NC State softball sees progress as coach Lindsay Leftwich establishes her culture with the Pack

Since Lindsay Leftwich took over at the helm of NC State’s softball program, she has stressed one thing the most: “the hard is fun.”

The longtime LSU assistant had a steep hill to climb when she arrived in Raleigh last summer. The program won just 18 games a year ago — and logged its seventh straight complete season with a sub-.500 ACC record — after Jennifer Patrick-Swift was relieved of her duties when the Wolfpack had a 5-10 start last March.

It was not going to be an easy transition in turning the Wolfpack program around, but Leftwich appeared to welcome it with open arms. 

“The work is what makes it fun,” Leftwich said. “It’s like this challenge of like ‘How do I break through the wall?’ My previous boss used to always say, ‘It’s not the 100th blow that broke the rock, it’s the 99 that came before it.’ I think that’s what the culture of what practice should feel like.”

Leftwich, who arrived with a culture of W.O.L.F. (work, ownership, love and fight), was able to get the Pack to buy into it shortly after she took over. From there, it was a day-by-day approach in getting the red and white on the right track. 

That meant teaching her ways of practice, which is filled with competition and giving the utmost effort every time they step on the field, as well as how to win. At LSU, Leftwich was a part of a consistent top-25 program. But this season was meant to be laying the groundwork for future success in Raleigh. 

“I didn’t know what to expect coming into it, but the changes that have been made and laying the foundation of starting a new culture has been really fun,” sophomore outfielder Ellie Goins said. “It’s cool that we’re the first team that gets to really set the standard of what this new culture will be like for years to come.”

And after year No. 1 on the field at Dail Stadium in the middle of the Wolfpack’s campus, there were plenty of signs of growth. The Pack went 30-23 (6-18 ACC), which included a sweep of Pittsburgh to close the regular season. 

NC State also closed the year with a 7-3 record across its last 10 games — all three losses game to No. 5 Duke, but it was by an average of 2.6 runs. The Pack proved not only it could play with a top-ranked program — it also earned its first ranked road win since 2021 with a 6-1 victory at then-No. 8/9 Clemson in early March — but that it took a leap from last season. 

“I think it’s been challenging, I think it’s been fun,” Leftwich said of her first year at NC State. “I think there are so many spots where I know now that we can do more and be better, but there’s been some other spots where they have blossomed and grown in such cool ways.”

The improvement of the Wolfpack’s play is not just confined to wins and losses, but it also appears in the deeper statistics. NC State’s team batting average rose 33 percentage points (.272), while its hitters struck out 130 times less than they did last year. The Pack also added 45 more RBI, 20 more doubles, and its slugging percentage went up 51 points (.480). 

“We’re doing all these things better,” Leftwich said. “Maybe we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, but there’s more in there. I think they believe more now than they’ve ever believed before. That is what makes me proud. … Them walking out of here believing that they’re good enough and they belong, that matters more than anything.”

The Wolfpack seems to have a new sense of confidence with how it competed this season, including its new standard of leaving an impression on anyone that goes to any of the team’s games. 

“I want people to walk out of here and say, ‘Holy cow, NC State plays hard,’” Leftwich said.
“Whether we won or lost, I want them to leave the field saying, ‘Dang, that was a fun game to watch.’ I think they’ve done a really good job at holding it to that standard.”

NC State was able to find success on the diamond with a very young roster. Of its nine qualified hitters, six of them were a redshirt sophomore or younger. 

That success with the lesser experienced players brought a smile to Leftwich’s face.

“I think some really young kids did some really cool stuff,” Leftwich said. “Moving forward, they will never be in this spot again. And that’s cool.”

For Goins, this year had a different sense of joy on the field. Yes, she had fun a year ago because she was playing softball. But this year was different. She said she had fun because she was playing softball and she improved, both defensively and at the plate. 

The second-year outfielder was excited about what she and her teammates were able to do with Leftwich steering the program. Now, she’s excited for what is to come for the red and white.

“We’re laying a new foundation, just setting the standard for Wolfpack softball for the years to come,” Goins said. “It’s a cool journey to be on.”