North Carolina
Seven players from North Carolina qualify for Women’s College World Series
When the NCAA Division I softball tournament began two weeks ago, 54 players from the state of North Carolina took the field — the sixth most nationally.
Seven players from four schools are now Oklahoma City-bound for the Women’s College World Series.
The tournament begins on Thursday, May 29, with the National Championship series set for June 4-6.
Here are the players with North Carolina high school ties.
Tennessee (3)
The Volunteers lead the list and have one of the tournament’s top stars in North Buncombe alum Karlyn Pickens.
Pickens, who broke her NCAA record for fastest recorded pitch (79.4 MPH) last week in the Super Regional, was a four-year star in Weaverville. She struck out over 700 career batters, tossed a dozen no-hitters, and finished off six career perfect games.
At the plate in high school, Pickens was a .500 career hitter with 23 home runs and 66 runs batted in. She led the Blackhawks to a state runner-up finish in 2022 and was named All-State by HighSchoolOT twice. She also played girls basketball and volleyball at North Buncombe.
Now a junior at Tennessee, she enters the WCWS second in the country in ERA and sixth in strikeouts with 270.
Last year’s NCHSAA Female Athlete of the Year, Emma Clarke, has started 30 games and appeared in 40 as a true freshman. Clarke was a standout three-sport star at West Rowan and led the Falcons to consecutive NCHSAA 3A girls basketball titles (winning game MVP in 2024).
As a shortstop for West Rowan, Clarke was a three-time HighSchoolOT All-State selection and a .538 lifetime hitter. She homered 43 times and drove in 154 runs. She has left the yard twice for the Volunteers this spring, and of her 11 RBI, two came on a double in the NCAA Regional round against Miami (OH).
Speaking of multi-sport standouts, Robbinsville’s Zoie Shuler was an 11-time NCHSAA track and field state champion. Now a true freshman at Tennessee, she has appeared in 35 games and scored 14 runs.
Shuler was also a three-time HighSchoolOT All-State softball selection. She posted a career batting average of .568, hit 31 home runs, drove in 123 runs, and scored 197 times for the Black Knights.
Oklahoma (2)
Kierston Deal was one of the nation’s top-ranked recruits when she graduated from East Forsyth in 2022. Now she is in pursuit of her third straight national championship.
After Karlyn Pickens won the NC Gatorade Player of the Year in 2021, Deal received the 2022 honor. During her senior season, Deal posted a record of 23-3 with a 0.79 ERA and 305 strikeouts in 150.1 innings pitched. She walked just 34 batters. Deal batted .533 with five home runs and 28 RBI.
The lefty helped lead the Eagles to the NCHSAA 4A state championship series in both 2021 and 2022.
Now a junior for the Sooners, Deal has a career ERA of 2.44 and has pitched to a 10-2 record in 16 starts this season. In last Saturday’s Super Regional-clinching victory over Alabama, Deal went four innings and earned the win with four strikeouts.
Deal’s fellow starter, Isabella Smith, has one of the most unique journeys to the WCWS. The fifth-year senior did not play high school softball as her alma mater, St. David’s School in Raleigh, did not field a program. She originally signed with James Madison before transferring to Campbell, where she became one of the most decorated pitchers to pass through Buies Creek.
Smith was a two-time Conference Pitcher of the Year (Big South/CAA) for the Fighting Camels, and rode the success into the SEC, becoming the first player in program history to spin a perfect game while making her Oklahoma debut.
Florida (1)
Layla Lamar was a three-time HighSchoolOT All-State softball selection from Panther Creek. She hit .602 for her career (.680 as a sophomore) with 29 home runs and 104 RBIs.
As a senior in 2024, she pulled off one of softball’s rarest feats— a home run cycle in a win over Middle Creek.
Now a true freshman with the Gators, Lamar has started three times and plated four runs in 17 at-bats. She last appeared in game one of the Super Regional, drawing a walk in a 6-1 win over Georgia.
Ole Miss (1)
One of the NCHSAA’s all-time leaders in career batting average, Jaden Pone, will appear in the WCWS as a senior for the Rebels.
Pone was a three-sport athlete at Gray’s Creek and earned HighSchoolOT All-State merits.
She hit .670 in 65 career games as a shortstop in high school. That included a .717 batting average in her sophomore year. Pone drove in 124 career runs and left the yard 18 times.
Initially a Longwood commit, Pone posted a .412 career average with the Lancers and earned Big South Player of the Year honors. The last two seasons have been spent in Oxford, where she has started 116 of 118 games and hit. 354. She has flashed the leather to the tune of a 1.000 field percentage this season.
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At least two people are dead and “several” others are injured after a “planned fight” at a North Carolina park escalated into a mass shooting, authorities said.
