Newsletter

Hello and welcome to Blackbeard’s Ballers, the team behind the team.

During the season, Blackbeard’s Ballers will be invited to share in events that will show our support for the East Carolina Softball team.

This newsletter is here so that you will be able to keep up with all that is going on with ECU Softball.  If you want more, go to Blackbeardsballers.com.

NEWSLETTER 1, November 27, 2007

LATEST NEWS

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.