East Carolina Concludes Regular Season At No. 25 UCF
May 04, 2016 | Softball
May 4, 2016
East Carolina Softball Social Media Links: Twitter | Instagram | ECU Scoreboard
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The 2016 regular season comes to a close this weekend as the East Carolina softball team heads to Orlando for a three-game American Athletic Conference series against UCF. The teams will match up Friday at 5:30 p.m., Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at Noon.
Live stats and a live video stream (subscription based) of all three games are available courtesy of the UCF athletics department.
The Pirates have had the last two weeks free from action due to their conference bye weekend and return to action for the first time since taking two of three games from Houston April 23-24. East Carolina sits in seventh place in the league standings but can slip into sixth for the upcoming AAC tournament if Tulsa sweeps UConn in Tulsa and the Pirates win one game in Orlando.
ECU enters the series with a 22-28 overall record and 4-11 mark in the AAC while the Knights are 33-18 and 10-3 prior to their Wednesday non-conference home affair against Stetson. UCF took two of three games from then No. 18 and newly crowned regular season champion USF last weekend to earn a No. 25 national ranking in this week's USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll.
As a unit, East Carolina is hitting .268 while the Knights check in with a .263 average. In terms of pitching, UCF leads the American in earned run average at 2.16 thanks in large part to senior Shelby Turnier who is 17-15 with a 2.40 ERA and 215 strikeouts. The ECU pitching staff is paced by junior Lydia Ritchie who owns a 2.60 ERA to go along with a 12-10 record, six complete-game shutouts and 173 strikeouts.
The Knights are 24-6 at the UCF Softball Complex this season while 2-11 in true road games.
Last Time Out (April 24)
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Stout pitching and timely hitting backstopped East Carolina to a 2-0 victory over Houston at the ECU Softball Stadium in the rubber game of the teams' American Athletic Conference softball series. The Pirates claimed their first league series victory of the season while the Cougars have lost four of their last six in AAC play. ECU racked up nine hits while limiting Houston to just a pair. Both teams played clean defensive softball as no errors were charged in the contest. On a day during which the Pirates celebrated their senior class (Casey Alcorn, Kelsi Briggs, Nicole Cheek and Meredith Mitchell), Alcorn, Cheek and Mitchell combined for five hits, two runs scored and a RBI. Maya Thomas posted the only two Cougar hits. Junior RHP Lydia Ritchie (12-10) tossed six scoreless innings, scattering just two hits while walking four batters and striking out four. Presley Bell (4-8) suffered the loss in the Houston circle, allowing two runs on eight hits with a walk and a strikeout in four innings of work.
The Series: UCF
East Carolina leads the all-time series against UCF by a 17-13 margin. However, the Knights have won nine-straight meetings and nine of the last 11. The Pirates' last victory over UCF occurred April 10, 2011 in Greenville where East Carolina won a 1-0 decision. ECU is 9-5 in games played in Orlando.
Heating Up
As the regular season winds down, the Pirate bats are coming alive. Over the last 10 games, East Carolina is hitting .316 as a team while limiting its opponents to a .237 average. During the stretch, seven players are batting .308 or better led by Alcorn's .417 (15-for-36) showing. ECU has also produced 14 doubles and eight home runs in that time.
#ECUTop10
With three games in the regular season remaining, Ritchie needs just 21 strikeouts to move into 10th place on the program single-season chart. She is also just five away from claiming 10th on the career list as well.
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 50 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.
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.
Thanks, Pirate Nation
Although East Carolina only played 18 games at home this season, Pirate Nation came out to support the team in full force as two of the top 10 crowds in ECU Softball Stadium filed through the gates in 2016. A total of 774 fans took in the doubleheader against Longwood March 29 (third largest crowd) while 549 saw East Carolina take on USF March 26 (ninth largest crowd). All told, the Pirates averaged 458 - an improvement of 185 from the 2015 season average.
What's Next?