Police have identified several victims and suspects after Monday’s shooting at Leinbach Park near Jefferson Middle School, according to the Winston-Salem Police Department.
Authorities confirmed there were multiple victims in the shooting, but did not provide an exact number. The suspects were still at large over two hours later.
Officers were called to the park just before 10 a.m. after reports of a fight, which then escalated into multiple people shooting each other.
Area schools are not in lockdown, and classes are operating as normal, police said.
“Due to the number of people involved, efforts are ongoing to account for everyone. At this time, some of those involved in the incident are juveniles,” police said.
According to local news station WFMY, at least three people were taken to the hospital. Officials have not shared their conditions.
Police said the shooting was an isolated incident and remains under investigation.
This is a developing story
The NC Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Sunday, April 19, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 19 drawing
Day: 6-2-0, Fireball: 6
Evening: 4-1-7, Fireball: 5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 19 drawing
Day: 7-6-9-4, Fireball: 4
Evening: 8-1-5-6, Fireball: 6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 5 numbers from April 19 drawing
02-21-32-35-37
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Double Play numbers from April 19 drawing
18-26-27-31-42
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 19 drawing
32-42-52-53-55, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All North Carolina Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.
For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at North Carolina Lottery Offices. By mail, send a prize claim form, your signed lottery ticket, copies of a government-issued photo ID and social security card to: North Carolina Education Lottery, P.O. Box 41606, Raleigh, NC 27629. Prize claims less than $600 do not require copies of photo ID or a social security card.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a prize claim form and deliver the form, along with your signed lottery ticket and government-issued photo ID and social security card to any of these locations:
- Asheville Regional Office & Claim Center: 16-G Regent Park Blvd., Asheville, NC 28806, 877-625-6886 press #1. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Greensboro Regional Office & Claim Center: 20A Oak Branch Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407, 877-625-6886 press #2. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Charlotte Regional Office & Claim Center: 5029-A West W. T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28269-1861, 877-625-6886 press #3. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- NC Lottery Headquarters: Raleigh Claim Center & Regional Office, 2728 Capital Blvd., Suite 144, Raleigh, NC 27604, 877-625-6886 press #4. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
- Greenville Regional Office & Claim Center: 2790 Dickinson Avenue, Suite A, Greenville, NC 27834, 877-625-6886 press #5. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
- Wilmington Regional Office & Claim Center: 123 North Cardinal Drive Extension, Suite 140, Wilmington, NC 28405, 877-625-6886 press #6. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://nclottery.com/.
When are the North Carolina Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
- Pick 3, 4: 3:00 p.m. and 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Cash 5: 11:22 p.m. daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Carolina Connect editor. You can send feedback using this form.
The North Carolina Tar Heels will be a young program across the board next season, with well over two dozen freshmen and numerous additions from the transfer portal this offseason. Expectations for the 2026 season are lowered dramatically after a disastrous first season for head coach Bill Belichick, though those expectations could help the Tar Heels fly under the radar.
As the Tar Heels approach the end of spring ball, it is time to look at the veterans of the team—the ones who have the experience to lead, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Let’s look at three underrated seniors for the 2026 football season.
Ade Willie, Cornerback
Willie joins the Tar Heels program after four years with Michigan State, as the former 4-star player in the 2022 recruiting class gets an opportunity to not only provide depth to the secondary, but potentially start Week 0 against TCU.
Willie played in over 30 games with the Spartans and brings experience in the secondary at cornerback and safety, along with quality length and closing speed to the football. For a defense that needs players to step up, the redshirt senior from IMG Academy will be asked to do so.
Isaiah Johnson, Defensive Lineman
The defensive line is beginning to look like one of the Tar Heels’ strengths for the 2026 season. Johnson, a former transfer from Arizona, enters his redshirt senior year looking to add another year of production after 40 tackles and two sacks this past season.
North Carolina has an impressive group of starters with Malkart Abou-Jaoude, Leroy Jackson, and incoming transfer Jaylen Harvey. Johnson adds value to the group as a run defender with the ability to penetrate the pocket. While not discussed as a key player, Johnson’s name will be used plenty during the regular season as a potential standout for the program’s defensive front.
Coleman Bryson, Safety
Bryson was a reserve player for the Tar Heels’ secondary last season as a big nickel defender in the rotation. Heading into his redshirt senior year, the former Minnesota Gopher is looking to become a full-time starter in the secondary.
It wasn’t long ago when Bryson was making plays as the 2022 Pinstripe Bowl Defensive MVP. His special teams abilities were valuable for North Carolina last season, and he flashed at times in coverage against tight ends, including a pass breakup in the season-opener against TCU. The Waynesville, North Carolina, native could be a key defender on the back-seven in 2026.
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