LATEST NEWS:

______________________________________________________________________________________

June 4, 2008

Stacey Andrews Named To NCCSIA All-State Softball Team. LINK:

______________________________________________________________________________________

June , 2008

The Pirates' Chest feature writer Bethany Bradsher writes about the 2008 Pirate Softballers. LINK:

______________________________________________________________________________________

May 17, 2008

ECU Pirates win the first game of the day to eliminate Mississippi Valley State 4-2. However, that meant they had to play the regional host, LSU in the second game of the day. Final score was Tigers 9 and the Pirates 1. (more)

Thanks for a great run, Pirate Softballers, and for making the PIRATE NATION very proud.

______________________________________________________________________________________

May 16, 2008

The Pirates score first against ULL , but end up losing 2 to 1. They will play again Saturday. (more)

______________________________________________________________________________________

The ECU Softball Team finished strong this season and were rewarded with an invite to the NCAA Tournament. WAY TO GO PIRATES!

Softball Is NCAA Tournament Bound!

______________________________________________________________________________________

CONGRATULATIONS TO UCF FOR WINNING CUSA SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Congratulations to Stacey Andrews for making the CUSA All-Tournament Team

May 9, 2008

PRIDE, PASSION, PIRATES

*The 36 win regular season comes to an end for the 2008 Pirate Softballers as they lose to Houston in the semifinals 5-1. The Pirates managed 7 hits which included a home run by Erin St. Ledger. (more)

*Round 1 of CUSA has ECU winning 7-2 thanks to homeruns by Stacey Andrews to tie it in the 6th and Cristen Aona to seal the deal in the 7th. Brooke Swann pitched a 3 hitter with 9 SO's. They face Houston at 5:30 ET Friday. (more)

May 7, 2008

Tis the season for academic awards of all kinds.

Congratulations to Cristen Aona and Charina Sumner for being named to the Conference USA Softball All-Academic Team. (LINK)

Congratulations to Cristen Aona, Britt Howell, Charina Sumner, and Kaui Tom for earning the Conference USA Commissioner’s
Academic Medal during the 2007‐08 academic year. The medals are given to those C‐USA student‐athletes who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or better. The following is a complete list of the 36 medal winners for ECU. (LINK)

Congratulations to Jessica Johnson for being named to the PCS Phosphates All-Academic Team for 2008.

Congratulations to Erin St. Ledger for receiving the Walter and Marie Williams "Spirit of the East" Post-Eligibility Scholarship Award.

Congratulations to 12 members of the 2008 Softball team for earning the C-USA Honor Roll Award. Here is the complete list of all 192 ECU Student-Athletes who earned the award. (LINK)

May 6, 2008

Softball earns fifth seed At C-USA Tournament. Pirates to face fourth-seeded Marshall In Quarterfinal Round at 9:00 ET, May 8. (brackets and more)

______________________________________________________________________________________

May 4, 2008

The Pirates take game 3 over UAB 3-2 to end the regular season. The Pirates improve to 35-27 on the season and finish conference play at 10-12. (MORE)

PURPLE! ....... GOLD! PURPLE! ........ GOLD!

______________________________________________________________________________________

May 3, 2008

Today the four Senior's were honored as they come on the field for the first game of the DH with UAB. The first game was won by ECU with a score of 3-1, while the second game went to UAB 2-0. They will play tomorrow to end the regular season. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

April 29, 2008

Pirates defeat #18 Va Tech in the second game of the DH 4-1 after being no hit in the first game by Angela Tincher. Riggs took the loss in game one which saw us swinging away 15 times. Swann took a one hitter into the 7th with ECU leading with the help of a 2 run homer by Stacey Andrews. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

April 27, 2008

Pirates get the sweep this weekend because of the Sunday game being rained out. They play VaTech a DH on Tuesday beginning at 3:00.

April 26, 2008

Pirates outlasted the Memphis Tigers in the second game of a DH 12-11. The first game, ECU came from behind to get and then hold the lead. Final score was 9-4. They play the third game Sunday at 1:00 ET. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

April 23, 2008

Pirates are swept by Campbell 6-3 and 12-4. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

April 20, 2008

You know the kind of season you are having when even the weather is working against you. The Pirates were up 2-0 pretty much in control when there was a delay for lightning. Upon returning in the 6th, Utep comes out strong scoring 4 runs. Final score 4-2 UTEP. (MORE)

April 19, 2008

ECU split with Utep winning the first game 2-1 and losing game two 3-1. This gives Coach Kee and the Pirates 30 wins. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

Over 50 ECU Softball Alumni were on hand for the Softball Reunion Weekend which included an Alumni Association Tailgate, a softball DH, and a Saturday night social.

