Pirates Begin Regional With Maryland
May 18, 2011 | Softball
May 18, 2011
| East Carolina Game 60: Maryland | |
| Date | Friday, May 20 |
| Time | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| Location | College Park, Md. (Robert E. Taylor Stadium) |
| Tickets | Purchase College Park Regional Tickets |
| NCAA Tournament | East Carolina's NCAA Central College Park Regional Central |
| Game Notes | East Carolina  | Maryland |
| Statistics | East Carolina | Maryland |
| Internet Coverage | Gametracker | Live Chat |
| Mobile Connect | Live Chat for Mobile Devices |
| Pirate Softball Central |
NCAA Tournament Information | Interactive Bracket |
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Two-time defending Conference USA Tournament champion East Carolina makes its second consecutive and fourth overall NCAA Tournament appearance this week in College Park, Md. The Pirates (39-20) open play with host Maryland (39-17) Friday at 7:30 p.m. The region's top seed is Baylor (40-12), which earned the No. 11 national seed. The Bears take on Patriot League champion Lehigh (33-21) at 5:00.
East Carolina earned its first NCAA Tournament bid in 1999, falling to host Arizona 9-1 and Southeast Missouri State 2-1. The Pirates returned in 2008, defeating Mississippi Valley State 4-2 and losing to Louisiana-Lafayette 2-1 and host LSU 9-1. A year ago in Austin, Texas, East Carolina advanced one step further, playing in the regional final against BYU after downing Iona and the host, and No. 7 national seed, Longhorns. ECU opened the regional with a loss to the Cougars.
The Comparison
The Pirates Against The Terrapins
East Carolina and Maryland have met 11 times, three this season, with the Terrapins holding an 8-3 advantage in the all-time series. The programs split the first four games but Maryland has claimed six of the last seven contests while outscoring ECU 26-12.
Earlier this season at the Red & Black Showcase Feb. 13, the Terrapins used a three-run fourth inning to down the Pirates 3-1. The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the top of the inning on a double steal with junior Priscilla Velasquez swiping second and classmate Suzanne Riggs coming home on the throw down to second. In the bottom of the frame, Maryland's Lexi Carroll singled to center to tie the game before a one-out double by Nikki Maier drove in two runs. Senior Toni Paisley went the distance for ECU, allowing five hits and three runs while striking out 13.
Nearly a month later, March 9, the Pirates traveled to College Park for a doubleheader and earned a split. In game one, freshman Jordan Lewis drove in the game-tying run in the top of the seventh and scored the winner on a wild pitch later in the frame. In the nightcap, ECU trailed 4-0 before making it 4-2 and loading the bases with two outs in the seventh.
The Pirates Against The NCAA Tournament Field
This season, East Carolina played 10 teams that qualified for the 2011 NCAA Tournament, going 11-12 against them. As mentioned, the Pirates went 1-2 against Maryland and defeated Lehigh. ECU lost its only matchups with Illinois State, Georgia and Arizona State while downing New Mexico State. Of the other four C-USA schools to earn bids, East Carolina went 2-2 versus Memphis, 3-1 against Tulsa, 2-1 facing UAB and 1-3 taking on Houston.
ECU Versus The ACC, Patriot League And Big 12
In program history, the Pirates are 84-137 against the ACC, 12-0 versus the Patriot League and 3-4 taking on Big 12 programs. This season, East Carolina has gone a combined 3-4 in contests against the ACC and Patriot League.
East Carolina And The RPI
With the most recent RPI release by the NCAA, through May 15 games, East Carolina checks in 33rd. The RPI ranks teams based on wins, losses and strength of schedule. This season, the Pirates are 11-13 against teams in the top 50 of the RPI. A year ago entering the NCAA Tournament, ECU had five wins versus the top 50.
In 2011, the Pirates are 6-4 against teams ranked 51-100 and are 22-3 from 101 to the end of the rankings. Away from Greenville, East Carolina captured two road triumphs at UAB (RPI: 38), one over Maryland (RPI: 31) and one in Longwood (RPI: 45).
Searching For 40, Again
East Carolina enters the NCAA Tournament with 39 victories. One more and the Pirates will reach the 40-win plateau for the third-straight season and seventh time in the last eight years.
Pirates Repeat As Conference USA Champions
East Carolina claimed the Conference USA tournament title with a 4-1 victory over Tulsa May 14. The win enabled the Pirates to become the first C-USA program since DePaul in 2004-05 to win consecutive post-season crowns.
It is also the first time ECU softball has won two-straight tournament titles in any conference since the fast-pitch program began in 1984. The Pirates took three consecutive regular season Big South titles from 1997-99.
Six Straight In Tournament Play
Back-to-back tournament titles made it six-straight wins for East Carolina in Conference USA Championship action. The streak is the second longest ever by a C-USA squad in post-season play, trailing only DePaul's seven consecutive victories during the 2004-05 tournaments. The Blue Demons also ripped off six-straight wins in the 2002-03 events.
The Lowest-Seeded C-USA Champion
Entering the Conference USA tournament as the No. 5 seed, ECU become the lowest seed to ever win the post-season crown. The previous low was DePaul as the No. 4 seed in 2004, when the Blue Demons topped No. 5 Houston 4-2.
A Home Turnaround
The Pirates became the first home team to capture the Conference USA Championship crown since Tulsa in 2006. In the process, East Carolina turned around its home record against C-USA foes. The Pirates went 4-8 against league opponents at the new ECU Softball Stadium during the regular season and had not won back-to-back home contests, but took three straight en route to the championship.
The Pirates played all three teams it defeated on the title run at home during the regular season and went a combined 3-6 against them, including a three-game sweep at the hands of Houston.
A Sign Of Things To Come
The Pirates claimed their second-straight C-USA Championship title, but did so after losing seven seniors, six starters, from the 2010 squad. The 2011 unit consists of 10 freshmen, two sophomores, three juniors and two seniors. Since the 2004 league championship, no title winner has had more than five freshmen.
In last Saturday's championship game, the first five batters in the lineup were freshmen. The five went a combined 6-15 (.400 batting average) and scored three times. Three of the team's 10 rookies were named to the C-USA All-Tournament Team in Alex Fieldhouse, Jill Jelnick and Lewis.
Reliable Paisley
A year ago, in the Conference USA Tournament, Paisley was named the event's most valuable player after going 3-0, surrendering only 10 hits and striking out 20. During this year's event, she went 3-0, allowed 12 hits and fanned 21. Both seasons, the C-USA Championship title game victory was her 30th triumph of the campaign.
Friday Parking Information
All fans are advised that the University of Maryland Commencement and Graduation ceremonies will be taking place Thursday and Friday in the Comcast Center, which is adjacent to Robert E. Taylor Stadium. Fans planning to attend Friday's games should prepare for heavy traffic and limited parking. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as parking will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis in all parking lots surrounding Taylor Stadium.
