Senior Softball Players Returning For 2021
Softball players Tatyana Forbes, Brigette Nordberg and Angie Rizzi have become the first three NC State athletes to take advantage of an NCAA waiver giving spring sports seniors an additional year of eligibility because of the coronavirus pandemic that canceled the majority of the 2020 season.
Their return is welcome news to a team that was off to the best 15-game start in program history. The Wolfpack was 11-4 when the season was cut short, with all three seniors making key contributions to that success.
"We're thankful to the athletic administration for the ability to bring back the heart of the order for one more year," coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift said in a statement announcing the players’ return. "Softball as a sport is going to be loaded next year and with Tatyana, Brigette and Angie back in the lineup we will be able to go head-to-head with anyone.
“I expect them to continue to be leaders not just on the field, but also in the lockerroom, and to represent NC State at the highest standards.”
Two other seniors, Devin Wallace and Skylar Johnston, have accepted post-graduate opportunities in the business world after earning their degrees and will not return in 2021.
Forbes, who split her first three college seasons between Coastal Carolina and Florida International, ranked second in the nation with 43 hits, fifth in batting average at .538 and eighth in on-base percentage at .593 in her first season at State.
A native of Redmond, Wash., who will represent Mexico in the delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she returns the NCAA Division I active career batting average leader (.463).
"Being a part of the Wolfpack family has been such a blessing," Forbes said. "I could never imagine my career ending this way, and that is exactly why I will be returning. I could not be more thankful that I get to finish the last year of my masters degree while having one more with my best friends and the best coaching staff."
Nordberg led the Wolfpack with seven home runs in 2020 and was one of six team members to have a slugging percentage over .600. Her .629 slugging percentage is currently the second highest in school history.
"Words cannot describe how excited I am to put back on the uniform and play one last time with my Pack family,” she said.. "I found my home at NC State. NC State gave me a family with my teammates and coaches that saved me in more ways than words can describe. While it may seem far away right now, this team will be a powerhouse in the spring, and I am blessed to be a part of it."
Rizzi, who has started 57 consecutive games in centerfield for the Wolfpack, finished the shortened 2020 season with a .313 batting average, six homers and a .612 slugging percentage. She ranks 10th in NC State history with 20 career stolen bases.
"Wolfpack Nation has been nothing but the best, and I owe so much to this sport for everything it has given me," Rizzi said. "I can't wait to get back on the field with the best teammates out there."
THE PACK IS BACK.
— NC State Softball (@PackSoftball) May 11, 2020
Forbes, Nordberg and Rizzi will all return to the Wolfpack in 2021 for their senior seasons.
🔗 https://t.co/bL5g2X8Xbq pic.twitter.com/pmKWcY9gmn
The return of Forbes, Nordberg and Rizzi, means that State will now return all nine position players from 2020, including 2019 All-ACC selection Sam Russ. Two-time Conference Pitcher of the Year Abby Trahan is also scheduled to return after redshirting this season.
In addition, the Wolfpack will add six incoming freshmen, all of which were named to the 2020 PGF All-American Teams watch list.
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