More pictures to follow, but here's a couple to get you started:

______________________________________________________________________________________

April 16, 2008

ECU Softball took the DH from UNCG today, 7-1 and 2-1. Brooke Swann went the distance in both games. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

April 15, 2008

Four members of the softball team were invited to the Academic Excellence Banquet to receive their award for earning a 3.5 or better cumulative grade point average. Charina Sumner and Christen Aona attended with their guests, "faculty members who they deemed influential in their academic endeavors". Jessica Johnson and Kaui Tom were also rewarded for their Academic Excellence. LINK

______________________________________________________________________________________

April 15, 2008

It is time once again for a new blogger. Thanks to senior Paige Baggett for sharing her insight with us. Check out her latest blog. Sophomore Charina Sumner is next.

Wednesday's DH at UNCG has an option for a webcast. Click here for LINK.

______________________________________________________________________________________

April 13, 2008

The Pirates were not able to get the bats going today against Houston, losing 7-0 and only able to get 2 hits against Shamblin and Lott. They next play at home Saturday against UTEP. (MORE)

April 12, 2008

The Pirates found out why Houston's Angel Shamblin is one of the top pitchers in the country. After shutting down the Pirates in game one, she came in for relief in the second game to stop a threat by ECU. Pirates lose game two 6-2. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

April 9, 2008

Pirates played their game today taking 2 from UNCW. Stacey Andrews went 5 for 6 including 2 doubles and a home run. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

April 6, 2008

Pirates out hit Marshall today, but were not able to outscore the Herd, losing 2 games today 6-3 and 5-3. (MORE)

Next games are 4/9 against UNC-W at home. The DH begins at 4.

______________________________________________________________________________________

April 5, 2008

Pirates were washed out and will play two on Sunday. The cancelled game will not be made up. There will be no ticket refunds. :)

______________________________________________________________________________________

April 2, 2008

Pirates finally get their first win against a ranked team, and it just happened to be #16 UNC which makes it that much sweeter. Two pitchers from Pitt County went head to head for a couple of innings, but Suzanne Riggs got the W, 3-2. In the earlier game, the Pirates also had their chance to win but could not pull it out and lost 3-1. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

March 31, 2008

ECU Pirates are ranked #2 in the nation in fielding percentage as of 3/30/08. (STATS)

______________________________________________________________________________________

March 30, 2008

Pirates defeat Tulsa 5-3 to avoid a sweep. Pitching, fielding and batting all clicked today. Swann had 6 SO's, Moreno had 4 RBI's, and the team had 0 errors. (MORE)

March 29, 2008

Today losing 2 to Tulsa proved to be one of those days that you wish you could have a do over. Not enough timely hits, too many free trips to first, a couple of homeruns with no one on base, and then they hit one with the bases juiced. Final score in game 1 was 5-2 and the last game of the day was 8-4. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

March 29, 2008

This weekend begins the new blogger, senior Paige Baggett. I look forward to another senior's perspective on this season.

Thanks to Chris Aona for an excellent job. She kept us smiling and laughing.

I don't know why you would be skipping these Softball Blogs, but if you are, you can still go back an read them all. Here's the link: BLOGS

______________________________________________________________________________________

March 27, 2008

New Koach's Korner by Coach Koz is up and ready to read today. LINK

______________________________________________________________________________________

March 23, 2008

#5 Stanford took care of the Pirates 9-0 on the last day of the tournament. (MORE)

March 22, 2008

The 6th inning cursed the Pirates once again today. They were up 3-0 in the 6th and lost 7-3 to Wisconsin. The first game was with Princeton and the Pirates prevailed 5-1 as freshman pitcher Suzanne Riggs got the start. (MORE)

March 22, 2008

The bright spot of the day was the tailgate party hosted by Jamie Jimenez and his family. All the families of the west coast players were there and able to enjoy the fellowship after watching the Pirates play a couple of games. I bet that ECU had more fans than anyone else as usual!! Pictures are on the way.

