NC State Softball Tangles with East Carolina in Midweek Matchup

Tuesday, March 22

Raleigh, N.C.

5 P.M.

NC State

East Carolina

Photo by: Greg Mintel

NC State Softball Tangles with East Carolina in Midweek Matchup

3/21/2016 5:35:00 PM | Softball

Wolfpack leads the all-time series against the Pirates, 12-6

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State softball team tangles with instate foe East Carolina Tuesday evening at Dail Stadium. First pitch of the contest is slated for 5 p.m. and a free live stream will be available on GoPack.com.

The Wolfpack enters the matchup with a 15-14 record, while the Pirates own a 17-13 ledger. NC State and East Carolina will be meeting for the 19^th time in the history of the programs, with the Pack owning a 12-6 advantage in the all-time series.

Last season, NC State earned a 6-1 victory in Greenville and the second game of the twin bill was canceled due to inclement weather. In ECU's last visit to Dail Stadium, NC State won the first game, 7-2, and won the second game in the 11^th inning, 5-4, on a walkoff home run by Lana Van Dyken.

Last Time Out
In its last outing of the season, NC State dropped an 8-5 decision against Bryant. ECU lost its last game of the year at Radford, 6-1.

New Faces, New Places
Due to injuries in the Wolfpack pitching staff, NC State has been forced to experiment with some new faces in the circle. Meredith Burroughs and Maggie Hawkins each saw their first action on the mound for the Wolfpack over the weekend.

Burroughs threw three scoreless innings against IUPUI Saturday in her collegiate debut, which earned her first career start in the circle on Sunday versus Bryant.

#PackPair
NC State is averaging an ACC best 0.48 double plays turned per game. For the season, the squad has turned 14 double plays.

Wolfpack Power
Wolfpack batters have hit 38 home runs in just 29 games this season, the most in the ACC and the sixth best in the NCAA. NC State is averaging 1.31 home runs per game.

Individually, junior Tyler Ross leads the ACC and is tied for sixth in the nation with 11 home runs. Meredith Burroughs and Maggie Hawkins are each tied for fifth in the conference with seven home runs apiece.

K for Courtney
Junior pitcher Courtney Mirabella leads the conference and is ranked among the top 20 in the NCAA with 108 strikeouts. She has fanned an ACC best 35 batters looking.

Familiar Faces Now in Purple
Wolfpack fans may notice a couple familiar faces in the ECU dugout Tuesday evening, as former NC State pitching coach Courtney Oliver was named the Pirates' head coach last June. Oliver came to the Wolfpack with head coach Shawn Rychcik and spent the previous three seasons with the program.

Additionally, NC State's all-time wins leader Emily Weiman is now a volunteer assistant coach at ECU.

Scouting East Carolina
- The East Carolina Pirates bring a 17-13 record to Raleigh Tuesday, after dropping a pair of games at Radford in their last outing.
- NC State and ECU share two common opponents to this point in the season, Bryant and Charlotte. The Pirates defeated Bryant, 1-0, while the Wolfpack split a pair of games with the Bulldogs. NC State defeated Charlotte, 6-5, and ECU lost to the 49ers, 5-0.
- ECU owns a team batting average of .263, led by Karlie Smith with a team-best .311 clip at the plate. The Pirates average 3.77 runs per game.
- In the circle, Lydia Ritchie paces the pitching staff with an ERA of 1.80 and the Pirates have a team ERA of 3.23.

#STATEment