Pirates Challenge Cougars In Houston This Weekend

Games 32-35: East Carolina at Houston
Series Schedule	April 16: at Houston \\\ Noon \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch April 17: at Houston \\\ 1:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch April 17: at Houston \\\ 3:30 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch April 18: at Houston \\\ 1:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch
Venue	Cougar Softball Stadium (1,000)
Game Notes	East Carolina \| Houston
Statistics	East Carolina \| Houston
Social Media	@ECUSoftball (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Following a brief stop at home, East Carolina heads back on the road with a four-game American Athletic Conference series against Houston at the Cougar Softball Stadium.

The teams begin the weekend with a single game Friday that begins at Noon and will be streamed live via ESPN+. The series continues with a doubleheader Saturday starting at 1 p.m. before ending Sunday with a single contest at 1 p.m.

The Pirates (10-21, 1-7 AAC) were swept by then No. 24 UCF at Max R. Joyner Family Stadium last weekend. The Knights claimed a Friday doubleheader before winning single contests Saturday and Sunday.

ECU and Houston (10-26, 1-11 AAC) both look to get on track in AAC play as the clubs sport a combined 2-18 record against league opponents. The Cougars were out-scored 42-17 in four losses at Wichita State last weekend - including a pair of run-rule decisions.

Rachel McCollum owns a team-best .376 batting average on the strength of 35 hits, six doubles and two home runs. In the circle, Kama Woodall is 4-10 with a 3.94 earned run average and 66 strikeouts in 112 innings of work. The Pirates are hitting .262 as a team.

17 contests remain before the AAC Tournament in Tulsa. After the Houston series, East Carolina travels to South Florida while hosting Tulsa and Memphis.

The Houston Series
• Houston leads the series with East Carolina, 39-19
• The Pirates are 8-21 against the Cougars in Houston.
• The teams last met during the 2019 season when Houston took two of three in a series at the Cougar Softball Stadium.
• Head Coach Courtney Oliver is 4-9 versus Houston.

Tough Sledding
According to the latest release of the NCAA RPI, East Carolina has played the 21st-toughest schedule in the nation. The Pirates slot 21st while American Athletic Conference mates Houston and Memphis are 15th and 16th. ECU has played a total of 15 games against top-50 RPI clubs Georgia (18), Liberty (23), Wichita State (29), UCF (36) and James Madison (47). 11 of those contests have occurred on the road.

Top 10 Material
Erin Poepping, in her fourth season as a Pirate, has entered into the ECU career top 10 in a couple of categories. The Lino Lakes, Minn. product is fifth in saves (4), seventh in appearances (115), eighth in strikeouts (337) and ninth in games started (75).

Defense Showing Up
The Pirates have committed just 25 errors this season, good for a .971 fielding percentage - a mark that is tied for second in the AAC and 48th nationally. East Carolina has gone errorless in its five of its last eight outings.

Experience Abounds
ECU sports a veteran roster this season and it has shown in the number of players that are have started every game at their positions. Sophie Wools (catcher), Chandley Garner (third base), Ashleigh Inae (shortstop) and Olivia Narron (center field) have started all 31 games thus far in 2021. McCollum (first base) and Bailey Ledvina (second base) are close behind with 29 and 28 starts, respectively.

Racking Up The Miles
East Carolina has played 17 true road games this year - the second most of any team in The American.

Up Next
East Carolina plays its final non-conference game of the season April 21 at UNC Greensboro.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Chandley Garner

Ashleigh Inae

Bailey Ledvina

Rachel McCollum

Olivia Narron

Erin Poepping

Kama Woodall

Sophie Wools

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