Coaching Hires that Click: Lindsay Leftwich at North Carolina State

There are many factors that go into coaching hires at all levels of athletics. Administrators vary in terms of what qualities they seek in their ideal candidate and it can range from experience, to presentation, to personality and to sport knowledge.

Ultimately, administrators choose who they believe to be the best fit and can deliver value to the athletic department and student-athletes.

On September 25, Extra Inning Softball took a closer look at the 31 head coaching hires made in advance of the 2024 season at the Division I level.

This is the fifth of a five-part series highlighting impactful coaching hires at the Division I level.

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School: North Carolina State University

Coach Hired: Lindsay Leftwich

Coaching Experience: Assistant coach LSU, assistant coach Florida International, director of operations New Mexico, assistant coach Wichita State

Playing Career: Northwestern State

Coaching Staff: Paige Cassady, Mike Bosch, Grayson Radcliffe

2023 Record: 18-35 overall, 6-18 ACC (Tied 12th)

What’s Back for the Pack: There will be plenty of returnees in Raleigh for Leftwich to construct her first team around. Heading the list of returnees is junior Hannah Goodwin. She earned Third Team All-ACC honors after hitting .359 with 11 home runs and 24 RBIs. Amanda Hasler returns behind the plate after posting a .279 batting average with nine home runs and 28 runs driven in during her freshman season. Makayla Marbury was a mainstay at shortstop for the Wolfpack as she made 49 starts and hit eight home runs and added six doubles, while Taylor Ensley hit .235 with six home runs, four doubles, a triple and 23 RBIs. Ellie Goins, Haley Halslip and Kaylee Lambrecht all started over 30 games last season, while Michele Tarpey returns to the team after missing all but two games due to injury. Madison Inscoe leads the North Carolina State pitching staff after posting an 8-14 record with a 4.39 earned run average in 130.2 innings pitched. Aisha Weixlmann was 7-11 last season with a 4.74 ERA, while Rylee Wyman made 24 appearances in the circle.

What’s To Like About the Hire: You will be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t like Leftwich. She brings enthusiasm and energy to a program that is in need of positive vibes. Leftwich is a culture coach and will build her program around that dynamic. Don’t let the fact she hasn’t been a head coach previously be concerning. She turned down multiple head coaching offers during her tenure at LSU because they were not the correct fit. The fact that she chose North Carolina State as the correct fit speaks to her vision for the program. It means she views North Carolina State as a program that she can transform into a perennial contender for the ACC championship and be a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament. Let’s also factor in what 12 years at LSU, in the best conference in the country, has done for her growth as a coach. In 12 years with the Tigers, Leftwich helped lead the team to four Women’s College World Series appearances, 10 NCAA Regionals and seven NCAA Super Regionals. With Leftwich on staff, the Tigers boasted 58 All-SEC and 144 SEC Academic Honor Roll athletes. Leftwich has seen what a championship team looks like, has experienced building a championship team, has recruited at the highest level and has competed for a national championship.

Final Analysis: North Carolina State fans are going to need to show some patience and allow Leftwich to bring in multiple recruiting classes and establish her culture. The Wolfpack have not been to the NCAA Tournament in nine years and have won over 30 games only twice in the past eight years. They also compete in one of the top conferences in the country and will have to deal with Florida State, Clemson, Duke and Virginia Tech in ACC play. The thought here is that we see the same vision for success that Leftwich sees and also believe in her ability to build a winning program at North Carolina State.

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