ECU Opens AAC Tournament Thursday Against No. 3 Seed Tulsa
May 11, 2016 | Softball
| AAC Softball Tournament: (6) East Carolina at (3) Tulsa (Quarterfinals) | |
| Date | May 12, 2016 |
| Time | 5:00 p.m. (ET) |
| Location | Tulsa, Okla. (Collins Family Softball Complex) |
| Live Stats | Live Statistics (All Tournament Games) |
| Live Video | American Digital Network |
| Official Web Sites | East Carolina | Tulsa | American Athletic Conference |
| Tournament Central | AAC Softball Tournament Central |
| Game Notes | East Carolina  |
| 2016 Statistics | East Carolina | Tulsa |
| ECU Softball Central | Promotional Calendar | Roster | Fact Book | The American |
East Carolina Softball Social Media Links: Twitter | Instagram | ECU Scoreboard
TULSA, Okla. - No. 6 seed East Carolina will make its second-ever appearance in the American Athletic Conference Softball Championship Thursday when it takes on No. 3 seed and host Tulsa in the third game of the first round at the Collins Family Softball Complex.
The contest is the third and final game of the first round and is scheduled for a 5 p.m. (ET) first pitch. The winner will advance to the semifinals and play the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between No. 2 seed UCF and No. 7 seed UConn.
Live stats and a live video stream of the contest are available. All of the quarterfinal and semifinal games will be broadcast on the American Digital Network with Bruce Howard and Eric Lopez handling the call. Fans can access the stream free of charge on any desktop of mobile device.
The Pirates entered the final weekend of conference play in seventh place but recorded a win at No. 25 UCF while UConn was swept in Tulsa to give ECU the No. 6 seed. East Carolina has won three of its last five games, including a series victory over Houston April 22-24 in Greenville. The Golden Hurricane have tallied victories in four of its last six outings entering the tournament.
As a team, ECU is hitting .263 led by sophomore third baseman Karlie Smith who sports a .323 average. Tulsa is batting .299 - the second-highest mark in the league - and is paced by Maggie Withee who checks in at .387.
In terms of pitching, the Pirates own a team earned run average of 4.19 while the Golden Hurricane is second in the AAC with a 2.32 ERA.
Tulsa is 12-6 at home this season and completed a series sweep of ECU by scores of 12-3, 8-0 and 11-3 in Tulsa back on the weekend of April 1-3.
Last Time Out (May 8)
ORLANDO, Fla. - No. 25 UCF scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning Sunday and made them stand in a 5-0 victory over East Carolina in the rubber game of an American Athletic Conference softball series at the UCF Softball Complex. Sophomore second baseman Kerry Butler had two of East Carolina's three hits while Linnea Goodman and Jessica Ujvari tallied two hits apiece for UCF. Ujvari also drove in a pair of runs. Junior RHP Lydia Ritchie surrendered five runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts in defeat. Shelby Turnier was credited with the victory in her final home appearance as she tossed five scoreless innings and allowed just one hit to go along with two walks and six strikeouts.
In Conference Tournaments: In its last 11 conference tournament games, including last year's first-ever appearance in the AAC event, East Carolina holds a 7-4 record. During the stretch, the Pirates won a pair of Conference USA tournament championships in 2010 and 2011.
The Series: Tulsa: Tulsa leads the all-time series with East Carolina by a 21-11 margin, including a 13-3 mark against the Pirates in Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane has won the last seven meetings as the last ECU victory occurred April 12, 2014 in a 10-2 decision at the Collins Family Softball Complex.
#ECUTOP10: Entering the conference tournament, Ritchie needs just 18 strikeouts to move into 10th place on the program single-season chart. She is also just two away from claiming sole possession of 10th on the career list as well.
Staying Power: A total of three players on this year's Pirate squad have played and started all 53 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.
Shut It Down: The Pirates have blanked eight opponents this season, the most since 2011 when ECU picked up 21 shutouts on its way to a Conference USA Tournament title and NCAA regional final appearance.
