When the N.C. State softball team hits the field this afternoon, it will be its first home game of the season. It's also the opening of the Curtis and Jacqueline Dail Softball Stadium. The game will mark the first time that the team will play a game on campus, as the team has been playing at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex since 2004. The unveiling of the new field will feature a double header starting at 3 p.m. against UNC-Greensboro.
Prior to today's game, the Wolfpack have been on the road, and have compiled a 6-8 record thus far this season. Senior shortstop Shanna Smith said the team has had a rough start.
"I think that we are going to come along," Smith said. "I just want to keep being aggressive and if we just fix the little things, I think we'll be just fine."
State has been practicing on the new field, and according to Smith, the team loves it.
"It's just a beautiful field," Smith said. "The stadium is just phenomenal. I think it's one of the top ones in the ACC. It's great to walk out from Reynolds and see it everyday and to pass by it and know that's our home field, we just want to protect it everyday in practice and it will just turnover into the game."
Senior outfielder Blair Harkey also expressed Smith's excitement and said that practicing on the new field hasn't set in yet.
"I'm really excited," Harkey said. "We all came in expecting to play and it's really nice to get that chance and for all the seniors, we're just really excited. It's been nice having it right there for practice. We're excited to have a few more fans this year."
Harkey said that despite playing on the new field, said she will miss a few things about playing at the Walnut Creek Complex.
"We had break-away fences in the outfield," Harkey said. "You could run right through them and not even feel a thing. We just fell over, so I'm going to miss that. We have real fences [now], so there is no more falling over and not getting hurt. I'm not going to miss the drive over there. We couldn't even really practice there last year. We're not going to miss the drive but I'm going to miss the fence."
