East Carolina Hosts UAB in Conference USA Series
May 08, 2003 | Baseball
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- This weekend's three-game Conference USA series against UAB will be the final three home games of the season for East Carolina and the final games at Harrington Field for nine Pirate seniors.
Seniors Will Brinson, Luke Cherry, Kevin O'Sullivan, Davey Penny, Ben Sanderson, Neal Sears, Jason Tourangeau, Glenn Tucker and Taylor Williams will don the Purple-Gold for the final time at Harrington Field this weekend.
Game times are 7 p.m. on Friday, 6 p.m. on Saturday, and 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
ECU, 28-20-1 overall and 14-10 in Conference USA, is in fifth place in the C-USA standings by percentage points over South Florida and find themselves two games behind fourth place Houston and three games behind third place Tulane. Southern Miss and TCU are tied atop the league standings with an 18-6 conference record. UAB is 23-23 overall and 8-15 in C-USA, in ninth place; three games back of Charlotte for the eighth and final spot in the league's tournament.
After missing his last two starts due to injury, Penny (4-3, 2.38) is expected to return to the mound in the series opener on Friday for the first time since being knocked from game one of the TCU series by a line drive that hit him in the jaw. Penny ranks sixth in the league in ERA and is holding opposing hitters to a .227 batting average. He has made nine appearances this season, all starts, including two complete games.
Brinson (3-2, 4.86) is scheduled to start the second game of the series against the Blazers. Brinson has made 13 appearances, 11 starts, and issued just 19 walks in 64.2 innings pitched. He is in search of his first victory since defeating Memphis at Harrington Field on April 13. Brinson has earned just one decision in his last three starts.
Junior lefthander Ashley Capps (3-2, 5.74) will start the series finale for East Carolina. Capps has made 10 appearances this season, including eight starts. He began the season with a 3-0 record, but hasn't won since defeating Appalachian State at home on March 9.
UAB is expected to go with the rotation of senior right-hander Lucas Trotter (4-3, 3.89), senior lefthander Jon Burgett (4-4, 5.08), and senior right-hander Scott Gibson (5-2, 2.60).
The Pirates lead the all-time series 3-0, sweeping the three-game set in Birmingham lat season by scores of 3-2, 13-3, and 6-3.
