East Carolina Hosts UConn on Senior Weekend
April 24, 2015 | Softball
April 24, 2015
Digging In
The East Carolina softball team wraps up the regular season when it hosts UConn in a three-game series beginning Saturday, April 25 and concluding Sunday, April 26. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 11 a.m., while Sunday's contest is set to start at 12 noon. This weekend is Senior Weekend as East Carolina will honor its four seniors following Saturday's doubleheader. Live stats and video will be available.
The Series vs. The Huskies
East Carolina and UConn will meet for just the seventh time in program history and the all-time series is tied 3-3. The two teams will face off for the first time since 1992 when the Pirates edged the Huskies, 3-2 at the South Florida Tournament in Tampa, Fla. UConn will be looking for its first victory over ECU since 1987 when the Huskies shutout the Pirates, 3-0, in Greenville, N.C.
About East Carolina
East Carolina is coming off of a come-from-behind victory against in-state rival North Carolina on Thursday night. The Pirates look to bring the momentum from their third-straight win into the contest against UConn. ECU is 14-35 on the year and 5-10 in American Athletic Conference action. The Pirates are in fifth place in the league standings.
  Â
ECU is batting .227 with 156 runs, 148 RBIs and 24 home runs. The Pirates hold the edge on their opponents in base on balls as ECU has drawn 132 walks to its counterparts' 117. The pitching staff has compiled a 4.40 team ERA with four shutouts on the year. The Pirates have four pitchers who have combined for 187 strikeouts in 328.0 innings of work.
Junior shortstop Casey Alcorn leads the team offensively with a .292 batting average and a .507 slugging percentage. She has scored a team-high 29 runs and is leads the team in RBIs (23). She has belted seven home runs on the year, with two coming last weekend. She also is second on the squad with eight doubles. Senior catcher Abby Wynne is second on the team with a .262 clip while leading the Pirates with eight home runs. She also has contributed 25 runs, 18 RBIs and five stolen bases in as many attempts.
In the circle, senior right-handed pitcher Sarah Christian has appeared in 30 games with 23 starts. Christian owns a team-leading 3.25 ERA with a 5-13 record. She has pitched nine complete games including three shutouts this season. She has fanned a team-best 67 batters over 125.0 innings of work while allowing 29 walks. Sophomore right-hander Lydia Ritchie has earned more time in the circle as of late and is second on the team with a 3.57 ERA. She has made 14 appearances with eight starts and has notched three wins in her last three outings.
Scouting UConn
UConn has struggled as of late dropping five of its last six games to fall to 16-28 on the year. The Huskies sit in sixth place in the American Athletic Conference standings with a 3-8 league mark.
As a team, the Huskies are batting .237 with 148 runs scored, 128 RBIs and 49 doubles to go along with 24 home runs. The pitching staff owns a 5.65 ERA and has recorded 16 complete games with two shutouts on the season. They have fanned 148 batters over 285.1 innings of work, while walking 144.
Senior infielder Emily O'Donnell is the only Huskie who is hitting over .300 on the year as she owns a .343 batting average (46-for-134). She leads the team with 31 RBIs, 13 doubles and six home runs, while ranking second on the squad with 20 runs scored. She boasts a .604 slugging percentage as well as an on-base percentage of .407. Junior infielder Lexi Gifford is the team-leader in runs scored with 26 and has a .266 batting average, while swiping five bases in as many attempts.
The Huskies have five pitchers on staff but mainly utilize three in freshman Chelsea Eckert, senior Lauren Duggan and sophomore Kayla Doty. Eckert is 5-12 on the year with a 5.14 ERA in 27 appearances with 17 starts and eight complete games. She has struck out 51 batters in 105.0 innings pitched. Duggan leads the team with nine wins, while posting a 5.27 ERA. She has made 29 appearances with 16 starts and five complete games. She also leads UConn with 63 strikeouts in 123.0 innings of work. Doty has seen action in 17 games with 10 starts and three complete games. She is 2-5 on the season with a 6.91 ERA. She has fanned 34, while walking 23 over 54.2 innings.
