Pirates Set To Host No. 1 Duke Tuesday

Game 41: No. 1 Duke
Date \| Time	Apr. 9, 2024 \| 5 p.m.
Coverage	Watch \| Live Stats
Venue	Max R. Joyner Family Stadium
Statistics	East Carolina \| Duke \| The American
Game Notes	East Carolina
Social Media	@ecu_softball (Twitter) \\\ Instagram \\\ #WeBelieve

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina softball team will wrap up its four-game homestand on Tuesday evening when the Pirates welcome top-ranked Duke to Max R. Joyner Family Stadium.

First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Patrick Johnson (play-by-play) and Brittany Hoyt (analyst) on the call. Admission is free for fans.

Tuesday's contest will mark the third time since 2006 that the Pirates have faced a No. 1 team, and it will be the first time that ECU will host a top-ranked opponent. The previous highest ranked foe that the Pirates have hosted since 2006 was No. 6 California for a two-game series that the Pirates split back in March 2007.

Emma Jackson leads the Pirates at the plate, batting .421 and tallying 59 hits (1st in AAC/6th in NCAA) along with 22 doubles (1st in AAC/1st in NCAA) and 41 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 44 hits and 38 RBI to go with a .389 batting average and Anna Sawyer is hitting .387 with 13 doubles and 21 RBI. Taylor Apple leads ECU in the circle with a 2.21 ERA and 87 strikeouts to go along with six complete games while Addy Bullis sports a 2.31 ERA with 45 strikeouts.

Last Time Out
The Pirates are coming off a 4-0 week, defeating Campbell 3-1 on the road in midweek action before sweeping UTSA over the weekend for the program's first conference series sweep since 2021. ECU won the series opener 6-1 on Friday and run-ruled the Roadrunners in six innings, 10-2, behind Taylor Woodring's two home runs and a grand slam from Emma Jackson. ECU faced an early 3-0 deficit on Sunday, but the Pirates rallied in the latter stages of the game before Annie Kate Dalton's walk-off RBI single gave the Pirates the 4-3 win. Woodring's strong week of play led to her being named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week on Monday.

Scouting the Blue Devils
The Blue Devils are currently on an eight-game winning streak that includes sweeps of Virginia Tech and North Carolina. Claire Davidson leads Duke at the plate with a .459 batting average (9th in NCAA) to go along with 46 RBI (14th in NCAA) and 13 home runs (19th in NCAA). Duke has five players batting at least. 300 or better and the Blue Devils' pitching staff is one of the best in the country with a 1.29 overall ERA (2nd in NCAA), led by Lillie Walker's 0.90 ERA (7th in NCAA) and 8-1 record.

Series History
Duke leads the all-time series 5-1 and has won the last five meetings after the Pirates took the first one at home 4-1 back in 2018.

Up Next

East Carolina will go on the road to play Tulsa for a three-game series beginning on Friday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Apple

Addy Bullis

Annie Kate Dalton

Emma Jackson

Morgan Johnson

Anna Sawyer

Taylor Woodring

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