Pirates Clash With No. 24 UCF This Weekend

Games 28-31: No. 24 UCF at East Carolina
Schedule	April 9: Noon \\\ vs. No. 24 UCF \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch April 9: 2:30 p.m. \\\ vs. No. 24 UCF \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch April 10: 2:00 p.m. \\\ vs. No. 24 UCF \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch April 11: Noon \\\ vs. No. 24 UCF \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch
Venue	Max R. Joyner Family Stadium (1,000)
Game Notes	East Carolina \| UCF
Statistics	East Carolina \| UCF
Social Media	@ECUSoftball (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Following a lengthy 17-game road swing, East Carolina plays the first of three American Athletic Conference home series this weekend, welcoming No. 24 UCF to Max R. Joyner Family Stadium for a four-game set.

The series begins with a Friday doubleheader beginning at Noon, continues Saturday at 2 p.m. and wraps up Sunday at Noon. Friday's contests will be streamed live via ESPN+ with Patrick Kinas and Erin Summers on the call.

This weekend's series marks the first home games for the Pirates (10-17, 1-3 AAC) since they swept Ohio in three non-conference contests back on Feb. 27-28.

ECU kicked off AAC play March 26-28, dropping three of four on the road to current league co-leader (RV) Wichita State. The Pirates scored seven runs in the top of the seventh inning in game two of a Saturday doubleheader to salvage at least one game in the series.

21 contests remain before the AAC Tournament in Tulsa (May 13-15). After this weekend's series, East Carolina travels to Houston and South Florida while hosting Tulsa and Memphis. The Pirates are also slated to play one more midweek game at UNC Greensboro April 21.

The Knights (25-9, 5-3 AAC) most recently played a four-game AAC series at Tulsa last weekend, dropping three of four to the Golden Hurricane.

The UCF Series
• UCF leads the series with East Carolina, 23-20.
• The Pirates are 9-13 against the Knights in Greenville.
• The teams last met during the 2019 season when UCF swept a three-game series at the then-named ECU Softball Stadium.
• Head Coach Courtney Oliver is 3-10 versus the Knights.

Tough Sledding
According to the latest release of the NCAA RPI, East Carolina has played the second-toughest schedule of any club in the American Conference. The Pirates slot 33rd while Memphis is 22nd and Houston is 42nd. ECU has played a total of 11 road games against top-40 RPI clubs Georgia (19), Liberty (24), Wichita State (30) and James Madison (38).

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 (113), eighth in strikeouts (333) and ninth in games started (75).

Defense Showing Up
The Pirates have committed just 21 errors this season, good for a .971 fielding percentage - a mark that is third in the AAC and 45th nationally. East Carolina has gone errorless in its last four games and have just two in the last five.

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 27 games thus far in 2021. Rachel McCollum (first base) and Bailey Ledvina (second base) are close behind with 25 and 24 starts, respectively.

Racking Up The Miles
East Carolina has played 17 true road games this year - the most of any AAC team. UCF is second with 16 while Houston is third at 12.

Up Next
ECU travels to Houston April 16-18, meeting the Cougars in a four-game American Athletic Conference series at the Cougar Softball Stadium.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Chandley Garner

Ashleigh Inae

Bailey Ledvina

Rachel McCollum

Olivia Narron

Erin Poepping

Sophie Wools

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