ECU Treks To Conway For Battle At The Beach

Games 3-6: Battle At The Beach
Schedule	Feb. 20: vs. Buffalo \\\ 10:00 a.m. \\\ Live Stats Feb. 20: vs. Saint Francis (Pa.) \\\ 12:30 p.m. \\\ Live Stats Feb. 21: at Coastal Carolina \\\ 2:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats Feb. 21: at Coastal Carolina \\\ 4:15 p.m. \\\ Live Stats
Venue	St. John Stadium (500)
Game Notes	East Carolina \| Buffalo \| Saint Francis \| Coastal Carolina
Statistics	East Carolina \| Buffalo \| Saint Francis \| Coastal Carolina
Social Media	@ECUSoftball (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina looks to extend its unbeaten start to the 2021 season this weekend, making its way to Conway, S.C., for the Battle at the Beach hosted by Coastal Carolina University. The Pirates will face off against Buffalo, Saint Francis (Pa.) and the host Chanticleers over two days (Feb. 20-21) at St. John Stadium.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, admission to the tournament is by internal team pass list only. No outside tickets will be sold.

ECU swept Furman in a doubleheader at Pepsi Stadium last Friday, defeating the Paladins 7-1 in the opener before routing the home team 12-4 in the nightcap. The Pirates rapped out 23 base hits, including a pair of doubles, a triple and four home runs.

Sophomore second baseman Bailey Ledvina was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week for her efforts in the double dip as she hit .625 (5-for-8) with seven RBI, five runs scored and three home runs. She also posted a 1.750 slugging percentage as part of an astounding 2.375 OPS.

Junior RHP Erin Poepping picked up a win and a save in the circle, earning AAC Weekly Honor Roll selection as a result. She fashioned a 1.17 earned run average with 12 strikeouts in six innings of work while limiting Furman to one earned run and three hits.

The Book On Buffalo
Buffalo slides into competition for the first time this weekend after notching a 2-11 overall record in the shortened 2020 campaign. The Bulls recorded wins over UT Martin and Grambling. As a team, Buffalo hit .220 with 14 doubles, two triples and seven home runs. Senior Anna Aguon returns as the squad's top hitter from a season ago, batting .385 and racking up five doubles. Sophomore Madelyn Hickingbottom threw the most innings for the Bulls, compiling a 3.60 ERA with 36 strikeouts against 22 walks in 48.2 innings pitched. Mike Ruechel is in his fourth season as head coach at Buffalo.

Scouting Saint Francis
Saint Francis also opens its 2021 season at the Battle at the Beach. The Red Flash were scheduled to play Furman and Presbyterian in a pair of doubleheaders last weekend, but inclement weather cancelled those contests. SFU ended 2020 with a 5-18 overall record with wins over Marshall, Howard, Miami (Ohio) and Rhode Island. The Red Flash checked in with a .210 team batting average while tallying 16 doubles, six triples and 11 home runs. Senior Jordan Frank led the way offensively, hitting .268 and ending up with a team-high totals in runs scored (11), base hits (19). Then-freshman Grace Vesco handled a majority of the work in the circle, notching a 4.32 ERA with 43 strikeouts and 28 walks in 60 innings pitched. Jessica O'Donnell is in her third season as head coach at SFU following five years as the associate head coach at Villanova.

A Look At Coastal Carolina
Coastal Carolina attempted to host the Kickin' Chicken Classic, last weekend to open the season, but inclement weather washed the tournament away without the completion of any games. The Chanticleers put together a solid season in 2020 before the pandemic cut 12 runs scored and 12 RBI while Kaitlin Beasley-Polko threw the most inning of any pitcher on staff, checking in with a 4-5 record and 5.06 ERA. She also recorded 44 strikeouts against 28 walks. Kelley Green is in her 11th year as head coach at Coastal Carolina.

Up Next
East Carolina hosts Ohio in a three-game series Feb. 27-28 at the newly-named Max R. Joyner Family Stadium. The Pirates and Bobcats meet for a doubleheader Saturday before wrapping up the set with a single game Sunday.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bailey Ledvina

Erin Poepping

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