Gameday: Softball Opens AAC Tournament Thursday Against Houston

Game 55: AAC Tournament Quarterfinals
Schedule/Coverage	May 10 \\\ 12:30 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch
Location	Tampa, Fla. (USF Softball Stadium)
Tournament Central	2018 AAC Softball Championship Central
Social Media	@ECUSoftball (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook \\\ @ECUScoreboard (In-Game Updates) \\\ #ECUndaunted

TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 7 seed ECU softball team will take on No. 2 seed Houston Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament at the USF Softball Stadium. The winner of the contest will face the victor of Thursday's first quarterfinal of the day between No. 3 seed Wichita State and No. 6 seed Tulsa Friday at 2 p.m.

All quarterfinal and semifinal contests of the championship tournament will be broadcast live on the American Digital Network via Facebook (facebook.com/americanconf), with the championship game airing at Noon ET on ESPN2 on Saturday, May 12.

The Pirates look to build on its tournament showing in 2017 when No. 6 seed ECU upset No. 3 seed UCF 4-2 for its first-ever victory in the event.

About ECU
The Pirates are 23-31 overall entering the championship and compiled an 8-13 record in league play. The eight conference wins are the most for the program since 2014 – the team's last year in Conference USA. ECU is hitting .239 as a team with freshman outfielder Tyler King leading the way with a .277 batting average. Redshirt sophomore infielder Tate McClellan is second on the squad with a .275 mark as well as a squad-high 12 doubles and a team second-best 10 home runs. In the circle, the Purple and Gold sports a collective 3.54 earned run average with freshmen Erin Poepping and Whitney Sanford combining for 155 strikeouts in a combined 283 innings pitched. The duo sports respective 3.38 and 3.74 ERAs.

Scouting Houston
The Cougars (35-19, 13-8) swept Memphis at home during the final week of the regular season to clinch the No. 2 seed for this week's conference tournament. Houston is hitting .284 as a team with 53 doubles, 10 triples and 27 home runs. Sarah Queen paces the unit with a .380 batting average as well as 10 doubles and 10 home runs. Arielle James (.358) and Maya Thomas (.325) are also hitting over .300 for the Cougars. In the circle, AAC Pitcher of the Year Savannah Heebner owns a 1.07 earned run average and a 24-8 record. She has struck out 140 batters in 210 innings pitched and is holding opposing batters to a .199 average against her. The Houston pitching staff boasts a 1.82 ERA.

The Series
The Cougars won two of three from the Pirates in Greenville earlier this season (March 23-24). ECU won the series opener on a walkoff home run in the eighth inning before Houston captured 10-7 and 11-0 victories in a doubleheader the next day. The Cougars lead the all-time series 36-18, including a 4-2 mark against the Pirates in conference tournament play.

Gameday: Softball Opens AAC Tournament Thursday Against Houston

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Players Mentioned

Tyler King

Tate McClellan

Erin Poepping

Whitney Sanford

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