Softball Heads To West Coast For Louisville Slugger Invitational

Games 16-20: Louisville Slugger Invitational
Tournament Dates	March 3-5
Tournament Schedule	March 3 vs. Portland State \\\ 2:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Live Video March 3 vs. Seton Hall \\\ 4:15 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Live Video March 4 vs. Portland State \\\ 1:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Live Video March 4 at Pacific \\\ 5:30 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Live Video March 5 vs. Seton Hall \\\ 1:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Live Video
Location	Stockton, Calif. (Simoni Field)
Official Web Sites	East Carolina \| Seton Hall \| Portland State \| Pacific
Tournament Central	Louisville Slugger Invitational Tournament Central
2017Statistics	East Carolina \| Seton Hall \| Portland State \| Pacific
Social Media	@ECUSoftball \| East Carolina Softball (Instagram) \| @ECUScoreboard (in-game updates) \| #ECUndaunted

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina softball team will make the cross country trek to Stockton, Calif. this weekend for the Louisville Slugger Invitational hosted by the University of the Pacific. All of the games will take place at Simoni Field as the Pirates will battle Seton Hall, Portland State and the host Tigers.

ECU (8-7) looks to rebound following a 4-0 setback to North Carolina Wednesday in Greenville. Senior catcher Alex Mycek and redshirt freshman infielder Tate McClellan tallied a pair of hits apiece for the Purple and Gold while junior infielder Meredith Burroughs drew a walk.

The Pirates finished their 10-game homestand with a 7-3 record, recording wins over three-time defending Atlantic 10 champion Fordham as well as Atlantic Coast Conference members Virginia and Virginia Tech. During the stretch, the Purple and Gold outscored its opponents 49-23 and hit .281 while the pitching staff produced a team earned run average of just 2.23 led by senior RHP Lydia Ritchie who compiled a 1.41 ERA and 5-2 record in 39.2 innings pitched.

Redshirt freshman infielder Tate McClellan continues to put up a sensational debut campaign as she leads the team and ranks fourth in the American Athletic Conference with a .462 batting average. She also leads the circuit with a .769 slugging percentage as well as ranking second in on base percentage (.543) and fourth in both hits (18) and RBI (11). Meanwhile, Ritchie paces the conference in wins (6) and innings pitched (57.0) while sitting second in strikeouts (38) and batters struck out looking (10).

East Carolina looks for its first true road win of the campaign when it matches up with Pacific, having dropped a pair at then No. 10 Georgia on opening weekend.

About Seton Hall
The Pirates boast one of the nation's top offenses, ranking in the top 15 nationally in batting average (.362/15th), on-base percentage (.473/third), slugging percentage (.586/ninth) and runs per game (8.0/sixth). Lauren Fischer is the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week and is currently hitting .524 while also holding a 3.32 ERA with a 2-1 record and a save in 19.0 innings pitched. Seton Hall is 6-2 overall and actually played in Greenville just a week ago at the Pirate Invitational where it picked up wins over Coppin State, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

Last Meeting: Seton Hall 10, East Carolina 8 (Feb. 22, 2015 @ Greenville, N.C.)

Scouting Portland State
The Vikings spent last weekend at the Grand Canyon Invitational, accruing a 1-4 record with a victory over Rhode Island in their final contest. Offensively, Tayler Gunesch leads Portland State with a .333 average. In the circle, Alyssa Burk has made eight appearances and has racked up 22 strikeouts in 24.2 innings of work. The Vikings are 1-9 overall with a team batting average of .200 and a 6.60 ERA.

Last Meeting: Portland State 9, East Carolina 0 (March 8, 2013 @ Honolulu, Hawai'i)

A Look at Pacific
The Tigers hosted the Libby Matson Tournament last weekend and finished 3-2, picking up wins over Seattle and Sacramento State. A trio of freshman pace the Tiger offense with Caitlyn Sung (.370), Starr Vang (.353) and Hailey Reed (.326) all hitting above .300. Reed has also been strong in the circle, sporting a 1.17 ERA in 12.0 innings, while Marissa Young is 2-0 with a 1.26 mark in 33.1 innings pitched. Pacific is 6-8 overall, falling to No. 23 California 13-5 Wednesday in Berkeley.

Last Meeting: Pacific 6, East Carolina 3 (March 9, 2012 @ Tempe, Ariz.)

Up Next
The Pirates return home Wednesday, March 8, for a single non-conference matchup with Youngstown State. First pitch at the ECU Softball Stadium is slated for 5 p.m.

Softball Heads To West Coast For Louisville Slugger Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Meredith Burroughs

Tate McClellan

Alex Mycek

Lydia Ritchie

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