UNCW softball defies expectations on way to facing Clemson in its first NCAA Tournament

Some would say they came out of nowhere, this UNC-Wilmington softball team that just made history by securing the program’s first NCAA bid.

That isn’t quite how the Seahawks see it.

They were ranked sixth out of eight teams in the preseason Colonial Athletic Association poll, not exactly a vote of confidence. But they won a bunch of games, finished third in the CAA, and made a stirring run to win the conference tournament. To do so, they beat No. 2 seed Hofstra, No. 1 seed Delaware and host Elon.

They go into this week's Clemson regional with a 32-13 record -- more than double their wins in 2021. It’s just only the fourth time UNCW will finish over .500 in a season since 2000.

So when did they believe all this could happen?

Immediately. 

“We knew from the very beginning that our goal was to win conference and go to a regional,” said freshman Emily Winstead, now the CAA Pitcher of the Year. “That was a goal for our team in our very first game.” 

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The Seahawks did use that early feedback to their advantage.

“We saw the preseason rankings and that lit a fire in us,” said senior infielder Janel Gamache, the team's leading hitter. “We just wanted to prove everyone wrong. So we went into every game feeling like we had nothing to lose. We wanted to prove ourselves and show everyone what we have.”

The winning actually started on the recruiting trail for Seahawks head coach Kristy Norton and her staff. Norton knew she had a superb incoming freshman class. Stuff like that isn't always reflected in preseason polls, which in the end really don’t matter.

But this one provided motivation.

“Absolutely,” Norton said. “That day when the polls came out we were in the locker room saying our men’s basketball team was ranked ninth and they won a championship. So we decided to be an “and” team. We were ranked sixth and we won a championship. And we’re going to a regional.”

It also yielded a slogan.

“We started calling ourselves the Underhawks,” Winstead said. “It really gave us motivation to prove to them that we weren't the sixth seed, that we were more than that, that we were going to win the conference tournament.”

Yet the Seahawks had four straight losing seasons coming into 2022. They were 15-23 a year ago. They have made a huge leap.

But to Norton, it makes perfect sense.

“It’s two-fold,” Norton said. “You bring in an incredibly gifted freshman class with two very gifted arms for the circle. That can make a big difference. But I also think kind of changed our offensive mentality. We stole 103, 104 bags. That far surpasses last year’s program. And I just think when you have the right tools and you figure out how to use those tools to help you succeed, I think you end up in a regional like we are.”

Strength in the circle is always huge in fastpitch softball and the Seahawks, indeed, have two very successful freshmen. Winstead is 13-8 with a 1.66 earned run average and 182 strikeouts in 135 innings. She’s allowing a miserly .146 batting average. The other is Kara Hammock, who is 12-3 with a 2.05 ERA and was named the league's Freshman of the Year.

“Emily gets 8 to 10 outs on her own, which is incredible,” Norton said.

There’s an overall good feeling throughout the team.

“The chemistry is crazy,” Gamache said. “We all love each other so much. The coaching staff is awesome. We know we can count on them for anything.”

And they’ll be making history this weekend, playing in the NCAA regional at Clemson.

“It’s very, very, very cool,” Winstead said.