April 3, 2006

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The Week Ahead
Tuesday, April 4
East Carolina at Campbell (DH) - 4 p.m.

Wednesday, April 5
UNC Wilmington at East Carolina (DH) - 4 p.m.

Saturday, April 8
East Carolina at Tulsa (DH) - 2 p.m.

Sunday, April 9
East Carolina at Tulsa - 2 p.m.

East Carolina will play a pair of non-conference doubleheaders this week before journeying to Tulsa over the weekend for a three-game Conference USA series. The Pirates head to Campbell on Tuesday before returning home to face UNC Wilmington Wednesday. Both doubleheaders are scheduled for a 4 o'clock start.

ECU will look to end a brief two-game skid after dropping the final two games of the Marshall series this past weekend.

Junior pitcher Keli Harrell continues to be the Pirates' ace. She has struck out 171 batters in 145.0 innings pitched this season, while holding opposing hitters to a .188 batting average.

Senior Krista Jessup leads the ECU offensive attack, topping the team in hitting (.336), home runs (2) and RBIs (16). Jessup ranks among the school's all-time top 10 in hits, doubles and RBIs. Sophomore Erin St. Ledger is the only other player on the team to boast an average above .300 (.308).

Series With Upcoming Opponents
East Carolina will continue its long-standing series with instate rivals Campbell and UNC Wilmington this week. Since the Pirates began sponsoring fast pitch softball in 1984, they are 29-7 against Campbell and 63-13 against UNC Wilmington. Tuesday's game at Campbell will be the Pirates' first visit to Buies Creek since 2002. ECU opened the 2005 season with a pair of victories over Campbell, including a one-hit 10-inning shutout performance tossed by Keli Harrell in the first game of the year. ECU took 4-of-5 from UNCW last season and has won 22-of-25 meetings since the year 2000. This weekend's series at Tulsa will be the Pirates' first-ever meeting with the Golden Hurricane.

Non-Conference Slate Coming To A Close
Following its doubleheader against Campbell and UNC Wilmington this week, East Carolina will have only one non-conference game remaining on its schedule, April 12 at North Carolina.

Harrell Moves Into Second On C-USA Ks Chart
Junior Keli Harrell is steadily moving toward the tops of the Conference USA chart for career strikeouts. The Greenville, N.C. native entered the season having already amassed a school-record 499 strikeouts. Through 29 appearances this season, she has struck out 171 batters to move from ninth place into second with 670 career strikeouts. The C-USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year only needs six more to surpass former Southern Miss standout Courtney Blades. DePaul's Lindsay Chouinard leads the category with 858 strikeouts in four seasons.