ADA – The East Central University softball team will be playing in their final non-conference tournament of the year before starting Great American Conference action, Feb. 9-10 at the UCO/OC Festival in Edmond, Okla.

The Tigers will face Northeastern State (11 a.m.) and Rogers State (3 p.m.) Friday, Feb. 9 and then Washburn (1 p.m.) and Central Oklahoma (3 p.m.), Saturday, Feb. 10.  The game against the Riverhawks will be at Tom Heath Field on the campus of Oklahoma Christian, with the other three games at Broncho Softball Stadium on the UCO campus.

ECU went 2-4 in the opening weekend of the 2018 season at the Southeastern Regional Invitational.  Three players hit .500-or-more, with junior Breecia Crawford leading the team with a .600 batting average, two runs, six hits and an RBI.

The Tigers used five pitchers in their first six games of the year, with freshman Angel Stoker leading the team with 14.0 innings of work.  Stoker went 1-1, with a 3.86 ERA, 14 hits and 10 runs allowed and eight strikeouts.

NSU went to the Ronnie Hawkins Invitational in Arkadelphia, Ark., and finished 3-1.  The record included a win at Ouachita and a loss to No. 10 Southern Arkansas from the GAC.  Jessica Boone led the team with a .500 average, five hits, a run and an RBI.  Sydney Balderrama led the pitching staff with a 2-0 record, 0.70 ERA, six hits and two runs allowed and six Ks in 10.0 innings.

The game against the Riverhawks will be the 51^st meeting in the all-time series, with ECU trailing 24-27 overall.  Friday's game will be just the second in the series on a neutral field, with the Tigers earning a 9-3 win in the first neutral meeting, Feb. 19, 2017.

The Hillcats went 3-1 at the Ronnie Hawkins Invitational, going 1-1 against GAC teams (Henderson State – W; SAU – L).  Allie McFetridge led the team at the plate, with a .471 average, eight hits, a run and six RBIs.  Alex Brake had the strongest weekend in the circle, with a 0.00 ERA, a complete-game shutout, three hits and no runs allowed and three strikeouts in 8.0 innings.

This will be just the third game in the all-time series with RSU, with ECU holding a 2-0 record (all at neutral fields).

The Ichabods were also at the Southeastern Regional Invitational last weekend and finished 5-1.  That included a win over Rockhurst (ECU – L) and Cameron (ECU – L).  Emilee Baker led Washburn hitting, with a .500 average, 11 hits and four runs allowed and four RBIs.  Megan Deiter saw the most action in the circle, with a 2-0 record, 2.25 ERA, 15 hits and six runs allowed and 16Ks in 18.2 innings of work.

It will be the fifth time that the Tigers and the Ichabods have met since 2008, with both teams earning two wins on neutral fields.  The last meeting was a year ago, when Washburn earned a 4-3 win in eight innings.

The Bronchos started the season with a 4-2 record at the Texas A&M-International Festival, going 2-1 against both the host and Texas A&M-Kingsville.  Carrie Abrams had the highest batting average in the games, with a .500 mark, 11 hits and six runs.  Jayden Chesnut saw the most time in the circle, with 19.0 innings, two complete games, a 3-0 record, 1.89 ERA, while allowing 12 hits and four runs and striking out 16.

UCO leads the all-time series with ECU 32-16, including a 17-5 mark when playing in Edmond.  The Tigers fell in the first two games of the 2017 season to the Bronchos on the road.