Pirate Softball Takes on Houston Friday, Saturday
April 02, 2015 | Softball
| East Carolina at Houston | |
| Dates | Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4 |
| Times | 3 p.m. (ET) and 2 p.m. (ET) |
| Location | Houston, Texas | Cougar Softball Stadium |
| Game Notes | East Carolina  | Houston  | The American |
| Coverage | Live Stats (Friday - Game 2) |
| @ECUScoreboard | |
Digging In
The East Carolina softball team continues its road swing at Houston on Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4. The Pirates and the Cougars face off in a doubleheader on Friday at 3 p.m. (ET) followed by a single game on Saturday at 2 p.m. (ET). Live stats will be available for all three contests.
The Series vs. The Cougars
East Carolina and Houston will meet for the 42nd time in program history. The Cougars lead the all-time series 27 games to 14 and have been victorious in five out of the last six meetings. In the last meeting, Houston defeated ECU, 14-3 in Greenville, N.C., on March 24, 2013. The Pirates are looking for their first win over the Cougars since 2012, when they edged Houston, 7-6, in the final game of a three-game series in Houston.
About East Carolina
East Carolina put an end to its eight-game losing streak with a pair of wins at Memphis. With the victories, the Pirates have improved their overall record to 10-26, while they own a 2-4 American Athletic Conference ledger.
As a team, ECU is batting .231 with 118 runs scored, 112 RBIs, 17 home runs and 23 stolen bases. The Pirates hold the edge on their opponents in base on balls as ECU has drawn 103 walks to its counterparts' 85. The pitching staff has compiled a 4.47 team ERA with four shutouts on the year. The Pirates have four pitchers who have combined for 149 strikeouts in 241.1 innings of work.
Senior catcher Abby Wynne leads the Pirates offensively with a .298 batting average (31-for-104). She owns a team-best 31 hits, five home runs and five stolen bases. Additionally, she has scored 20 runs, while driving in 14 and drawing 18 walks. Junior shortstop Casey Alcorn has also contributed to ECU's offense with a .274 clip while leading the squad in runs (22), RBIs (19), doubles (6) and home runs (5).
In the circle, senior right-handed pitcher Sarah Christian has been most effective for East Carolina as she has appeared in 23 games with 18 starts. Christian owns a team-leading 2.49 ERA with a 5-9 record. She has pitched nine complete games including three shutouts this season. She has fanned a team-leading 58 batters over 101.1 innings of work while only allowing 17 walks. Freshman righty Ashley Cruise owns 50 strikeouts in 74.2 innings pitched. She is 3-11 on the year with a 4.41 ERA with 20 appearances, 13 starts, four complete games and one shutout.
Scouting Houston
Houston is coming off of a 13-12 non-conference loss to Texas as the Cougars are 17-18 overall and 2-0 in American Conference action. The Cougars collected their pair of league wins on March 22 when they swept USF in a doubleheader at Cougar Softball Stadium.
The Cougars are batting .296 with 200 runs scored and 175 RBIs. As a team, Houston has belted 31 home runs to go along with 46 doubles and eight triples, while drawing 120 walks and stealing 36 bases in 43 attempts. Houston's pitching staff owns a 4.15 ERA with 14 complete games and one shutout on the year. The Cougars have fanned 99 batters over 231.0 innings pitched.
Katie St. Pierre is Houston's junior outfielder who boasts a team-high .372 batting average after going 42-for-113 on the year. She has scored a team-best 38 times and is 11-for-11 on the base paths. Senior Selena Hernandez leads the Cougars with 29 RBIs while hitting .341. She has plated 23 runs, while recording nine doubles this season.
Junior southpaw Juliana Shrum is Houston's leader in ERA (3.45) and wins (6). She has made 22 appearances with 13 starts and has registered six complete games and two saves. Shrum leads the team in strikeouts with 51 over 97.1 innings of work. Summer Groholski, a senior right-hander, owns a 3.61 ERA and is 5-2 on the year. She has appeared in 15 games with nine starts and has recorded six complete games and one shutout. She has fanned 24 batters in 54.1 innings pitched.
Quality Opponents
This season East Carolina softball will face several quality opponents throughout a competitive schedule. The slate features a number of teams which rank in the top 50 in RPI as well as nine opponents which appeared in the 2014 NCAA Regionals. The Pirates' conference schedule is just as demanding as four (UCF, Houston, Tulsa, USF) of the seven American Athletic Conference schools saw action in the NCAA Regionals a year ago. Two of the Pirates opponents are ranked in the Top 25 poll in No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 20 UCF. Additionally, East Carolina has five teams (South Carolina, James Madison, Virginia Tech, NC State and Utah) on its schedule that are currently receiving votes.
Movin' on Up
Senior right-handed pitcher Sarah Christian is moving up in the East Carolina record books as she is ranked fifth in the ECU record book for most appearances with 139. She is also listed sixth all-time in wins (55), games started (103), innings pitched (652.0) and strikeouts (346). She also comes in seventh in complete games (58). This season, the Greenville, N.C., native is 5-9 with a team-best 2.49 ERA with nine complete games and three shutouts. She has recorded a team-leading 58 strikeouts in 101.1 innings of work with just 17 walks.
