Gameday: ECU Hosts North Carolina In Wednesday Non-Conference Contest

Game 33: North Carolina
Schedule	March 26: vs. North Carolina \\\ 5 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Video
Venue	ECU Softball Stadium (1,000)
Game Notes	ECU \| North Carolina
Tickets	ECU Athletics Ticket Center
Social Media	@ECUSoftball (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina steps out of American Athletic Conference play Wednesday, hosting in-state opponent North Carolina for a single contest at the ECU Softball Stadium.

Promotions: Dollar Dog Day ... Postgame Autographs.

The Pirates traveled to Memphis for their first American Athletic Conference series over the weekend, winning the first game 5-4 in eight innings Friday evening before dropping a pair of run-rule decisions to the Tigers Saturday and Sunday. Rachel McCollum was 4-for-4 in the opener while Erin Poepping fanned 11 batters and limited Memphis to just one run over the final seven innings.

Collectively, ECU is batting .296 with six players hitting .305 or better. McCollum paces the unit with a .391 batting average, 36 hits, seven doubles, six home runs and 36 RBI. Ashleigh Inae checks in with a .371 batting average, 36 hits, 32 runs scored and seven doubles while Tyler King is batting .353 with 41 hits, 24 runs scored, six doubles and 14 stolen bases. Tate McClellan has a team-high seven home runs to her credit.

In the circle, Erin Poepping is 12-8 with a 2.48 earned run average and 111 strikeouts against 36 walks. She has also tossed 13 complete games in 25 appearances with one complete-game shutout. Whitney Sanford has made 17 appearances and is 7-5 with a 4.37 ERA in 81.2 innings of work.

Last season, ECU took on the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill and fell in a tight 4-3 decision. Kendra Ziemba was 2-for-3 with a run scored while King added a double and two RBI. Brittany Pickett tossed a complete game with five strikeouts and hit the game-winning home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Scouting North Carolina
North Carolina is 16-12 overall after losing two of three to Georgia Tech over the weekend at home. Kiani Ramsey leads the way for the Tar Heels at the dish with a .402 batting average, 37 hits, 17 runs scored and nine stolen bases. Leah Murray is another offensive catalyst who is hitting .337 and leads the squad with 11 stolen bases. As a team, North Carolina is hitting .281 with 18 doubles, 12 triples, 12 home runs and 49 stolen bases. In the circle, Brittany Pickett sports a 9-6 record and 1.56 ERA with 82 strikeouts against 24 walks in 99 innings pitched. Hannah George has 11 starts in 16 appearances and owns a 6-4 record and 4.26 ERA in 65.2 innings of work. Donna J. Papa is in her 36th year as head coach at North Carolina, leading the Tar Heels to the NCAA Tournament 14 of the last 18 seasons.

The North Carolina Series
North Carolina leads the all-time series with East Carolina by a 53-35 count. The Pirates are 15-14 against the Tar Heels in Greenville but the Tar Heels captured the last encounter at the ECU Softball Stadium 4-0 in 2017.

ECU At A Glance
Record - 19-13 (.594) // AAC Record (Standing) - 1-2 (T-5th) // Last 5 Games - 3-2 (.600) // Last 10 Games - 6-4 (.600) // Last 15 Games - 8-7 (.533) // ECU will play the 198th game of the Courtney Oliver era when it hosts North Carolina Wednesday evening. // ECU's all-time record stands at 1,428-856-5 in its 34th season of competition.

Up Next
The Pirates host UCF March 29-31 in their first home American Athletic Conference series of the season. First pitch for Friday's opener is slated for 6 p.m.

Gameday: ECU Hosts North Carolina In Wednesday Non-Conference Contest

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Players Mentioned

Ashleigh Inae

Tyler King

Tate McClellan

Rachel McCollum

Erin Poepping

Whitney Sanford

Kendra Ziemba

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