Burroughs going to N.C. State

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 20, 2013 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

PIKEVILLE -- North Carolina State came calling.

Meredith Burroughs gladly opened the door.

A long-time Wolfpack fan, Burroughs realized her dream to wear a red-and-white softball uniform was no longer a fantasy. She signed a national letter-of-intent with the Atlantic Coast Conference school, which makes her one of two current Charles B. Aycock standouts to sign with a Division I program.

Teammate Cierra Harris signed with Campbell University.

"State has always been my dream school," Burroughs said. "The new coach (Shawn Rychcik) is very impressive. I really liked how he runs the program. (But) I have no clue how I will fit in."

How about as a hitter?

The N.C. High School Athletic Association state career home run record is well within Burroughs' reach ... er ... swing. She's swatted 36 dingers out of various parks during her prep career and is four shy of tying the new mark (40) set by T.C. Roberson graduate Izzy McCurry.

As a sophomore, Burroughs matched the state's single-season record (19) and helped guide Aycock to its first-ever NCHSAA 3-A state championship. She earned MVP accolades in the title series against Fred T. Foard.

Burroughs knows the college game will be different. A long-time member of the Hurricanes' travel team, she's getting a "sneak peek" after switching to Lady Lightning Team Miken a couple of weeks ago.

Most of the hurlers she'll face have signed Division I NLIs.

"I definitely have to improve on the speed of the game there (at State)," Burroughs said. "They're a lot different and faster in every aspect. Hitting, I think I'll be fine because I've been playing tournaments that will prepare me for college."

Burroughs' work ethic and ability to inspire her teammates proved crucial last spring. Not only did she have to get used to new co-coaches Laura Romo and Emily Burke, she had to step out of her comfort zone and into the pitcher's circle.

"That was hard, but the other girls saw me as a leader and I had to step up and do it," said Burroughs, who plans to either obtain a degree in health nutrition or become a high school english teacher so she can coach one day.

Aycock fashioned a 14-win season and grabbed a share of the Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference regular-season crown for the third consecutive year, and 11th overall since the league's inception in 2001-02.

The Golden Falcons' season ended with a second-round loss to Washington in the NCHSAA playoffs.

"Meredith comes from a morally-sound family of faith and that has always shown in how she conducts herself on and off the field," Burke said. "Her talent speaks for itself and is nothing short of amazing. She shines in clutch situations ... seizes opportunities to make not only herself, but her entire team succeed."

The Wolfpack finished 35-20-1 last season and claimed the 10-year-old program's first-ever ACC tournament championship. Rychcik's squad advanced to an NCAA regional final, and broke nearly 40 school and individual records.