Pirates Set For Road Series At Tulsa

Games 42-44: Tulsa
Date \| Location	Apr. 12-14, 2024 \| Tulsa, Okla.
Coverage	Apr. 12 (6 p.m.): Watch \| Live Stats Apr. 13 (3 p.m.): Watch \| Live Stats Apr. 14 (1 p.m.): Watch \| Live Stats
Venue	Collins Family Softball Complex
Statistics	East Carolina \| Tulsa \| The American
Game Notes	East Carolina
Social Media	@ecu_softball (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ #WeBelieve

Tulsa, Okla. – The East Carolina softball team is set to hit the road and resume American Athletic Conference play this weekend when the Pirates face off with Tulsa beginning on Friday evening at Collins Family Softball Complex.

First pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET and all three games will be streamed via ESPN+.

Emma Jackson continues her strong sophomore campaign, leading ECU's offense with a batting average of .427 (2nd in AAC) and tallying 61 hits (1st in AAC/t-3rd in NCAA) along with 22 doubles (1st in AAC/1st in NCAA) and 42 RBI (1st in AAC). Jackson was named the 14th best outfielder in the country by Softball America for the month of April and is closing in on tying the single-season doubles program record of 26 set by Kate Manuse in 2004.

Morgan Johnson adds 45 hits and 38 RBI (2nd in AAC) to go with a .388 batting average and Anna Sawyer is hitting .387 with 13 doubles and 21 RBI. Taylor Woodring is coming off being named AAC Player of the Week and is batting .386 with four home runs, three of which came last week. Taylor Apple leads ECU in the circle with a 2.39 ERA and 88 strikeouts to go along with six complete games while Addy Bullis sports a 2.52 ERA with 46 strikeouts.

Last Time Out
The Pirates are looking to bounce back from a 10-1 six-inning defeat at the hands of No. 3 Duke on Tuesday that snapped their four-game winning streak. The Pirates tallied seven hits against the Blue Devils' stout pitching staff but were unable to recover from a 3-0 hole in the first inning. Jackson led the Pirates with two hits and an RBI including a triple. The first inning has been crucial this season for ECU as the team is 12-2 when scoring in the first frame compared to just a 5-6 mark when its opponent gets on the board in the first inning.

Scouting the Golden Hurricane
Tulsa is coming off a narrow 3-2 loss to Oklahoma State on the road Wednesday, but the Golden Hurricane have been a dominant ball club on their home field with an 11-2 mark and are winners of their last seven games at Collins Family Softball Complex. Imani Edwards leads Tulsa at the plate with a .411 batting average and 25 RBI while MacKenzie Denson (.397), Claira Skaggs (.378) and Abby Jones (.351) are all batting over .350 on the season. Kylee Nash heads up the Golden Hurricane's pitching staff with a 2.89 ERA and 9-2 record and Maura Moore has tossed a team-high 74 strikeouts. Tulsa is second in the country in triples with 19 and are 38th in stolen bases per game with 1.65.

Series History
Tulsa leads the all-time series with East Carolina 40-13 and the Golden Hurricane have dominated the last 10 meetings between the two schools. ECU's last win over Tulsa was a 4-3 win in eight innings on May 9, 2019, at the AAC Softball Championship. The Pirates are 3-20 in road matchups with the Golden Hurricane.

Up Next
East Carolina will return to the state of North Carolina for a midweek battle at UNC Wilmington on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Taylor Apple

Addy Bullis

Emma Jackson

Morgan Johnson

Anna Sawyer

Taylor Woodring

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