Friday, March 2
Honolulu, Hawai'i
9:00 p.m.
East Carolina University
vs
Longwood
GAMEDAY: Softball Begins 10-Game Hawai’i Trip With Aloha Tournament
February 28, 2018 | Softball
| Games 16-20: Texaco Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament | |
| Schedule | March 2: vs. Longwood \\\ 9 p.m. \\\ Live Stats March 2: at Hawai'i \\\ 11:30 p.m. \\\ Live Stats March 3: vs. No. 15 California \\\ 4 p.m. \\\ Live Stats March 3: vs. (RV) JMU \\\ 6:30 p.m. \\\ Live Stats March 4: vs. UTEP \\\ 4:30 p.m. \\\ Live Stats |
| Stadium | Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium |
| Social Media | @ECUSoftball (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ @ECUScoreboard (In-Match Updates) \\\ #ECUndaunted |
Weekly Release No. 4 (PDF)
GREENVILLE, N.C. – After completing a 10-game homestand last weekend, the ECU softball team heads to Hawai'i for a pair of non-conference events beginning with the Texaco Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament. The Pirates will take on No. 23 Cal, Longwood, JMU, UTEP and host University of Hawai'i over the three-day event. ECU last played in the Aloha State back in March of the 2015 season.
The Purple and Gold look to get back on track following a 0-5 showing at its Pirate Invitational home tournament. As a team, the Pirates are hitting .221 with 16 doubles, a triple and four home runs. Redshirt sophomore infielder Tate McClellan is batting a squad-best .311 with a team-high five doubles and seven RBI. Sophomore infielder Kendra Ziemba is close behind with a .300 average and leads ECU with three stolen bases.
In the circle, the Pirates own a collective 2.97 earned run average and are led by a pair of freshmen in Erin Poepping and Whitney Sanford who sport respective 2.76 and 3.34 ERAs. The duo has combined for 52 strikeouts in 94.2 innings pitched.
The ECU defense has steadily improved as the season has progressed as the Purple and Gold has committed just one error in its last five games. After three weekends of play, the Pirates pace the American Athletic Conference in doubles (16) and fielding percentage (.969).
Looking at Longwood
Longwood is 6-4 overall entering the tournament after losing three of five games at the UNCW Seahawk Classic last weekend. The Lancers are hitting .281 as a team with 15 doubles, four triples and two home runs. Jessica Smith and Kaylynn Batten pace the squad with identical .406 batting averages. Longwood's pitching staff owns a collective 2.06 earned run average led by Sydney Backstrom who is 3-2 overall with a 1.25 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 28.0 innings pitched.
Scouting Hawai'i
Hawai'i is 6-6 overall, dropping four of five games at the Loyola Marymount Tournament last weekend. The Rainbow Wahine sports a .263 team batting average led by Nicole Lopez who is hitting .410 with a team-best four doubles. Hawai'i has 20 extra base hits to its credit (11 doubles, two triples and seven home runs). Brittany Hitchcock and Dana Thomsen own respective 2.97 and 3.00 ERAs and have combined for 63 strikeouts in 72.2 innings pitched. The Rainbow Wahine check in with a 3.32 team ERA.
The Book On California
California is 15-1 overall and ranked No. 15 in this week's USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll. The Bears are hitting .334 as a team with three players batting over .400, including Mikayla Coelho who paces the team with a .415 mark and three home runs. The California pitching staff boasts a 1.24 ERA as Zoe Conley and Kamalani Dung have combined to pitch all 102 innings for the Bears. The duo sports respective 0.95 and 1.63 ERAs and have struck out 116 batters.
About JMU
JMU takes a 9-2 overall record to Hawai'i after winning all four games at the Green and Gold Classic in Jacksonville last weekend. The Dukes are receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 polls. JMU is batting .257 collectively with 15 doubles, a triple and seven home runs. Morgan Tolle paces the offense with a .432 batting average while Payton Buresch is 4-1 with a 1.21 ERA to lead the pitching staff that sports a 1.60 ERA and 80 strikeouts.
Examining UTEP
UTEP is 9-7 overall after going 5-0 at its home tournament last weekend. The Miners are hitting .333 as a team led by Pamala Baber's .462 batting average. UTEP has recorded 37 extra base hits this season (17 doubles, six triples and 14 home runs). In the circle, the Miner pitching staff sports a 5.20 ERA with 71 strikeouts against 67 walks. Julia Wright and Kira McKechnie have thrown 68.2 innings between them with respective 4.01 and 5.03 ERAs and a total of 57 strikeouts.
The Series
Against California: 1-2 (Last Meeting - California 11, ECU 3 on March 3, 2012)
Against Hawai'i: 0-6 (Last Meeting - Hawai'i 5, ECU 0 on March 10, 2015)
Against JMU: 5-4 (Last Meeting - JMU 10, ECU 2 on March 11, 2017)
Against Longwood: 8-4 (Last Meeting - ECU 7, Longwood 4 on April 19, 2017)
Against UTEP: 23-5 (Last Meeting - UTEP 4, ECU 1 on May 4, 2014)
What A Start
Poepping had a memorable beginning to her collegiate career, tossing a compete game shutout in the Pirates' 4-0 victory over Big East Conference preseason favorite St. John's in the season opener. She scattered six hits, struck out two batters and ended up with no walks. In Poepping's first collegiate weekend, she was 1-1 with a 1.94 ERA and 12 strikeouts against five walks.
What A Start X2
After Poepping's impressive start in Miami, Sanford duplicated her feat just a week later, throwing her first career complete-game shutout in a 3-0 victory over Saint Joseph's at the Pirate Clash. She scattered four hits and struck out a collegiate personal-best eight batters. Sanford surrendered just four singles to the Hawks and only allowed one Saint Joseph's runner to advance past second base.
American Athletic Conference Player Of The Week
Redshirt sophomore infielder Tate McClellan was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week Feb. 19 after leading ECU to a 4-1 record at its home tournament. She hit .457 (7-for-15) with two runs scored, three doubles, three RBI, two walks and a stolen base while posting a slugging percentage of .667 and a .556 on base mark for a 1.223 OPS. McClellan recorded a hit in every contest during the weekend.
Defensive Improvement
After posting a .958 fielding percentage in 2016, the Pirates improved dramatically in just one season as they finished the 2017 campaign with a .970 mark that ranked 40th nationally.
Protecting the Fort
ECU notched a winning record at home in 2017, emerging victorious in 17 of 30 games played at the ECU Softball Stadium - including the Purple and Gold's first-ever victory in the American Athletic Conference tournament. Since the facility opened in 2011, the Pirates are 100-88 in home contests.
Reinforcements
In addition to the talent returning to this year's roster, head coach Courtney Oliver has signed the 22nd-ranked recruiting class in the nation that will suit up for the Pirates this spring. Sanford was named a MaxPreps Medium School First Team All-American after finishing her prep career with a 54-8 overall record, 1.12 earned run average and 651 strikeouts in 361.2 innings pitched. Poepping compiled a 14-1 record, 1.18 earned run average and 101 strikeouts over 101 innings pitched during the regular season of her senior campaign. Other members of that highly-touted haul include infielder Ashleigh Inae (top-100 recruit), outfielder Tyler King, outfielder Courtney Layton and catcher Anna Epling.
Up Next
ECU remains in Hawaii for the Spring Fling Tournament March 7-9 when the Pirates take on Longwood, JMU, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, BYU and the host Rainbow Wahine.
Players Mentioned
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