March 21, 2008

The ECU Softball Pirates traveled across the country to play in the Stanford Invitational II over Easter. They played BYU in the first game of the day and it came down to the end with BYU hitting a walk off homerun in the 7th to defeat the Pirates 7-6. Pirates had the lead 6-4 but could not hold on. The second game proved a lot easier as the Pirates defeated Princeton 8-0. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

March 16, 2008

ECU Softball took it to the last out before losing to So. Miss 7-6. Down 7-1 in the bottom of the 7th, the Pirates scored 5 runs thanks in part to a grand slam by senior, Erin St. Ledger. (MORE)

March 15, 2008

Today the ECU Softball Pirates taught us all a lesson about being Pirates. Two wins over Southern Miss moves us to 4-1 in CUSA. (MORE)

March 15, 2008

Before the game, Coach Tracey Kee was presented with an engraved bat from East Carolina to commemorate her 500 wins.

______________________________________________________________________________________

March 14, 2008

Some of the players visited the Riggs' homestead today. While there they got a chance to go to Suzanne's Granddad's kennel and ride the 4 wheelers. (SLIDESHOW)

______________________________________________________________________________________

March 12, 2008

The 6th inning proved to be the difference in the 5-3 win over UNF in the first game today. If you count moral victories, then count the games against a ranked UGA team. It took extra innings today before the Bulldogs were able to win 2-1. A base hit with 2 outs brought in their 2 runs. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

March 11, 2008

The 6th inning was cursed for ECU today. Against UNF the Pirates were up 3-0 before a Grand Slam in the bottom of the 6th made the score 6-3 which was the final. In the next game Georgia scored 2 runs in the 6th and held on to win 2-0 over the Pirates. They play the same teams again on Wednesday. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

March 10, 2008

After the first week of conference play, ECU is #2. STANDINGS

______________________________________________________________________________________

March 9, 2008

After jumping out to a 4-0 advantage, the East Carolina softball team fell victim to a late UCF rally, dropping the series finale 10-6 Sunday afternoon. The Pirates are now 2-1 in C-USA. They are back to action Tuesday at the Bulldog Invitational. (MORE)

March 8, 2008

ECU took 2 games from UCF to begin conference play. It took 15 innings to win the first game 6-2. They won the second game in 7 innings 2-1. Toni Paisley got the win in both games. Tomorrow they play for the sweep at 12:00. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

March 4, 2008

No. 16 Georgia Softball announce a change in game times for the Bulldog Invitational Tournament next week involving East Carolina and North Florida . (more)

March 3, 2008

Senior outfielder Stacey Andrews has been named Conference USA Hitter-of-the-Week. She played and started all six games of the tournament, hitting .571 (8-for-14) while scoring six runs. The senior produced two doubles, a home run, seven RBI, two walks, three stolen bases, two sacrifice bunts and a sac fly. Andrews raised her average to .405 for the season, which is the second-best mark on the squad. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

March 2, 2008

East Carolina defeated Towson in the first game today to move on to the Pirate Clash Championship. There they met and defeated Fordham 6 - 2 to win the championship.

Congratulations to Brooke Swann for being named MVP of the tournament. Super job.

SUNDAY RECAP

March 1, 2008

East Carolina split today at the Pirate Clash. After a loss to Fordham, Brooke Swann pitched a no-hitter against Towson. The Pirates play Towson Sunday at 11:00. The winner of that game faces Fordham for the Pirate Clash Championship at 1:00. SATURDAY RECAP

February 29, 2008

East Carolina took a pair of contests over Radford and Liberty to begin the Pirate Clash on Friday. (ECU 5 - RU 1 and ECU 7 - Liberty 3.) FRIDAY RECAP

______________________________________________________________________________________

February 28, 2008

Starting today, Cristen Aona will be our newest blogger. Thanks to JJ for doing another nice job. I don't know about the rest of you, but I love reading these blogs.

______________________________________________________________________________________

February 27, 2008

The 2007 Softball Team was recognized at the men's basketball game tonight as 2007 recipients of the C-USA Sport Academic Award. The softball team was also recognized as the 2007 Student Development Life Skills Award Recipient, which also includes a $1,000 award given annually by the ECU Student Development Office to the team that best exemplifies a commitment to academics, community service and personal and career development. The award money is used to assist the team in the purchase of equipment and with team travel. (MORE)

______________________________________________________________________________________

February 24, 2008

With wins over Syracuse and Appalachian along with losses to Purdue and Penn State, the Pirate Classic came to an end leaving ECU 11-4 for the season.

______________________________________________________________________________________

February 21, 2008

Supper with Softball was a great success. Over 100 guests shared an evening with the softball team. The kids were in groups with the players and each group had to do a cheer before we had supper. I couldn't tell if the softball team or the kids had more fun!!!! Any way it was a great evening. It definitely will be on the calendar for next year.

