No. 31 Pirates Host Wolfpack
February 18, 2003 | Baseball
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- East Carolina, ranked No. 31 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Assocation (NCBWA) poll, takes on regional rival North Carolina State on Wednesday afternoon (5 p.m.) at Harrington Field. The Pirates are 3-0 after opening their season with a three-game sweep of visiting Western Carolina this past weekend. The Wolfpack, which enters the game with a 3-2 record, has won 51 of its 83 all-time meetings with ECU.
Highlights of the Opening Weekend
Pitching Supreme
The Pirate pitching staff posted a team earned run average of 1.67 through its first three games, serving notice of the continuation of a multi-year trend. Last season, the team ERA was 3.64, which ranked 16th in the nation. It marked the third time in the last four years that the staff's ERA ranked 16th or better. Prior to this season, the Pirates had a cumulative 3.89 ERA over the past four years.
About the Wolfpack
NC State enters today's game with a 3-2 record, having swept two games at Elon and losing two of three games at UCLA this past weekend. The Wolfpack returns eight position starters from last season's team that went 33-26 overall and finished seventh in the ACC. Slugging catcher Colt Morton already has three home runs this season after belting 13 in 2002. Utility player Justin Riley hit .356 with nine homers and 57 RBI last season. NC State and ECU last meet in 2001 with the Pirates winning in Raleigh, 6-4 in 11 innings, and in Greenville, 9-3.
