CLEARWATER, Fla. (Interstat) — East Carolina, the seed in the American Baseball Championship, will face seed Wichita State on Saturday at BayCare Ballpark in the opening round of the double-elimination tournament.

The Pirates (34-21) enter as the hotter team, having won five of their last six games. East Carolina wrapped the regular season with a 4-3 victory over Rice on Friday, powered by right-hander Ryan Towers (5.2 innings, four hits, one earned run, five strikeouts) and right fielder Jack Herring, who went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Wichita State (27-28) comes in after a 6-4 win at Memphis on Friday. The Shockers’ bullpen ace Caleb Reed tossed 6.2 innings, allowing no hits and three earned runs while striking out eight. Third baseman Jayson Jones contributed a home run and an RBI in that game.

Reed will be a key arm for Wichita State. The right-hander has been used in a variety of roles, with outings ranging from 1.1 to 6.2 innings over his last six appearances. He has struck out 21 batters across 21.2 innings in that span but has also surrendered 11 earned runs, posting a 4.57 ERA in those games.

East Carolina’s Charlie Hoagland provides a similar weapon out of the bullpen. The right-hander has not allowed an earned run in his last three outings, covering 4.1 innings with seven strikeouts. His most recent appearance came Friday against Texas-San Antonio, where he tossed 2.2 scoreless frames.

The teams met earlier this season in a three-game series at East Carolina. The Pirates won the first two games 7-1 each on April 17 and 18, but Wichita State bounced back with a 13-1 victory on April 19.

A simulation by Interstat projects a 5-4 win for East Carolina.

The winner of Saturday’s game advances to face the winner of the Texas-San Antonio vs. UAB matchup, while the loser moves to the elimination bracket.

First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT.