Gameday: Softball Set To Challenge North Carolina In Chapel Hill

Game 44: at North Carolina
Schedule	April 18 \\\ 5:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ ESPN3
Location	Chapel Hill, N.C. (Anderson Stadium)
Social Media	@ECUSoftball (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ @ECUScoreboard (In-Game Updates) \\\ #ECUndaunted

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The ECU softball team looks to extend its winning streak when it heads to Chapel Hill Wednesday for a non-conference showdown with in-state opponent North Carolina. First pitch from Anderson Stadium is set for 5 p.m.

The Pirates are 19-24 overall and have won their last four games, including an American Athletic Conference series sweep of Connecticut on the road last weekend. The current winning streak began with a 4-1 victory over Memphis April 7 in Greenville.

For their efforts last week, senior infielder Meredith Burroughs and freshman RHP Erin Poepping were named to the AAC Honor Roll. Burroughs hit .500 (5-for-10) with four runs scored, five RBI and two home runs in the series with the Huskies while Poepping tallied a 1-0 record with a complete game, a save and an 0.69 ERA in 7.1 innings of work. She surrendered just one earned run and recorded five strikeouts.

ECU is hitting .234 as a team with 38 doubles, two triples and 32 home runs. Freshman Tyler King paces the unit with a .297 batting average and has rapped out a team-high 43 hits as well as five doubles and two triples. In the circle, the Pirates sport a collective 3.49 earned run average with Poepping and fellow freshman Whitney Sanford combining for 123 strikeouts in 118.1 innings pitched. The duo sport respective 3.67 and 3.43 ERAs.

About North Carolina
The Tar Heels are 25-21 overall after taking two of three in an Atlantic Coast Conference series against rival NC State over the weekend. North Carolina is hitting .287 as a team, paced by Kiani Ramsey's .402 batting average. The Tar Heels have produced 47 doubles, nine triples and 24 home runs. In terms of pitching, North Carolina owns a 3.23 team ERA. Brittany Pickett has done the bulk of the work in the circle, checking in at 23-8 overall with a 2.23 ERA and 167 strikeouts in a whopping 242 innings pitched.

The Series
North Carolina holds a 52-35 advantage in the series with ECU and has seven of the last eight meetings between the programs. The Pirates defeated the Tar Heels 4-3 April 23, 2015 and North Carolina returned the favor with a 4-0 victory March 1 of the 2017 campaign. ECU is 16-27 in 43 contests played in Chapel Hill.

Last Meeting (April 15, 2017)
In a matchup of in-state foes, North Carolina scored a pair of first-inning runs on the way to a 4-0 non-conference victory at the ECU Softball Stadium. Alex Mycek and Tate McClellan tallied a pair of hits apiece for the Purple and Gold while Meredith Burroughs drew a walk. Katie Baliff provided a good chunk of the offense for the visitors, recording three hits in four at bats and driving in two runs. Lydia Ritchie was tagged with the loss after surrendering four runs on eight hits with a pair of walks and two strikeouts in six innings of work. Brittany Pickett kept her undefeated record intact, throwing six scoreless innings that included four strikeouts and a walk.

Up Next
ECU kicks off a seven-game homestand Friday, April 20, when it hosts USF in the opener of an American Athletic Conference series. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.

Gameday: Softball Set To Challenge North Carolina In Chapel Hill

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Players Mentioned

Meredith Burroughs

Tyler King

Tate McClellan

Alex Mycek

Erin Poepping

Lydia Ritchie

Whitney Sanford

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