Quality Opponents
This season East Carolina softball has faced 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. Three of the Pirates opponents are ranked in the Top 25 poll in No. 6/5 Oklahoma, No. 13/15 UCF and No. 22/23 James Madison. Additionally, East Carolina has two teams (South Carolina, North Carolina) on its schedule that are currently receiving votes.
Entering the Record Books
Casey Alcorn, the Pirates' junior shortstop, belted two home runs last weekend at USF to bring her season total to seven and her career total to 18. With 18 homers in three years, Alcorn has moved into the East Carolina Career Record Book. She is tied for ninth along with former Pirate Vanessa Moreno and is just two bombs away from moving into seventh place all-time.
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 146. She is also listed sixth all-time in wins (55), games started (108), innings pitched (675.2) and strikeouts (355). She also comes in seventh in complete games (58). This season, the Greenville, N.C., native is 5-13 with a team-best 3.25 ERA with nine complete games and three shutouts. She has recorded a team-leading 67 strikeouts in 125.0 innings of work with 29 walks.
Home Run Derby
Senior catcher Abby Wynne leads the Pirates with eight homers on the year. The Greenville, N.C., native belted four homers in as many games when East Carolina played Memphis and Houston. She got started at Memphis on March 29, when she sent a 2-2 count over the fence in the top of the eighth inning to life ECU to a 3-1 victory over the Tigers. Wynne has continued to belt home runs as she tallied a home run in game one and game two of a doubleheader at Houston on April 3 and followed that effort with a solo shot in the eighth on April 4 to give East Carolina a 4-3 win over the Cougars. Wynne's eight home runs rank her fourth in the American Athletic Conference.
Casey at the Bat
Junior shortstop Casey Alcorn owns a team-leading .284 batting average and a .504 slugging percentage. She leads the team in several offensive categories including hits (40), runs (28) , doubles (8). She also has added 22 RBIs (tied for the team lead), 11 walks and seven home runs. In addition to her offensive prowess, Alcorn has also been an integral part of the ECU defense earning 47 starts at shortstop. Alcorn leads the team in assists with 125 and has recorded 63 putouts. Her 125 assists rank her second in the American Athletic Conference.
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 12 runners to rank second in the American Athletic Conference. In addition to her solid defense, Wynne has also produced on the offensive end as well. She second on the team with a .262 batting average. She also has posted 25 runs, 18 RBIs, eight home runs and three doubles with five stolen bases in as many attempts.
Walk This Way
Freshman left fielder Mary-Sloan Bradford has drawn 34 walks in 45 games to lead the Pirates. Her 34 walks are also good for tops in the American Athletic Conference. Bradford is averaging 0.75 walks per game which ranks her 38th in the nation. The product of Windermere, Fla., owns a team-leading on-base percentage of .409, once on base, Bradford does her job on the base paths has she has scored 22 times and has swiped six bases, to tie for the team lead, in nine attempts.
Standing Room Only
Pirate Nation packed the stands on Wednesday, April 8 when East Carolina hosted N.C. State to set a new stadium attendance record of 861. The record eclipses the previous milestone set on May 14, 2011, during ECU Softball Stadium's inaugural season, of 844 against Tulsa. Earlier this season, the Pirates filled the stadium with 614 fans to rank fifth all-time in attendance. Below is a list of the highest attended games in ECU Softball Stadium history.
Highest Attended Games
April 8, 2015 - 861 vs. N.C. State
May 14, 2011 - 844 vs. Tulsa
April 30, 2011 - 673 vs. Houston
February 19, 2011 - 658 vs. Hofstra
February 7, 2015 - 614 vs. South Carolina
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.
On Deck
East Carolina will find out its seeding in the American Athletic Conference tournament following the last weekend of the regular season, May 2-3. The conference tournament begins May 7 and concludes May 9 in Orlando, Fla.
| East Carolina vs. UConn | |
| Dates | Saturday, April 25 & Sunday, April 26 |
| Times | 11 a.m. & 12 noon |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. | ECU Softball Stadium |
| Game Notes | East Carolina  | The American |
| Coverage | Live Stats (Saturday - Game 1)Â | Video Stream (Saturday) Live Stats (Saturday - Game 2) Live Stats (Sunday) | Video Stream (Sunday) |
| @ECUScoreboard | |
Digging In
The East Carolina softball team wraps up the regular season when it hosts UConn in a three-game series beginning Saturday, April 25 and concluding Sunday, April 26. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 11 a.m., while Sunday's contest is set to start at 12 noon. This weekend is Senior Weekend as East Carolina will honor its four seniors following Saturday's doubleheader. Live stats and video will be available.