ECU Softball Cheer-Peanut Butter and Jelly on YouTube

______________________________________________________________________________________

February 17, 2008

ECU wins the Pirate Invitational. The East Carolina softball team used timely hitting and an error-prone Boston College Eagle's defense to post a 6-0 victory Sunday at the ECU Softball Field in the title game of the Pirate Invitational. The Pirates now stand at 9-2. This marks the first tournament win for the team this season. East Carolina finished the tourney 5-0.

Pirates win Pirate Invitational Championship.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Erin St. Ledger knocked in three RBI's for the day and was named tournament MVP.

______________________________________________________________________________________

February 16, 2008

The Pirate Softball Team wore pink on Saturday to show their support for cancer awareness. THINK PINK

______________________________________________________________________________________

February 14, 2008

Coach Kee was a guest on PIRATE RADIO 1250. Just click archives to listen to her interview.

______________________________________________________________________________________

February 11, 2008

BLOGGER'S UPDATE:

If you haven't noticed, we have another blogger, Jessica Johnson.

Sissy Jimenez has done a great job, giving us a perspective from a freshman student athlete. A big thanks to Sissy.

Thanks goes out to senior Erin St. Ledger for the terrific job she had done with the first blog.

______________________________________________________________________________________

February 9, 2008

Coach Tracey Kee Picks Up Career Win 500. (more)

CONGRATULATIONS COACH KEE

______________________________________________________________________________________

February 9, 2008

First softball tailgate was a success. You could see the yellow tent from the stands, so as the UNC fans cheered on their team, they had to do it with a feeling of envy. I think they could learn a lot about tailgating from PIRATES. AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!

______________________________________________________________________________________

February 7, 2008

GOOD LUCK PIRATES!

CSTV predicts that the Pirates will make NCAA regionals this year! But that shouldn't surprise us!

Click link: REGIONAL PREDICTIONS

______________________________________________________________________________________

February 4, 2008

2008 East Carolina Softball Outlook:

______________________________________________________________________________________

February 1, 2008

“Give Kids a Smile.” That is exactly what softball players Jessica Johnson, Toni Paisley, and Erin St. Ledger did. They volunteered to hold hands and give support to kids that were getting dental work done.

______________________________________________________________________________________

January 28, 2008

New blogger. If you haven't noticed, we have a new blogger, Sissy Jimenez. She will be assuming the duties for awhile.

Thanks goes out to senior Erin St. Ledger for the terrific job she has done with the first blog. Now with Sissy, we will get the insight from a freshman's perspective. It should be interesting.

______________________________________________________________________________________

January 27, 2008

Dinner with the Softball Team is officially set. Mark your calendar for February 21 at 6:00.

Follow the link for more information.

______________________________________________________________________________________

January 21, 2008

It looks like Pee Dee the Pirate is now working in the softball office. His job description is to make sure there are plenty of AAARRRGGGHHH s this season.

______________________________________________________________________________________

The Koach's Korner with Coach Koz:

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and wish all our family and friends and supporters a Happy New Year.

As the calendar rolls to 2008, that means it’s time for Pirate softball to get to work. Our season began with team practice on Friday, January 11^th in preparation for a very exciting, yet tough non-conference schedule and a highly competitive conference schedule. Our team goal this year is to make it the NCAA Regionals by either winning the C-USA Tournament or earning an at-large bid. Our hope is to play against teams from the top conferences in the nation and have a quality schedule that will allow us a chance to impress the NCAA selection committee. We need to compete with these teams and play to our potential if our goal of making Regionals is to occur.

As we begin team practice, Coach Kee and I hope that the fitness level of our players from the fall has carried over so that we can focus on team play and softball strategy. It’s important for our team to begin to mesh and gel on the field, so we can play as one strong unit regardless of personnel. We have a talented squad that is a unique mix of both experience and youth. The players are hungry to prove that ECU is a team to be reckoned with!

So as January becomes February, and practices become games, the ECU Pirate softball team will transition from the intense daily ritual of drills and practices to the excitement and challenge of games. If our kids’ hard work is any indication of our success, then we will all be pleased with the outcome for 2008! Regionals here we come!

We hope to see so many of you this spring. Don’t be strangers, stop by and say hello! Your support is priceless and appreciated.

Best of each day,

Coach Koz

_________________________________________________________________________________

Winningest College Softball Programs

"In the relatively short history of college softball, some programs are known for the alarming rate at which they win games. In 25 seasons of softball, just 10 teams have registered 900+ wins - and it took one program just 21 seasons to hit that plateau."