Closing in on the Top 10
Casey Alcorn, the Pirates' junior shortstop, has belted five home runs this season to bring her career total to 16. She is just one homer away from breaking into the ECU record book. The school record is 42, which was set by former Pirate Isonette Polonius during her three-year career from 1997-99. If Alcorn blasts another bomb, she will tie Kaui Tom's 17, that were hit from 2007-10, and be in 10th in the all-time batting records.
Casey at the Bat
Junior shortstop Casey Alcorn has been a consistent force at the plate this season for the Pirates. The Hummelstown, Pa., native owns a .274 batting average and a team-best .491 slugging percentage. She leads the team in several offensive categories including slugging percentage, runs (22), RBIs (19) doubles (6) and home runs (5). She also has added one triple, eight walks and three stolen bases. In addition to her offensive prowess, Alcorn has also been an integral part of the ECU defense earning 35 starts at shortstop. Alcorn leads the team in assists with 94 and has recorded 46 putouts. Her 94 assists rank her second in the American Athletic Conference.
Just in Kacie
Sophomore Kacie Oshiro, who has seen action as the designated player as well as in the outfield this season, has found herself not only in the starting lineup, but also with a .277 (23-for-83) batting average. The Mililani, Hawaii native has been a key component in the Pirates' lineup as she has recorded eight RBIs, eight runs and five doubles in 28 games. Oshiro has come up big in pressure situations as she boasts a .375 batting average with runners in scoring position and has successfully advanced base runners nearly 50-percent of the time (.432, 19-for-44).
Wynne-ing
Redshirt senior catcher Abby Wynne has been stout behind the plate this season. She has done an excellent job throwing out runners attempting to steal as she has caught 10 runners to lead the American Athletic Conference. In addition to her solid defense, Wynne has also produced on the offensive end as well. She the team-leade in batting average with a .298 (31-for-104) clip. She also has posted 20 runs, 14 RBIs, five home runs and three doubles with five stolen bases in as many attempts. She leads the Pirates in hits (31) and is tied for first in home runs (5).
Walk This Way
Freshman left fielder Mary-Sloan Bradford has drawn 28 walks in 34 games to lead the Pirates. Her 28 walks are also good for tops in the American Athletic Conference. Bradford is averaging 0.86 walks per game which ranks her 28th in the nation. The product of Windermere, Fla., owns an on-base percentage of .391, which is second on the team. Once on base, Bradford does her job on the base paths has she has scored 16 times and has swiped a team-best six bases in nine attempts.
All-Tournament Honors
At the Outrigger Resorts Hawaii Spring Fling Tournament junior centerfielder Meredith Mitchell was the lone Pirate named to the All-Tournament Team. She led the team with a .455 batting average after going 5-for-11 in five games. Additionally, she scored three runs, drove in one run and tallied six total bases. Mitchell drew two walks and recorded a double to own a slugging percentage of .545, while registering a .538 on-base percentage during the tournament. The all-tournament team nod was her second of the year as she was also named to the Pirate Classic All-Tournament Team along with five of her teammates. The Pirates had a successful season-opening tournament as ECU saw six players receive Pirate Classic All-Tournament Team honors. After winning the tournament, freshmen Ashley Cruise and Mary-Sloan Bradford were named Most Valuable Pitcher and Most Valuable Player, respectively. Additionally, sophomore Ali Ramirez, juniors Casey Alcorn and Mitchell, along with redshirt senior Abby Wynne were also named to the Pirate Classic All-Tournament Team.
Returning Home
Keli Harrell, East Carolina's all-time saves leader, returned to her alma mater on January 22 as she was hired as an interim assistant coach. Her hiring marks Harrell's second stint on the Pirates' coaching staff as she previously served as a graduate assistant from 2007-10. During that time, she played an integral role in guiding ECU to lead the league in several pitching categories, including earned run average (1.45), strikeouts (467), and wins (44). In her final year on staff, Harrell helped lead East Carolina to its first-ever Conference USA Tournament Championship as the Pirates made an appearance in the NCAA Regionals for just the third time in program history. She looks to bring the same success to the Pirates in 2015.
Quick Hits
? On January 15, head softball coach Beth Keylon-Randolph was granted an extended administrative leave of absence due to personal reasons.
? Sophomore catcher Alex Mycek will redshirt the 2015 season due to an injury.
? Freshman Ashton Stowe is out indefinitely due to injuries.
On Deck
East Carolina returns to Greenville, N.C., for a mid-week, non-conference affair against in-state rival NC State on Wednesday, April 8. First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 4 p.m. The contest is Paint it Purple as fans are encouraged to come to ECU Softball Stadium wearing purple. Live stats and video will be available for both games on ECUPirates.com.
