East Carolina Hosts UAB in C-USA Opener
March 07, 2014 | Softball
March 7, 2014
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| East Carolina vs. UAB March 8, 2014 | 1 p.m. (EST) Greenville, N.C. |
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GREENVILLE, N.C. - Victors in six straight and nine of its last 10 games, the East Carolina softball team will open Conference USA play when it hosts UAB in a three-game series beginning Saturday, March 8 with a doubleheader at 1 p.m., at the ECU Softball Stadium.
The two teams will play the series finale at 12 noon on Sunday, with the game televised by FOX Sports Network. The contest will also feature ECU's Social Sunday promotion, offering $2 tickets to the general public.
Despite its tough start, UAB (7-10) has won four of its last six games, which includes victories over No. 18 Georgia last weekend and a mid-week victory over Mississippi State on Tuesday. The Blazers are led by infielder Caitlin Attfield, who is hitting .417 out of the leadoff spot and leads the team in total bases with 36, while ranking second in RBI with 11. Leigh Streetman is the team's ace pitcher with a 6-5 record and a 1.51 ERA.
ECU Weekend Notes:
PIRATES NEAR TOP OF C-USA PRESEASON POLL
East Carolina was picked to finish fourth in Conference USA for the 2014 season according to a preseason vote conducted by the league's coaches. The Pirates were one of just three teams to receive at least one first place vote, behind UAB (7) and Tulsa (5) who was picked to finish first and second, respectively, in the league.
BATTING EFFICIENCY
In addition to their league-leading .328 team batting average, the Pirates rarely come up empty with the fewest strikeouts among C-USA teams with 51 in 399 combined at-bats. ECU also leads the conference in on-base percentage (.413), while ranking second in home runs (15) and slugging percentage (.501).
BLAZING TRAILS ON THE BASEPATHS
East Carolina is not only the top base-stealing team in Conference USA with 36, but it is also the most consistent 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 (.900), successfully swiping bags on 36 of 40 attempts. The 40 tries also rank first in the league.
CHRISTIAN'S CIRCLE
The ace of the pitching staff, junior Sarah Christian spun a complete-game, one-hit shutout and struck out a career-high 10 batters on March 2. The performance marked the first time a Pirate pitcher recorded double-digit punch-outs in a game since Toni Paisley turned the trick against Memphis on May 12, 2011. Christian allowed a hit to the first batter of the game, before retiring the final 21 batters in order, en route to collecting a win in her sixth straight start and seventh consecutive decision. In those half-dozen starts, she owns a 1.11 ERA with five complete games in 38 innings of work with 33 strikeouts, while allowing just three walks, three extra-base hits and holding opponents to a .149 batting average.
HOME RUN CHASE
Senior corner infielder Alex Fieldhouse and senior first baseman Jordan Lewis are tied for the team lead with four home runs each, and have combined for more than half of the team's 15 home runs so far this season. Lewis currently sits in a tie with Vanessa Moreno (2006-10) for the seventh most in program history with 18 home runs, while Fieldhouse's 17 big flies have her in a tie with Kaui Tom (2007-10) for eighth all-time.
THE SPEED DEMON
In addition to reaching base in 13-straight games, senior Shelby Johnson has been a nightmare on the basepaths for opposing teams, as she is a perfect 15-for-15 in stolen base attempts to lead all of Conference USA. Johnson swiped a career-high three bags in the Pirates' 4-3, extra-inning affair in the second game of a doubleheader against Tennessee Tech on March 1, the most in a game by an ECU player since Jill Jelnick accomplished the feat with a trio on March 28, 2012 against UNC Wilmington. She has recorded two or more steals in five different games.
KALUHIOKALANI-GLACKIN'S EASY TRANSITION
Senior Chelsea Kaluhiokalani-Glackin, who primarily played shortstop during her first three seasons with the Pirates, has started 13-straight games as the team's leadoff hitter. 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 .356 (16-for-45) with 12 runs scored to go with seven stolen bases.
