American Athletic Conference Softball Championship is Underway

Video Preview | Championship Central | Championship Bracket

TULSA, Okla. – The No. 3-seed Tulsa softball team opens the American Athletic Conference Championship Thursday with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 6-seed East Carolina at 4 p.m. at the Collins Family Softball Complex.

The Golden Hurricane (32-19, 9-9 American) and the Pirates (23-30, 5-13 American) play the third and last game of the quarterfinal round on Thursday. No. 4-seeded Houston and No. 5-seed Memphis open the tournament at 11 a.m., followed by No. 2-seed UCF and No. 7-seed UConn at 1:30 p.m.

All three quarterfinal games will be streamed live on the American Digital Network. The direct link for Tulsa's game against ECU can be found here. Live stats for every game can be found here. All tournament links, results and information can be found on the American Athletic Conference Championship Central page.

Tickets will be available for purchase at the gate each day of the tournament. All-session tickets will be available through Thursday at a price of $20 for adults and $10 for youth ages 2-17. Single Session tickets will be sold each day of the tournament at a price of $10 for adults and $5 for youth ages 2-17.

This will be the 32rd meeting between Tulsa and East Carolina. Tulsa leads the series, 21-11. The Hurricane has won six in a row in the series, including all three games of the regular season series in Tulsa back on April 1-3. TU won those games, 12-3, 8-0 and 11-3. Tulsa has won 10 of the last 12 meetings, and holds a 13-3 advantage against ECU in Tulsa.

Junior third baseman Maggie Withee leads Tulsa with a .380 batting average, and has totaled 45 runs, eight doubles, 21 walks and a .447 on-base percentage. Sophomore shortstop Shelby Estocado hits .340 with a team-high 11 home runs and .619 slugging percentage, and has eight doubles, 39 RBI and 45 runs. Freshman right fielder Julia Hollingsworth hits .339 with nine doubles, and has totaled 28 RBI and 27 runs and posted a .400 on-base percentage. Junior left fielder Maddie Withee leads Tulsa with 44 RBI, and hits .329 with seven doubles and six home runs. Freshman second baseman Morgan Neal hits .301 with seven extra base hits and 26 runs scored.

Senior Caitlin Sill leads Tulsa in the circle with a 1.87 ERA and a 17-10 record. She has allowed 44 earned runs and 156 hits in 164.2 innings. Sophomore Emily Watson is 11-9 with a 2.45 ERA, has 162 strikeouts and has allowed 40 earned runs on 92 hits and a .212 opponent batting average in 114.1 innings.

Tulsa is hitting .295 with 272 runs, 243 RBI, 65 doubles, 27 home runs, eight triples, a .415 slugging percentage and a .372 on-base percentage. The Hurricane pitchers have posted a combined 2.30 ERA with 282 strikeouts in 326.0 innings, and allowed a .241 opponent batting average, 304 hits and 107 earned runs.

Follow Tulsa Softball on Twitter (www.twitter.com/TulsaSoftball) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/TulsaSoftball). Follow Tulsa Athletics on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TulsaHurricane and Facebook at www.facebook.com/TulsaHurricane.

American Athletic Conference Softball Championship is Underway

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Shelby Estocado

Julia Hollingsworth

Morgan Neal

Caitlin Sill

Emily Watson

Maddie Withee

Maggie Withee