the mental aspect has been not worrying about what has already happened, rather looking forward to the next pitch. Leftwich has noticed the improvement in Wyman’s ability to do that, and it showed itself against UConn. 

Though the Huskies only had two hits off Wyman, one of those was a homer in the sixth, but it did not seem to rattle the pitcher as much. Wyman recorded the next four outs to close the game, which included striking out the side to end the contest. 

“I think that was a big moment for her,” Leftwich said. “Just a, ‘I’ve got to put my head down and go, no matter what’s happening around me.’ It’s always awesome when those things happen and you get the results. Sometimes you don’t and you did everything right.”

While Wyman was able to log a career-best strikeout total against the Huskies, she said it is not a big confidence booster to her. Instead, it made her more excited to get back to the bullpen this week to build off the performance. 

Just as she did leading into the weekend.

“The practice that week before, I just made sure to work extra hard in the bullpen,” Wyman said. “To work my pitches correctly and to make sure I was prepared for the weekend.”

Wyman and the Wolfpack are on a seven-game winning streak, the team’s longest since 2022. The red and white will host the Wolfpack Classic this weekend with six games on tap over a three-day span. 

For Wyman, who is in her second season with the Wolfpack, it is an exciting time to be a part of the NC State softball program.

“I definitely love the coaching staff,” Wyman said. “I would say they’re definitely one of the biggest blessings in my life right now, just because they’re so uplifting. Being able to play for them, I’m really excited for. … It’s just exciting to be able to be a part of a new era.”