Gameday: ECU Heads To Florida For FAU/FIU Parent’s Weekend Tournament

Games 18-22: FAU/FIU Parent's Weekend Tournament
Schedule	March 8: vs. Long Island \\\ 3:45 p.m. \\\ Live Stats March 8: at FAU \\\ 6:15 p.m. \\\ Live Stats March 9: vs. Florida A&M \\\ Noon \\\ Live Stats March 9: at FIU \\\ 6:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats March 10: vs. Notre Dame \\\ 11:15 a.m. \\\ Live Stats
Venue	FAU Softball Stadium (Boca Raton, Fla.) FIU Softball Stadium (Miami, Fla.)
Social Media	@ECUSoftball (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ Facebook

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The ECU softball team hits the road for the first time since opening weekend, traveling to the Sunshine State for the FAU/FIU Parent's Weekend Tournament.

The Pirates will play three games at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and a pair at Florida International University in Miami.

ECU enters the weekend with an 11-6 overall record after splitting a doubleheader with Campbell Wednesday in Greenville. Tyler King went 4-for-4 in the opening contest which the Pirates won 9-4 while Erin Poepping picked up her eighth victory of the season – tied for the most among pitchers in the American Athletic Conference.

As a team, ECU is hitting .327 (25th nationally) with 23 doubles, four triples and nine home runs. King paces the squad with a .450 batting average, 27 hits and nine stolen bases. In the circle, Poepping is 8-3 with a 1.84 earned run average and 60 strikeouts in 64.2 innings pitched. The Pirates own a 3.72 team ERA.

ECU is 4-1 away from home thus far in 2019, defeating Youngstown State, Miami of Ohio, Towson and USC Upstate during the Upstate Classic Feb. 8-10.

About Long Island
The Blackbirds are 10-6 overall, most recently defeating Bowling Green 1-0 and UC Santa Barbara 6-1 as part of a current seven-game winning streak. Alina Castillo leads the team with a .326 batting average while Elena Valenzuela is 5-1 with a 1.59 earned run average in the circle. ECU is 2-1 all-time against Long Island.

Scouting FAU
The Owls hold a 9-9 overall record after dropping two of three at the Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill. FAU lost to George Washington 6-0 and North Carolina 6-2 before ending the weekend with a 12-4 win over Fairfield. Mia Olson is hitting .333 with 13 RBI to lead the offensive efforts while Kelsey Morrison has started a team-best six games and owns a 1.17 ERA with 14 strikeouts and 11 walks in 30 innings of work. The Pirates are 2-2 all-time against the Owls.

Examining Florida A&M
The Rattlers are 4-14 overall but won three of five games in Madeira Beach, Fla., last weekend. Florida A&M topped Georgia Southern 5-1, Chattanooga 5-4 (eight innings) and Siena 10-2 while falling to Villanova 4-1 and Penn State 2-0. Alexis Day is hitting .319 with 15 hits and 10 RBI to lead the Rattler offense. Kyaira Brown is the top pitcher on staff with a 3-5 record and 2.89 ERA as well as 25 strikeouts in 55.2 innings of work. The Pirates are 2-1 against Florida A&M all-time.

The Book On FIU
The Panthers are 14-5 with five-straight victories over Georgia Southern 6-5, Penn State 3-2, Villanova 4-0, Siena 11-1 and Detroit Mercy 2-0. Jackie Schoff has been the offensive catalyst for FIU with a .410 batting average, 15 runs scored and 25 hits while Jessica Rivera has posted a squad-best 15 RBI. Megan Kugelmann boasts the top ERA on the team at 2.23 and has 37 strikeouts against just four walks in 44 innings pitched. ECU holds a 5-3 record against FIU all-time.

Noting Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish are 9-7 overall against a tough schedule and most recently defeated Utah Valley 16-0 and Baylor 14-1. Ali Wester is the top hitter on the team sporting a .411 batting average, 14 runs scored, 23 hits and five doubles. Alexis Holloway has tossed a squad-high 42.2 innings with a 2.30 ERA and 33 strikeouts. ECU is winless against Notre Dame in five all-time meetings.

ECU At A Glance
Record – 11-6 (.647) // AAC Record (Standing) - 0-0 (N/A) // Last 5 Games - 2-3 (.400) // Last 10 Games – 5-5 (.500) // Last 15 Games – 9-6 (.600) // ECU will play the 183rd game of the Courtney Oliver era when it plays Long Island Friday. // ECU's all-time record stands at 1,420-849-5 in its 34th season of competition.

Up Next
The Pirates visit Longwood Wednesday, March 13 for a non-conference doubleheader at Lancer Field. Game one is slated for a 3:30 p.m. start.

Gameday: ECU Heads To Florida For FAU/FIU Parent’s Weekend Tournament

Players Mentioned

Tyler King

Erin Poepping

Footer