Why pro softball, NC State coach’s unexpected summer job can benefit the program
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- NC State head coach Leftwich serves as Carolina Blaze associate head coach this season.
- She joined the Blaze for professional development and to benefit NC State.
- NC State athletics supports Leftwich’s professional coaching pursuit.
Lindsay Leftwich stood alongside the third-base line, hair pulled back into her signature ponytail and sunglasses atop her head. She emphatically waved the runner to third base.
On Thursday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, the N.C. State head softball coach looked like she does during virtually every Wolfpack game. Leftwich was even outfitted in adidas, as if she was at Dail Softball Stadium.
Except her shoes were pink and orange — not red.
Leftwich is serving as the Carolina Blaze associate head coach this summer. The third-year Wolfpack leader had opportunities to coach at the professional level for several years, but this was the first time it worked out.
Blaze General Manager Dana Sorensen contacted Leftwich in November about the opportunity. They’ve known each other for more than a decade, and Sorensen has ties to the UNC and N.C. State softball programs.
“It was an opportunity that I couldn’t say no to, because of all the things it would do for the team, for my own professional development, for N.C. State, for all of the really cool opportunities it would provide for all of us,” Leftwich said Friday. “I went to the administration and made my pitch on why I think this would be really good for us. My athletic director, Boo Corrigan, was 100% behind it and fired up about it.”
Professional development and the positive impact on N.C. State made up 80% of her decision to join the franchise. Admittedly, the other 20% — selfishly, she said — came from a desire to participate in the growing league and be around some of the best players and coaches in the world.
Pat Poplizio (wrestling) and Braden Holloway (swim and dive) deserve credit for helping Leftwich pursue the gig. Their external work has paid dividends for the university, which has produced NCAA champions and international competitors in both sports.
“They did some of that legwork for me,” Leftwich said of her colleagues. “I got to piggyback off the things they’re already doing. … This isn’t an opportunity that many people get, and they choose me. Choosing me is a great reflection of them also choosing N.C. State.”
Connecting with the team and the community
With the Blaze setting up camp in Durham, head coach Kara Dill said Leftwich was the perfect addition.
The two worked as LSU assistants in 2015 and 2016, when the Tigers made back-to-back Women’s College World Series appearances, and Leftwich’s 20-year career proves she can guide players at every position and skill.
“Our job as coaches is to make sure that we can reach all of our athletes, and she knows so much about the game, she knows offense, she knows defense, she knows pitching, she knows catching, she knows base running,” Dill said June 9 after the season opener. “I knew she would be a really versatile coach for us that she could fill in multiple spaces with multiple athletes.”
Multiple players complimented Leftwich’s coaching, whether it’s providing an alternative perspective on mechanics, her energy or much-needed encouragement. Dill is the calming presence, while Leftwich injects energy and confidence into a team.
And she tailors her approach to each person.
“She doesn’t treat everyone the same,” said outfielder Dakota Kennedy. “She’s very in tune with how we are individually, which I really appreciate.”
Dill also called the team “so fortunate” to have Leftwich, along with Duke alums Ana Gold and Jala Wright. They have favorite grocery stores, coffee shops and things to do. Leftwich can host the team for a meal or bring equipment from N.C. State.
Sorensen was intentional when she selected Leftwich, UNC-Wilmington coach Kyle Horton and former ACC players for the team.
“I’m always thinking about how we can better our team and how we can better position ourselves to put ourselves in a place to win a championship, but also I try to wear the fan hat,” Sorensen said in May. “We are a sports entertainment industry, and it is about connecting with the community to sell a product that fans want to come and see. You can look at our roster and see several Carolina connections. That was [intentional] in terms of winning and in terms of connecting to the community.”
Pushing the Wolfpack forward
N.C. State hired Leftwich in 2023 after spending 12 seasons with the Tigers. She has gone 82-78 in her first three seasons and, in 2026, led the program to its first ACC Tournament appearance since 2022.
The Wolfpack, however, is still looking to break out. None of the four coaches in program history has finished with a career ACC record above .500, or advanced to the Women’s College World Series. Its last NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2015, when it advanced to the Oregon Super Regional.
Leftwich’s experience working with some of the top players and coaches in the sport will benefit the future of N.C. State. Kayla Kowalik (Texas Tech) and Aubrey Leach (Tennessee) work as assistant coaches during the collegiate season. Leftwich talked with Leach about preparing players to hit change-ups, and Tennessee’s approach.
Plus, the university hopes it boosts recruiting. N.C. State ranks in the national top 25 for 2025 and 2026 signing classes, but it hasn’t done quite as well with the transfer portal.
“This is just another opportunity to put N.C. State in the forefront of people’s brains, and it gives players another avenue or belief that they have a chance to play after college,” Leftwich said. “My connection to the AUSL hopefully gives us that.”
Sharing is caring
The Blaze is nearly halfway through the season, and Leftwich will miss a handful of games next month. She will take time away from the Blaze’s third-base box to spend time recruiting for the Wolfpack.
Leftwich credited her staff for its recruiting efforts while she’s engaged with the Blaze. The time away will give her assistants a break. N.C. State remains at the forefront of Leftwich’s efforts this summer, and the flexibility shows AUSL leadership’s commitment to its stakeholders.
“This is the first time that we’ve ever really had this opportunity, being financially backed by the MLB, the TV contract that (AUSL vice president) Cheri Kempf has been working on, all of these things are pushing us forward,” Leftwich said. “But until there’s an opportunity for them to pay coaches full-time, they know that they have to share us.”
Contracts, at least at this stage of the AUSL, are awarded on a year-by-year basis. Leftwich believes the team would likely invite her to return next year.
At the conclusion of this season, however, she will speak with N.C. State administrators and her staff to evaluate its return on investment and whether it’s something that could be pursued again.
“I think the biggest defining factor in all of this is — as much as I like this and as much as I think it’s helping N.C. State — can I still run N.C. State well and give N.C. State the attention that it deserves during these summer months?” Leftwich said.
‘It’s going to make us all better’
Young girls packed the stands at DBAP and Duke’s Smith Family Stadium during the Blaze’s home games. Some wore their own Little League jerseys, while others sported jerseys bearing the numbers of their favorite players.
For years, young baseball players could stand in front of the television and emulate their favorite players. Softball didn’t have that reach or representation.
Leftwich recognizes the privilege she has to be part of the sport’s monumental growth and efforts to create professional opportunities that last. And she gets to do it in a place she loves.
“The ability to impact softball in my own area is one of the best things about this and can only help continue to push all of us forward,” Leftwich said. “N.C. State, Duke, North Carolina, N.C. Central — it’s going to make all of us better the more excited people get about women’s softball, professional softball, USA softball moving forward.”
This story was originally published June 29, 2026 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Why pro softball, NC State coach’s unexpected summer job can benefit the program."
