East Carolina will look to climb into the top five of NCBWA polls when it hosts Memphis on the diamond this week, and it's got more than enough American Athletic Conference success under its belt to be confident it'll do just that.
The Pirates, who currently rank No. 6 in national polls, are 40-12 on the year and have won nine straight series, including one-game showdowns, dating back to mid-April. Their last series defeat: Against No. 1-ranked powerhouse UCLA. East Carolina is on a roll, too, having won 15 of its last 17 and entering this week's series with momentum after a walk-off against Campbell. Fueled by repeat AAC Player of the Week Alec Burleson (.369, 6 HRs, 45 RBI), junior Spencer Brickhouse (12 HRs), catcher Jake Washer (7 RBI in last seven games) and a pitching staff with a collective ERA of just 3.33, the Pirates are 22-4 at home and 18-3 in their conference.
The Tigers have rebounded a bit since a 2-6 start to their 2019 season, rallying to above .500 at 26-24 overall, and they've got a true slugger in Hunter Goodman, who's belted 11 home runs to go along with 62 RBI this year. But they've also won three straight just once during the regular-season schedule, they've lost three of their last four, and they're 9-11 in conference competition. While they've looked good when they win, logging double-digit runs or a shutout in seven of their last eight victories, the Tigers figure to have their hands full in North Carolina starting Thursday.
Here's how to catch this week's showdown between the two sides:
How to watch
Date: Thursday, May 16
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium (Greenville, North Carolina)
Stream: SportsLive
Date: Friday, May 17
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium (Greenville, North Carolina)
Stream: SportsLive
Date: Saturday, May 18
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium (Greenville, North Carolina)
Stream: SportsLive
