2003 ECU Baseball Outlook
January 22, 2003 | Baseball
With the experience of four consecutive NCAA Regional appearances providing the impetus and at least two national preseason polls lending votes of confidence, the Pirates remain intent on reaching that vaunted destination despite a shift in coaching personnel and the loss of some key players.
Randy Mazey returned to Greenville as ECU's head baseball coach last July, taking over for his friend and former boss Keith LeClair who had relinquished his duties due to health concerns. What LeClair did for the Pirate program was nothing short of phenomenal as he guided the Pirates to a 212-96-1 record over the last five seasons, culminated by an emotional sweep of the 2002 Conference USA Tournament in ECU's first season in the league. Along the way were three Colonial Athletic Association championships, perinnial national rankings, and a magical 2001 season that saw the Pirates advance to within one game of Omaha by reaching an NCAA Super Regional.
Mazey will have a core of veteran players to help the Pirates continue the recent success stories. The Pirates return 21 lettermen from last season and lose only eight, but among those are five positions starters and two of its top starting pitchers.
Pirate pitching has ranked among the nation's top 16 in earned run average for three of the past four seasons, and it is again pitching that is expected to be the cornerstone of the Pirates' hopes for success.
"The mark of a championship team is usually an older team, and we've got some older, experienced pitchers," Mazey said. "Going into this past fall, I felt that pitching would be our strength, but the hitters beat the pitchers in practice, so we're still kind of up in the air. However, we've got a lot of senior pitchers who are pretty well established and have won a lot of games in their careers."
Pitchers
East Carolina's pitching has reached a level of consistency that is the envy of most college programs with a combined team ERA of 3.89 over the past four seasons. Two of the mainstays of the pitching corps during that time--left-hander Sam Narron and right-hander Jason Mandryk--have departed after compiling a total of 45 victories between them.
The stable is far from empty, though, with nine lettermen--including four seniors--returning at the position.
Senior right-hander Davey Penny will anchor the weekend rotation. A pressure-game pitcher with three years of extensive postseason experience under his belt, Penny was 8-4 last season with a 3.82 ERA while ranking sixth in C-USA in strikeouts (93).
Three other senior right-handers look to fill the remaining regular starting roles.
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Neal Sears established himself as one of the league's top long relievers last season in making a school-record 34 appearances and leading the staff with a 9-3 record and 2.23 ERA. Sears, who gained a win and a save in the 2002 NCAA Clemson Regional, has a career ERA of 2.89 but has made just two starts prior to this season.
Also looking to make the transition to a full-time starting role is Glenn Tucker, who has seen time as a closer, long reliever, and starter over the past three seasons. Tucker was 3-0 with a 3.13 ERA in 24 appearances--all in relief--in 2002. He could also contribute in short relief again this season.
Junior Scott Greene and Ashley Capps are likely candidates for midweek starts.
The right-handed Greene made a successful, though limited, return to the mound in 2002 after missing the entire previous season due to a shoulder injury. He was 1-0 with a 1.62 ERA in five appearances, including three starts, last season.
Capps is the team's only experienced left-hander and struggled for consistency during his sophomore season. After having elbow surgery during the summer, his recovery could determine the extent of his contributions
While shorter on experience, the bullpen features a proven closer in sophomore right-hander Greg Bunn. A 2002 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, Bunn set the ECU rookie record for saves with seven while compiling an ERA of 3.26 in 21 outings. He struck out 25 in only 19.1 innings of work.
Senior right-hander Jason Tourangeau is the most experienced of the middle relievers, having made 41 appearances during his ECU career. However, the 6-4, 212-pounder could see more extensive action at the plate instead of on the mound as he impressed the coaching staff with his hitting in the fall. He is penciled in as a potential starter at first base and designated hitter entering spring practice.
Sophomore right-hander Matt Bishop is the only other middle reliever with college experience as he made three relief appearances last season.
The remaining relief roles will be filled by redshirts and newcomers. Right-handers Brian McCullen and Kevin Rhodes look to make contributions after sitting out last season as redshirts. True freshmen Nate Logan, Scott Andrews, and Brett Williams are candidates for seeing immediate action.
Outfield
The Pirates have the luxury of a deep outfield as five players with starting experience return.
"We've got as good a defensive outfield as I've seen and it's deep, too," Mazey offered. "We could put five or six guys out there who can really run the ball down. That's going to be one of our strengths is outfield defense."
The only everyday starter returning from last season is junior Ryan Jones, who is expected to take over in center field after making 57 starts, mainly in right field, in 2002. The left-handed hitting Jones displayed a flashy glove while batting .260 with three home runs as a sophomore. He was named to the C-USA All-Tournament team after driving in three runs in the championship game.
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The left-handed hitting Paige could again perform in a platoon-type situation and can play any of the three outfield positions. Paige started 36 games in left field in 2002 and posted a solid .290 batting average. He hit leadoff in the batting order for over one-third of the Pirates' games.
With Jones' move to center, the starting right field job is up for grabs between sophomores Brian Cavanaugh and Daniel Vick. Both saw spot starts there last season. Cavanaugh batted .296 in 54 at-bats while Vick, who also saw extensive action at DH, hit .250 in 60 at-bats.
Georgia Tech transfer Jon Henry Kail also figures in the mix, as does redshirt sophomore Kelly Hodges.
Infield
The Pirate infield will receive the most noticable makeover with only one position--shortstop--returning its regular starter from a year ago. That does not mean a lack of experience in the area, however, as Mazey has lettermen with at least spot starts under their belts ready at each position, plus three seniors to rely on for leadership.
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"It's going to be tough for Darryl to repeat that kind of success," Mazey said. "People know who he is now, so he's going to suffer the same fate that Barry Bonds does; people pitch around Barry all the time. Darryl's going to have to be very disciplined and wait for good pitches to hit and not get overanxious and frustrated that people aren't pitching to him. If he can do that, obviously he's a great talent. Mentally, he's going to have to be real sharp to repeat what he did this past year."
Senior Luke Cherry returns to anchor the infield at shortstop, where he started all but two games last season. The slick-fielding Cherry struggled at the plate at times with a .238 batting average in his first season at ECU after transferring from junior college.
Sophomore Ryan Norwood will take over for Lawhorn at first base and will be counted on to provide more power in the batting order. Norwood, 6-4, 240, hit .310 with one home run in 42 at-bats as a true freshman last season.
Senior Kevin O'Sullivan will get his long-awaited shot at full-time starting duties at second base after three years in a reserve role. He will be pushed by true freshman Mike DeJesus and senior Taylor Williams.
Junior letterman Mike Harrington had an impressive fall practice and could see an increased role at first base. Redshirt freshman Mark Minicozzi will likely see his first collegiate action as a reserve at third base and shortstop.
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Junior John Poppert, who split starting backstop duties with senior Clayton McCullough last season, will get the majority of starts in 2003. Poppert, who has been called "the best-throwing catcher I've ever coached" by Mazey, will get a chance to showcase his defensive abilities as well as prove his progress at the plate as he is the only Pirate catcher with college game experience entering the season. He batted .250 in 60 at-bats last season.
Behind Poppert are redshirt freshman Adam Witter and true freshman Jake Smith, both of whom could see spot starts during the season.
