Tag: North Carolina Tar Heels Softball

Sooners add former UNC catcher Isabela Emerling via transfer portal

Patty Gasso lands former UNC catcher Isabela Emerling to help replace Kinzie Hansen

The Oklahoma Sooners lost three players to the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] earlier in June and 10 seniors. Though they bring in a big signing class in 2024, Oklahoma will need to retool their roster through the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag]. On Friday, [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] made their first portal addition.

OU earned a commitment from former North Carolina catcher [autotag]Isabela Emerling[/autotag]. The former Tar Heel is a junior who had a nice sophomore season in 2024. Emerling hit .323 with 14 home runs and 53 RBIs and posted a .685 slugging percentage. She led the Tar Heels in home runs and RBIs last season.

Over the last two seasons at North Carolina, Emerling started 91 games at catcher and in the infield after missing her freshman season due to injury.

Emerling took to social media to announce her decision, saying she was “so excited for this new chapter.”

Gasso and her staff needed a replacement for the recently departed [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], who won four titles as a Sooner. Hansen had a legendary career, and the catcher is now a member of the Oklahoma City Spark. Emerling will try to help fill that role behind the plate, as the Sooners look for ring number nine.

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UNC softball’s opening round ACC Tournament opponent announced

The UNC softball team’s postseason play begins against a familiar opponent.

It seems like college spring sports started yesterday.

Yet, we’re already here in May and the postseason is rapidly approaching.

One college spring sports program that faced a lot of early uncertainty was the UNC softball program. North Carolina saw its longtime head coach, Donna J. Papa, retire after 38 seasons. The Tar Heels saw a couple players transfer, plus it brought in a few.

UNC experienced all this with one goal in mind: make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.

North Carolina crossed a major step off its goal list, recently clinching a spot in the ACC Softball Tournament. To begin tourney play, the Tar Heels will face Note Dame on Wednesday, May 8 at 3:30 p.m.

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Yes, you read that right – the ACC Tournament will be held at Duke Softball Stadium. The Blue Devils won the ACC Regular Season Title and is ranked fifth in ESPN.com’s rankings.

UNC enjoyed success against the Fighting Irish in the regular season, taking two of three matchups back in March at Anderson Softball Stadium.

North Carolina will try and make it a third victory in four tries against Notre Dame. Both teams enter on losing streaks, so a win is much-needed for NCAA Tournament hopes.

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Sanaa Thompson matches UNC softball freshman record

Sanaa Thompson is a major part of the UNC softball team’s dangerous offense.

This year is nothing short of amazing for the UNC softball team.

For the first time since 2019, North Carolina has reached the 30-win threshold. What makes this season even more impressive – this is the Tar Heels’ first year playing under new head coach Megan Smith Lyon, a former player, who took over for longtime leader Donna J. Papa in the offseason (retired).

UNC’s offense is amongst the best in college softball, with three hitters mashing at least .400. The leader of that pack? Alex Coleman, who’s 13th in the country with a .441 batting average.

Another one of those three Tar Heels hitting .400 is star freshman Sanaa Thompson (.406), whose 52 regular-season hits were the most by a freshman since 2015.

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Thompson will look to continue her scorching season in the ACC Softball Championships, which kick off on Wednesday, May 8 at Duke Softball Stadium. North Carolina faces the challenge of going through a loaded ACC for its first tournament championship since 2001, with four teams ranked in D1Softball.com’s Top 25.

UNC’s pitching staff is solid, with its seven hurlers compiling a 3.66 earned run average and 203 strikeouts, but it’ll be the Tar Heel offense that carries it deep into the postseason.

North Carolina is hitting .349 as a team, fifth nationally and tops in the ACC, so let’s see if the bats can stay hot.

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UNC softball is ACC’s top hitting team, sports conference’s top two hitters

The UNC softball team is off to a 5-1 start, with a major reason behind that being its offensive production. UNC bats are amongst the best.

Off to a 5-1 start under first-year head coach Megan Smith Lyon, the UNC softball team is exceeding expectations through its first week of the 2024 seasons.

The Tar Heels picked up two wins each –against North Carolina A&T and Winthrop University –  in the season-opening Winthrop Tournament. UNC lost to a ranked Kentucky team on Thursday, Feb. 15, but not before coming back from a 6-run deficit to briefly take the lead, then turned around to beat reigning American Athletic Conference champion UCF in a tight, 2-1 victory the next day.

After downing UCF, North Carolina was going to face arguably its toughest stretch of the campaign – third-ranked Texas, sixth-ranked Washington and 20-ranked UCLA, the 12-time NCAA Champion.

Rain had other plans.

A major catalyst behind UNC’s hot start is the bats, as the Tar Heels are the ACC’s top hitting team.

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In second among teams is Florida State (.371), the 2018 NCAA Tournament champions and 2021/2023 runner-up.

Alex Coleman, the Marshall University transfer who played her high school ball, has compiled her batting average with a deadly 15-for-22 mark at the plate. She’s scored seven runs, doubled twice for the UNC lead, driven in four runs and walked twice.

Carsyn Snead, the senior outfielder from Cincinnati, Ohio, is 11-for-19. She’s scored five runs, driven in three more and walked once.

Coleman and Snead will try and keep the bats rolling on Wednesday, Feb. 21, as the Tar Heels welcome UNC-Greensboro to Anderson Field for a 4 p.m. first pitch.

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Tar Heel softball kicks off season in Winthrop Tournament

The UNC softball team enters its 2024 season under a new head coach and trying to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019.

Thursday was the start of college softball season, as schools across the nation began their quest to try and deny Oklahoma a 4-peat in the Women’s College World Series.

In Chapel Hill, the UNC softball team will try and get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. Not only are the Tar Heels playing their first season in 39 years without legendary coach Donna J. Papa, who retired in the offseason, but they’ll try for their first winning record since the year before COVID.

North Carolina will be tested early on, as it heads to Rock Hill, S.C. for the Winthrop Tournament. The Tar Heels kick off gameplay on Friday, Feb 9 at 12 p.m. ET, playing a fellow in-state opponent in North Carolina A&T, then turn around to play host Winthrop at 5 p.m. ET.

UNC carries a fairly experienced roster, with five seniors and four graduate players.

The Tar Heels look to be led offensively by graduate infielder Abby Settlemyre, who led her 2023 teammates in RBIs (35) while finishing second in batting average (.351) and home runs (nine). Kenna Raye Dark, a 2-time NCHSAA 3A state champion at Eastern Alamance High School, will lead North Carolina inside the circle.

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