The Series vs. The Huskies
East Carolina and UConn will meet for just the seventh time in program history and the all-time series is tied 3-3. The two teams will face off for the first time since 1992 when the Pirates edged the Huskies, 3-2 at the South Florida Tournament in Tampa, Fla. UConn will be looking for its first victory over ECU since 1987 when the Huskies shutout the Pirates, 3-0, in Greenville, N.C.
About East Carolina
East Carolina is coming off of a come-from-behind victory against in-state rival North Carolina on Thursday night. The Pirates look to bring the momentum from their third-straight win into the contest against UConn. ECU is 14-35 on the year and 5-10 in American Athletic Conference action. The Pirates are in fifth place in the league standings.
  Â
ECU is batting .227 with 156 runs, 148 RBIs and 24 home runs. The Pirates hold the edge on their opponents in base on balls as ECU has drawn 132 walks to its counterparts' 117. The pitching staff has compiled a 4.40 team ERA with four shutouts on the year. The Pirates have four pitchers who have combined for 187 strikeouts in 328.0 innings of work.
Junior shortstop Casey Alcorn leads the team offensively with a .292 batting average and a .507 slugging percentage. She has scored a team-high 29 runs and is leads the team in RBIs (23). She has belted seven home runs on the year, with two coming last weekend. She also is second on the squad with eight doubles. Senior catcher Abby Wynne is second on the team with a .262 clip while leading the Pirates with eight home runs. She also has contributed 25 runs, 18 RBIs and five stolen bases in as many attempts.
In the circle, senior right-handed pitcher Sarah Christian has appeared in 30 games with 23 starts. Christian owns a team-leading 3.25 ERA with a 5-13 record. She has pitched nine complete games including three shutouts this season. She has fanned a team-best 67 batters over 125.0 innings of work while allowing 29 walks. Sophomore right-hander Lydia Ritchie has earned more time in the circle as of late and is second on the team with a 3.57 ERA. She has made 14 appearances with eight starts and has notched three wins in her last three outings.
Scouting UConn
UConn has struggled as of late dropping five of its last six games to fall to 16-28 on the year. The Huskies sit in sixth place in the American Athletic Conference standings with a 3-8 league mark.
As a team, the Huskies are batting .237 with 148 runs scored, 128 RBIs and 49 doubles to go along with 24 home runs. The pitching staff owns a 5.65 ERA and has recorded 16 complete games with two shutouts on the season. They have fanned 148 batters over 285.1 innings of work, while walking 144.
Senior infielder Emily O'Donnell is the only Huskie who is hitting over .300 on the year as she owns a .343 batting average (46-for-134). She leads the team with 31 RBIs, 13 doubles and six home runs, while ranking second on the squad with 20 runs scored. She boasts a .604 slugging percentage as well as an on-base percentage of .407. Junior infielder Lexi Gifford is the team-leader in runs scored with 26 and has a .266 batting average, while swiping five bases in as many attempts.
The Huskies have five pitchers on staff but mainly utilize three in freshman Chelsea Eckert, senior Lauren Duggan and sophomore Kayla Doty. Eckert is 5-12 on the year with a 5.14 ERA in 27 appearances with 17 starts and eight complete games. She has struck out 51 batters in 105.0 innings pitched. Duggan leads the team with nine wins, while posting a 5.27 ERA. She has made 29 appearances with 16 starts and five complete games. She also leads UConn with 63 strikeouts in 123.0 innings of work. Doty has seen action in 17 games with 10 starts and three complete games. She is 2-5 on the season with a 6.91 ERA. She has fanned 34, while walking 23 over 54.2 innings.
