GREENVILLE, N.C. – The final four matchups preceding Big South territory are on tap for the Presbyterian College softball team this weekend at a venue never before visited in school history, participating in the Jolly Roger Invite on Saturday and Sunday, hosted by the East Carolina Pirates. PC will tangle with ECU in their fourth contest over the two-day period, firstly taking on Cleveland State (twice) and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Extending a two-week stretch away from home until league play gets underway during the last weekend of the month, tomorrow's entry to Greenville will represent the fifth multi-team event featuring head coach David Williams' Blue Hose but only the second as a guest.

PC's only other road trips over the course of the entire season were a five-game stint at the Stetson Invitational in late February (going 3-2 in a bevy of close encounters) and last Wednesday's losing effort against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
 
TOURNAMENT INFO – SATURDAY, MARCH 18
PC vs. Cleveland State – 10:00 a.m.
PC vs. Ohio State – 12:30 p.m.
 
TOURNAMENT INFO – SUNDAY, MARCH 19
PC vs. Cleveland State – 11:30 a.m.
PC vs. East Carolina – 2:00 p.m.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
- The only school of the three in Presbyterian's crosshairs that will lock horns with the Blue Hose more than once, Cleveland State stumbles into the ECU tournament with a record of 4-15 awaiting Friday's non-PC matchups. Head coach Amy Kyler's club has come up on the short end of five consecutive contests prior to the tourney's start, staying on the road for their first 24 games in 2023.

- Coach Williams and co. have met the Vikings on two prior occasions (similarly the only foe of the three this weekend that has any history with the Blue Hose), taking down CSU three years back in respective decisions of 2-1 and 1-0.

- Ohio State rolls into Max R. Joyner Family Stadium riding a six-game winning streak that effectively jolted them out of a record below .500, currently at 12-7 before Friday's outings. Possessing a nine-inning victory against Notre Dame and a 6-0 shutout over Oregon State recently, the Buckeyes have won their last three meetings over South Carolina representatives, downing Charleston Southern twice (the second bout by 11 runs) and College of Charleston 5-4 on Wednesday.

- Guiding OSU to a 30-win campaign in all 10 of her seasons at the helm, head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly has never scheduled the Blue Hose, accounting as the fourth different Big Ten school to meet Presbyterian since turning D-I in 2008. PC boasts a 5-3 victory over Buckeye rival Wisconsin a decade ago, with Ohio State being one of nine first-time opponents layered throughout PC's '23 slate.

- Sunday's last matchup entails a similar never-before-seen skirmish between East Carolina, a club that covets a nearly-identical record to Presbyterian as of Friday afternoon at 18-7. ECU is already in the middle of four straight days of competition, falling to the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame yesterday in a 7-0 blowout.

- The Pirates – under head coach Shane Winkler's direction – have cemented half of their wins on their home turf while reaching a 9-2 mark away from it. A run count of six or higher has been given to ECU in eight different meetings this semester, the highlight of which came in an 11-3 run-rule over Coastal Carolina in February.
 
LAST TIME OUT
- The program's 15^th all-time bout against a Southeastern Conference member didn't slide in the direction PC wanted it to on Wednesday, ending a midweek clash against USC with a six-inning 9-1 setback. An RBI-double by senior shortstop Layna Johnson gave the Blue Hose some 3^rd-inning momentum, although the Gamecocks' red-hot hitting core stayed that way when all was said and done, improving to a 23-4 mark.

- Behind 17 games that have taken place at the newly-renovated PC Softball Complex, coach Williams' 2023 group doesn't yet have the road experience to match their excellent Clinton resume at 14-3, more often than not relying on a defensive nucleus that still holds a sub-two ERA (1.75).

- Presbyterian's pitchers have calculated 172 strikeouts overall while holding the opposition to a .206 BA, allowing just three homers in 23 appearances while tossing 18 complete games. In the batters' box, the Blue Hose have racked up 40 extra-base swings – 15 of which have carried over the wall – reaching a collective slugging percentage of .374 next to a 28-for-29 stolen-base ratio.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
- A link has been provided below to follow live stats for all four of PC's contests this weekend, as well as a live video feed for the Sunday closer against East Carolina.
 
Jolly Roger Invite – Live Stats: https://ecupirates.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary
PC vs. East Carolina (Sun.) – Live Video: https://ecupirates.com/watch/?Archive=1966&type=Live