Since spring sports got underway in February, we at Tar Heel Blog have offered regular updates on the Carolina baseball team, but we haven’t yet checked in with UNC’s other diamond squad.
Carolina softball sits at 24-9 and 5-7 in ACC play with conference series against NC State (April 2-4), Duke (April 10-12), Florida State (April 17-19), and Virginia Tech (April 24-26) remaining. The Tar Heels hosted the Mizuno Showdown Friday and Saturday, which consisted of back-to-back doubleheaders against Marist
and #22 Arizona State. They beat the Red Foxes 11-0 and 12-2, then lost to the Sun Devils 9-2 and 15-3.
The weekend was reflective of a longstanding pattern for this team: doing well against lower-level opponents but struggling against tough competition. The Tar Heels are 1-7 against top 25 teams this season, with the lone win coming in the first leg of a doubleheader against #16 Virginia on March 7. It was the first ranked win for Carolina in four years and came on a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning by junior Emily Legette, who came to the plate with her team trailing 9-8.
Legette, a transfer from Virginia Tech, has been the main attraction for the Tar Heels this year. She leads the team with a .516 batting average (top 10 in Division I), 18 home runs (top five in Division I), and 60 RBI (top two in Division I). Her home run and RBI totals are both the fourth most in a season in program history.
Pitching-wise, no single player has stood out for UNC; five different Tar Heels have started games in the circle this season. Senior Kenna Raye Dark carries a team-best 4.13 ERA, and sophomore Kendall Frost, a transfer from ECU, leads the team with 57 strikeouts. The staff carries a collective ERA of 4.50 and has recorded 180 strikeouts and 90 walks.
Carolina plays its next four games away from home, beginning with a visit to Liberty on Tuesday. That game starts at 6:00 PM ET and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