Quality Opponents
This season East Carolina softball has faced 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. Three of the Pirates opponents are ranked in the Top 25 poll in No. 6/5 Oklahoma, No. 13/15 UCF and No. 22/23 James Madison. Additionally, East Carolina has two teams (South Carolina, North Carolina) on its schedule that are currently receiving votes.
Entering the Record Books
Casey Alcorn, the Pirates' junior shortstop, belted two home runs last weekend at USF to bring her season total to seven and her career total to 18. With 18 homers in three years, Alcorn has moved into the East Carolina Career Record Book. She is tied for ninth along with former Pirate Vanessa Moreno and is just two bombs away from moving into seventh place all-time.
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 146. She is also listed sixth all-time in wins (55), games started (108), innings pitched (675.2) and strikeouts (355). She also comes in seventh in complete games (58). This season, the Greenville, N.C., native is 5-13 with a team-best 3.25 ERA with nine complete games and three shutouts. She has recorded a team-leading 67 strikeouts in 125.0 innings of work with 29 walks.
Home Run Derby
Senior catcher Abby Wynne leads the Pirates with eight homers on the year. The Greenville, N.C., native belted four homers in as many games when East Carolina played Memphis and Houston. She got started at Memphis on March 29, when she sent a 2-2 count over the fence in the top of the eighth inning to life ECU to a 3-1 victory over the Tigers. Wynne has continued to belt home runs as she tallied a home run in game one and game two of a doubleheader at Houston on April 3 and followed that effort with a solo shot in the eighth on April 4 to give East Carolina a 4-3 win over the Cougars. Wynne's eight home runs rank her fourth in the American Athletic Conference.
Casey at the Bat
Junior shortstop Casey Alcorn owns a team-leading .284 batting average and a .504 slugging percentage. She leads the team in several offensive categories including hits (40), runs (28) , doubles (8). She also has added 22 RBIs (tied for the team lead), 11 walks and seven home runs. In addition to her offensive prowess, Alcorn has also been an integral part of the ECU defense earning 47 starts at shortstop. Alcorn leads the team in assists with 125 and has recorded 63 putouts. Her 125 assists rank her second in the American Athletic Conference.
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 12 runners to rank second in the American Athletic Conference. In addition to her solid defense, Wynne has also produced on the offensive end as well. She second on the team with a .262 batting average. She also has posted 25 runs, 18 RBIs, eight home runs and three doubles with five stolen bases in as many attempts.
Walk This Way
Freshman left fielder Mary-Sloan Bradford has drawn 34 walks in 45 games to lead the Pirates. Her 34 walks are also good for tops in the American Athletic Conference. Bradford is averaging 0.75 walks per game which ranks her 38th in the nation. The product of Windermere, Fla., owns a team-leading on-base percentage of .409, once on base, Bradford does her job on the base paths has she has scored 22 times and has swiped six bases, to tie for the team lead, in nine attempts.
Standing Room Only
Pirate Nation packed the stands on Wednesday, April 8 when East Carolina hosted N.C. State to set a new stadium attendance record of 861. The record eclipses the previous milestone set on May 14, 2011, during ECU Softball Stadium's inaugural season, of 844 against Tulsa. Earlier this season, the Pirates filled the stadium with 614 fans to rank fifth all-time in attendance. Below is a list of the highest attended games in ECU Softball Stadium history.
Highest Attended Games
April 8, 2015 - 861 vs. N.C. State
May 14, 2011 - 844 vs. Tulsa
April 30, 2011 - 673 vs. Houston
February 19, 2011 - 658 vs. Hofstra
February 7, 2015 - 614 vs. South Carolina
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.
On Deck
East Carolina will find out its seeding in the American Athletic Conference tournament following the last weekend of the regular season, May 2-3. The conference tournament begins May 7 and concludes May 9 in Orlando, Fla.
Players Mentioned
Infield
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
Pitcher
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
Outfield
/ Softball
1B
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
Catcher/Outfield
/ SoftballECU Softball vs Campbell
Tuesday, April 15
ECU Softball vs Memphis
Saturday, April 05
ECU Softball vs Boston College
Sunday, February 23
ECU Softball vs Canisius
Saturday, February 22
