ECU Wraps Up Home Schedule With AAC Series Against Houston
April 22, 2016 | Softball
| Games 48-50: Houston at East Carolina | |
| Series Dates | April 22-24, 2016 |
| Time | 6:00 p.m. / 2:00 p.m. / 11:00 a.m. |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. (ECU Softball Stadium) |
| Live Stats | Gametracker (Friday) | Gametracker (Saturday) | Gametracker (Sunday) |
| Live Video | Pirates On Demand |
| Official Web Sites | East Carolina | Houston | American Athletic Conference |
| Game Notes | East Carolina  |
| 2016 Statistics | East Carolina | Houston |
| ECU Softball Central | Promotional Calendar | Roster | Fact Book | The American |
East Carolina Softball Social Media Links: Twitter | Instagram | ECU Scoreboard
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina softball team plays its final home games of the season this weekend, welcoming Houston to Greenville for a three-game American Athletic Conference series at the ECU Softball Stadium. The teams will kick off the set Friday at 6 p.m. before matching up Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m.
Live stats via Gametracker and a live video stream of all three games are available with links accessible through www.ecupirates.com.
East Carolina will honor its four-member senior class before Sunday's finale.
The Pirates dropped a 4-3 decision to in-state rival UNCW at home Wednesday while the Cougars fell to UCF 8-3 in their most recent outing last weekend. ECU takes a 20-27 overall record and 2-10 league mark into the series as compared to Houston's 20-24 overall ledger and 3-6 AAC record.
The Pirates are batting .266 as a team with 59 doubles, six triples and 31 home runs and are led by junior outfielder Ciara Ervin's .324 average. The Cougars are hitting at a collective .289 clip with 46 doubles, six triples and 29 home runs. Maya Thomas leads the offensive unit with a .415 batting average.
Both pitching staffs sport earned run averages that hover around the 4.00 as ECU checks in at 4.12 and Houston at 4.01.
The Cougars won last year's series in Houston two games to one after the Pirates salvaged the finale by a 4-3 score. All three contests were decided by a single run. Houston makes its first trip to Greenville this weekend as a member of the American Athletic Conference.
Last Time Out
GREENVILLE, N.C. - UNCW scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning Wednesday and held on for a 4-3 non-conference softball victory over East Carolina at the ECU Softball Stadium. The Seahawks racked up 11 hits as compared to the Pirates' six and the teams combined for a total of four errors. ECU also stranded eight runners on base. Senior shortstop Casey Alcorn tallied a team-high two hits to go along with a run scored while sophomore infielder Rebecca Perrell drove in a pair of runs on the strength of her first career home run. Hannah Adamczyk paced the visitors with four hits and a RBI. Freshman RHP Mary Williams tossed her fifth complete game of the season, surrendering four runs on 11 hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Laurel Koontz picked up the win in relief as she allowed a run on three hits in two innings of work. She did not record a walk or a strikeout.
The Series: Houston
Houston leads the overall series with East Carolina by a 29-15 margin. The Cougars also have a winning record in games played in Greenville, taking 11 of the 19 meetings dating back to 2003.
Heating Up
As the regular season winds down, the Pirate bats are coming alive. In its three-game series at UConn over the weekend, East Carolina hit .398 as a team (37-for-93) with a .505 slugging percentage. Ervin has really come to life offensively in her last 10 outings, batting .469 (15-for-32) with nine runs scored, two doubles, a triple, four home runs, six RBI and 31 total bases as well as a .969 slugging percentage and 1.522 OPS.
Against the ACC
ECU holds a winning record against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents this campaign, run-ruling Virginia 9-1 in six innings in the season opener, falling 8-0 to then No. 23 Notre Dame Feb. 26 and downing NC State 7-4 in Raleigh March 22.
Against the State
East Carolina has had much success over the years against its in-state rivals, holding a 236-119 mark against NCAA Division I programs in North Carolina. ECU has squared off against Appalachian State (4-0), Campbell (35-11), Charlotte (25-10), Elon (16-5-1), North Carolina (35-51), North Carolina A&T (5-0), NC Central (3-0), NC State (7-12), UNC Asheville (1-0), UNC Greensboro (26-12) and UNCW (79-18).
Staying Power
A total of three players on this year's Pirate squad have played and started all 47 contests thus far - Casey Alcorn (SS), Karlie Smith (3B/DP) and Meredith Mitchell (CF). Mitchell was also one of two individuals to play and start in every game last season.
Return to Raleigh
Head Coach Courtney Oliver took the Pirates over to Raleigh March 22 to match up with her former program in NC State. She was the Wolfpack's pitching coach for three years before her arrival in Greenville and that certainly appeared to be an advantage in the contest as ECU and Oliver left the Capital City victorious.
Blanked
The Pirates have blanked seven opponents this season, the most since 2011 when East Carolina picked up 21 shutouts on its way to a Conference USA Tournament title and NCAA regional final appearance.
Tough Ticket
Pirate Nation packed the stands April 8, 2015 when East Carolina hosted NC State, setting a new stadium attendance record of 861. The mark eclipsed the previous milestone of 844 set May 14, 2011 during the ECU Softball Stadium's inaugural season when the Pirates topped Tulsa to win their second consecutive Conference USA Tournament title. This season, East Carolina is averaging 463 fans per contest and two of the top 10 crowds in stadium history have filed through the gates. An announced attendance of 744 for the Longwood doubleheader represents the third largest since the venue opened in 2011.
What's Next?
East Carolina takes a break from action for a couple weeks before wrapping up the regular season May 6-8 at UCF.
