East Carolina Softball Welcomes Tennessee Tech
February 28, 2014 | Softball
Feb. 28, 2014
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| East Carolina vs. Tennessee Tech March 1, 2014 | 1 p.m. (EST) Greenville, N.C. |
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GREENVILLE, N.C. - Winners in six of its last seven and seven of nine, the East Carolina softball will host its first three-game home series of the 2014 season when it welcomes Tennessee Tech to the ECU Softball Stadium. The Pirates' March schedule will begin in doubleheader action at 1 and 3 p.m., Saturday, March 1 before closing out the series on Sunday, March 2 with first pitch slated for 12 p.m.
East Carolina (8-4) owns a 5-1 lead over the Golden Eagles in the all-time series, with the last meeting coming in 2005, where the Pirates picked up a 4-0 win. This weekend's games will mark the first time one team hosted the other, with the previous six matchups being held at neutral sites.
Tennessee Tech (5-8) enters the matchup winners in five of its last six games after dropping its first seven contests. The Golden Eagles are led by Kendall Hooper, who leads the squad with a .310 batting average. Chelsea Burgess is hitting .267, but owns team highs in runs scored (9), walks (5) and home runs (3).
1,300 AND COUNTING
The East Carolina softball team recorded its 1,300th win in program history after defeating Delaware, 9-1, in the first of its final two games at the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic on Feb. 23.
BLAZING TRAILS ON THE BASEPATHS
East Carolina is not only one of the top base-stealing teams in Conference USA, but it is also the most efficient. Possessing speed in every part of the lineup, the Pirates utilize an aggressive demeanor on the basepaths and lead C-USA in stolen base percentage (93.3), successfully swiping bags on 28 of 30 attempts. The 30 tries rank second in the league, only behind North Texas' 36.
PUTTING THE BALL IN PLAY
In addition to their .317 team batting average, which is tied with Marshall for third best in the conference, the Pirates rarely come up empty with the second-fewest strikeouts among league members with 45. In three fewer games than East Carolina, Charlotte has gone down on strikes just 38 times.
HOME RUN CHASE
Senior corner infielder Alex Fieldhouse (4 home runs) and senior first baseman Jordan Lewis (3) continue to launch balls well beyond the outfield fence and have combined for seven of the team's 12 home runs so far this season. Both players hit two homers apiece over the course of four games at last weekend's Diamond 9 Citrus Classic, putting Lewis in a tie with Kaui Tom (2007-10) for the eighth most in program history with 17 home runs, while Fieldhouse's 16 big flies have her in a tie with Marina Gusman-Brown (2009-10) for ninth all-time.
THE SPEED DEMONS
Seniors Shelby Johnson and Chelsea Kaluhiokalani-Glackin have been absolute terrors on the basepaths for the Pirates. Through 12 games this season, Johnson is a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen base attempts and Kaluhiokalani-Glackin is 7-for-7, while the tandem ranks first and third, respectively, among all Conference USA players in the category. Johnson has recorded two steals in four different games and is also currently riding a team-best 10-game reached base streak.
KALUHIOKALANI-GLACKIN FEARS NO CHANGES
Senior Chelsea Kaluhiokalani-Glackin, who primarily played shortstop during her first three seasons with the Pirates, has started 10-straight games as the team's leadoff hitter in the absence of Jill Jelnick. Not only has she learned a new position, but the Hawai'i native now hits from the left-handed batter's box and is batting .361 (13-for-36) with 11 runs scored and is a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts.
WYNNE-ING TIME
Despite missing all but the first eight games of the 2013 season, redshirt junior Abby Wynne's presence has made a transformational impact on the middle of East Carolina's lineup. Among the four players to start each of the Pirates' first 12 games of the 2014 season, Wynne is hitting .290 and is tied for the team lead in runs (12) and walks (8). She hit a game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning in a 5-4 win over Fairfield on Feb. 23. The Greenville native drew four walks against Seton Hall on Feb. 15 and scored three runs. The four free passes were the most in a game since Kai Clark accomplished the feat on Feb. 20, 2010 against Florida.
PAINT IT BLACK
East Carolina's integration of the color black into its athletic teams' uniforms has had positive effects on the outcome of its games. The football team recorded a 10-3 overall record and a 6-0 mark when wearing its new all-black uniforms during the 2013 season, while the softball program is 5-1 and victorious in five straight games in its all-black 'Undaunted' threads.
WALKING UP THE CHARTS
Senior second baseman Kristi Oshiro has drawn 91 walks during her career for the Pirates - the fifth-most in program history. Oshiro forced a base-on-balls in the team's 6-3 win over Southern Utah on Feb. 8 to pass Erin St. Ledger (2005-08) and enter the top five all-time. She now needs just five more free passes to tie Isonette Polonius (1997-99) for fourth in program history.
OSHIRO A TRIPLE THREAT
Infielder Kristi Oshiro has increased her triples total in each of the last three seasons at ECU. The Mililani, Hawai'i native hit a pair of three-base knocks during her freshman campaign in 2011, before posting three as a sophomore in 2012 and five in 2013. Her five triples last season ranked 18th in all of Division I and Oshiro's 11 three-baggers currently have her locked in a three-way tie with Michelle Ward (1991-94) and Laura Crowder (1989-92) for the ninth most in school history.