With every bit of your Pirate pride, click the links to see who that team is.

East Carolina Softball recognized by CSTV as one of the top 10 Winningest College Softball Programs.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

December 4, 2007

Here’s another holiday good will spotting. Several members of the softball team were spotted reading The Adventures of Pee Dee the Pirate to little Pirates at the ECU Student Stores Holiday Sale 2007.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

December 3, 2007

The Pirate Clash is an end of the year event that is specific to ECU softball. Two teams compete in what is referred to as, “The test of speed, strength, and knowledge.” Ultimately it’s a wrap up of the fall conditioning, but the competition spices up the challenge of running or doing sprints. The two teams are the Sabers and the Skulls. Each player is put on a team when she enters the program. She remains on that team during her tenure in the program. So once a Saber, always a Saber and once a Skull, always a Skull! Alumni have come back to pull for their teams and the trash talking between teams begins weeks in advance of the Pirate Clash.

The teams compete against one another in 10 challenges. These challenges can be geared around speed, strength, or in some cases, knowledge. But each challenge always requires some strategizing by the teams. Whichever team wins the most challenges, wins the Pirate Clash. Over the last 7 years that the Pirate Clash has taken place, the winner has alternated every year, with this year’s winner being the Sabers.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

December 3, 2007

The third annual Reindeer Dash for Cash 5K and 10-mile run took place Sunday December 2. The event raises money for a scholarship in the name and memory of Capt. Christopher S. Cash, a soldier who died serving the United States in Iraq. Coach Koz along with several of the team ran in the race. Other members of the softball team volunteered their time.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

November 27, 2007

East Carolina softball head coach Tracey Kee has received a letter of intent from La Quinta, Calif. High School standout pitcher Priscilla Velasquez to join the team starting in 2009.

The pitcher and reigning Desert Sun Player-of-the-Year is a three-time All-Desert Valley League player who led her squad with a .559 batting average last season. The team captain spurred the Blackhawks to a 10-0 record on their way to their first-ever Desert Valley League title. On the mound, Velasquez compiled a 9-6 record with an ERA of 2.60 while striking out 69 batters in 97 innings. As a sophomore, she was named second-team All-CIF Southern Section while earning all-tournament honors at the Arroyo Grande Invitational as a freshman. In the classroom, Velasquez garnered National Honors Society status as a sophomore and is a three-time member of La Quinta's honor roll.

"Coach Koz and I couldn't be any happier with the addition of Priscilla Velasquez to our Pirate program," stated Kee. "She is a strong student-athlete from a wonderful family who will fit in nicely to our program goals. She is the true epitome of a `utility' player because she has the ability to play multiple infield positions, including pitcher. Her ability to hit gap to gap and with power will fit nicely into our line-up. She is a hardworking and committed student-athlete. We are so excited to have her in a Pirate uniform."

Velasquez credited the atmosphere on campus as her reason for signing with the program.

"It felt like home as soon as I got there," Velasquez said. "Everything there revolves around the school, just like here at La Quinta. They have a lot of players from the West Coast and I just wanted to experience something new. They have a strong program and they're getting stronger."

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

November 20, 2007

Congratulations to the ECU Softball Team for getting into the spirit of the holidays.

The team was part of a canned food drive for the Greenville Food Bank prior to the Thanksgiving holidays.

As a result of their effort, 2042 cans were donated to the local Food Bank.

Thanks to the team for helping make Thanksgiving special for so many families.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

October30,2007

Seven ECU Softball Players Named NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes
Pirates Compiled Program-High GPA Last Season

IRVING, Texas - East Carolina softball players Cristen Aona, Paige Baggett, Jessica Potter, Joyce Roodenburg, Keli Harrell, Charina Sumner and Kaui Tom have been named 2006-07 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athletes, as announced by the association this week. The distinction is given to players who maintain a 3.5 GPA during the academic year. The Pirates led the way with seven individuals on the list, while UCF was next with six.

Marshall, Memphis, Tulsa and UTEP all had four individuals recognized. Houston, the 2007 C-USA Champion, and Southern Miss each had three members honored. UAB rounded out league teams with one honoree.

The NFCA announced earlier that ECU compiled the 20th-best GPA of all NCAA Division I softball teams in the 2006-07 academic year. The Pirates' cumulative mark of 3.364 was the highest for the program in its 24 years of existence and earned the team the 2007 C-USA Softball Academic Award. East Carolina was the only Conference USA program ranked in the top-50.