East Carolina will travel to Tulsa Wednesday in advance of the 2016 American Athletic Conference tournament scheduled for April 12-14 at the Collins Family Softball Complex. The Pirates will learn their seed, opponent and game time upon the conclusion of the regular season.
| Games 51-53: East Carolina at No. 25 UCF | |
| Series Dates | May 6-8, 2016 |
| Time | 5:30 p.m. / 6:00 p.m. / Noon (EST) |
| Location | Orlando, Fla. (UCF Softball Complex) |
| Live Stats | | | |
| Live Video | Live Video (Friday) | Live Video (Saturday) | Live Video (Sunday) |
| Official Web Sites | East Carolina | UCF | American Athletic Conference |
| Game Notes | East Carolina  |
| 2016 Statistics | East Carolina | UCF |
| ECU Softball Central | Promotional Calendar | Roster | Fact Book | The American |
East Carolina Softball Social Media Links: Twitter | Instagram | ECU Scoreboard
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The 2016 regular season comes to a close this weekend as the East Carolina softball team heads to Orlando for a three-game American Athletic Conference series against UCF. The teams will match up Friday at 5:30 p.m., Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at Noon.
Live stats and a live video stream (subscription based) of all three games are available courtesy of the UCF athletics department.
The Pirates have had the last two weeks free from action due to their conference bye weekend and return to action for the first time since taking two of three games from Houston April 23-24. East Carolina sits in seventh place in the league standings but can slip into sixth for the upcoming AAC tournament if Tulsa sweeps UConn in Tulsa and the Pirates win one game in Orlando.
ECU enters the series with a 22-28 overall record and 4-11 mark in the AAC while the Knights are 33-18 and 10-3 prior to their Wednesday non-conference home affair against Stetson. UCF took two of three games from then No. 18 and newly crowned regular season champion USF last weekend to earn a No. 25 national ranking in this week's USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll.
As a unit, East Carolina is hitting .268 while the Knights check in with a .263 average. In terms of pitching, UCF leads the American in earned run average at 2.16 thanks in large part to senior Shelby Turnier who is 17-15 with a 2.40 ERA and 215 strikeouts. The ECU pitching staff is paced by junior Lydia Ritchie who owns a 2.60 ERA to go along with a 12-10 record, six complete-game shutouts and 173 strikeouts.
The Knights are 24-6 at the UCF Softball Complex this season while 2-11 in true road games.
Last Time Out (April 24)
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Stout pitching and timely hitting backstopped East Carolina to a 2-0 victory over Houston at the ECU Softball Stadium in the rubber game of the teams' American Athletic Conference softball series. The Pirates claimed their first league series victory of the season while the Cougars have lost four of their last six in AAC play. ECU racked up nine hits while limiting Houston to just a pair. Both teams played clean defensive softball as no errors were charged in the contest. On a day during which the Pirates celebrated their senior class (Casey Alcorn, Kelsi Briggs, Nicole Cheek and Meredith Mitchell), Alcorn, Cheek and Mitchell combined for five hits, two runs scored and a RBI. Maya Thomas posted the only two Cougar hits. Junior RHP Lydia Ritchie (12-10) tossed six scoreless innings, scattering just two hits while walking four batters and striking out four. Presley Bell (4-8) suffered the loss in the Houston circle, allowing two runs on eight hits with a walk and a strikeout in four innings of work.
The Series: UCF
East Carolina leads the all-time series against UCF by a 17-13 margin. However, the Knights have won nine-straight meetings and nine of the last 11. The Pirates' last victory over UCF occurred April 10, 2011 in Greenville where East Carolina won a 1-0 decision. ECU is 9-5 in games played in Orlando.
Heating Up
As the regular season winds down, the Pirate bats are coming alive. Over the last 10 games, East Carolina is hitting .316 as a team while limiting its opponents to a .237 average. During the stretch, seven players are batting .308 or better led by Alcorn's .417 (15-for-36) showing. ECU has also produced 14 doubles and eight home runs in that time.
#ECUTop10
With three games in the regular season remaining, Ritchie needs just 21 strikeouts to move into 10th place on the program single-season chart. She is also just five away from claiming 10th on the career list as well.
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 50 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.
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.
Thanks, Pirate Nation
Although East Carolina only played 18 games at home this season, Pirate Nation came out to support the team in full force as two of the top 10 crowds in ECU Softball Stadium filed through the gates in 2016. A total of 774 fans took in the doubleheader against Longwood March 29 (third largest crowd) while 549 saw East Carolina take on USF March 26 (ninth largest crowd). All told, the Pirates averaged 458 - an improvement of 185 from the 2015 season average.
What's Next?
East Carolina will travel to Tulsa Wednesday in advance of the 2016 American Athletic Conference tournament scheduled for April 12-14 at the Collins Family Softball Complex. The Pirates will learn their seed, opponent and game time upon the conclusion of the regular season.
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