2005 ECU Baseball Preview
January 28, 2005 | Baseball
Seven Pirates from the 2004 squad were taken in the Major League Baseball Amateur player draft, five of which still had a year of eligibility remaining. Mazey will look to rely on a combination of a solid core of returning upperclassman as well as a talented group of junior college and freshman newcomers.
The 2005 Pirates will play a 34-game home schedule this season in new Clark-LeClair Stadium. The entire schedule features 23 games against 12 different teams that participated in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. The highlight of the schedule is the opening weekend in the new ballpark for the Second Annual Keith LeClair Classic. The weekend classic will take place March 4-6 and will feature ECU, Arizona State, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and North Carolina. Once again, Mazey, his coaching staff and his players have one ultimate goal in mind ... reaching Omaha.
CATCHERS
One of the key players this year for the Pirates will be junior catcher Jake Smith. Smith, a Conference USA All-Freshman selection in 2003, takes over the starting position full-time after the graduation of John Poppert. Despite battling injuries last season Smith batted .293 in 41 games with 27 hits and 13 runs batted in. In his freshman campaign, Smith hit .284 with 10 homeruns and 26 RBI in 46 games, 42 of which he started. His 10 homeruns in 2003 led all conference freshmen that season. Jake will be called upon to handle a young pitching staff as well as provide power in the middle of the ECU lineup.
Backing up Smith will be newcomers Adam Hodges and Brad Stephenson. Hodges, a junior college transfer from Louisburg College, showed signs of becoming a good hitter in fall practice and will likely see time as a pinch hitter and DH. Stephenson, a freshman from Chesapeake, Va., also showed signs in the fall of becoming a contributor after displaying excellent skills not only behind the plate, but in the batter's box.
First baseman Adam Witter, a former catcher, is also a capable choice behind the plate and may see time if necessary.
INFIELD
Junior third baseman Mark Minicozzi has been a mainstay in the Pirates' lineup the last two seasons. A Preseason All-Conference USA selection, Minicozzi has made a name for himself at the hot corner and at the plate. He hit .342 a season ago with 10 homeruns and 50 RBI while excelling defensively with a .959 fielding percentage with only seven errors in 115 chances. Mazey and his staff are hoping for a break out year for Minicozzi batting in the middle of the order.
Solidifying one of the strongest left-sides of the infield in college baseball will be shortstop Billy Richardson. The 5'8" senior will need to continue to improve offensively and make great plays on the diamond for the Pirates to be successful.
"Billy has been a great leader for us," ECU head coach Randy Mazey said. "We are expecting him to have a break-out year offensively. He is as good of a defensive shortstop as there is."
Starters on the other side of the diamond will likely be newcomers Dale Mollenhauer at second and Ryan Peisel at first. Senior Brett Lindgren will probably see the majority of his playing time at second base but may see time at other infield spots. Lindgren, an important role player a season ago off the bench, should see considerably more playing time this season. Witter will back up Peisel at first and will see time at DH against right-handed pitchers. He will also be called upon in late innings to pinch-hit against right-handers. Freshman Stephen Batts, a back-up goalie on the ECU men's soccer team, wasn't able to practice with the team in the fall but has shown the ability to hit the ball with authority and should fight for playing time in the infield.
OUTFIELD
The only returning starter from last year's outfield is senior Drew Costanzo. A season ago, the left fielder hit .320 and drove in 38 runs for the Pirates. A starter for 51 games in '04, Costanzo ranked third on the team in walks (32) and fourth in on-base percentage (.427). The coaching staff is expecting Costanzo to continue to do big things for the team this season.
Centerfield should be patrolled by junior college transfer Jay Mattox. A former fourth-round pick out of high school, Mattox was named SEBaseball.com's Preseason C-USA Rookie-of-the-Year. He is going to need to have a big year offensively for the team to be successful.
Freshman Harrison Eldridge will likely start in right field with Brian Cavanaugh and Jamie Ray also battling for playing time. Eldridge, small in stature at 5'6", will replace speed at the top of the order and on the basepaths this season with the loss of Jamie Paige to graduation.
"Harrison has a lot of similarities to Jamie Paige and Ryan Jones. He should be able to help us in the lead-off spot this year," Mazey added.
Sophomore Mike Grace returns as a back-up outfielder but will likely fill the role of the primary designated hitter for Mazey's club. He will be relied upon to be the power source for ECU this season in the heart of the order.
Cavanaugh, a solid defensive outfielder, should see plenty of action in spot starts as well as pinch-running situations and as a defensive replacement late in ballgames. Ray will see time in the outfield and is projected to be a great player down the road.
STARTERS
The rotation returns two regular starters in sophomore Shane Mathews and senior Brody Taylor. Mathews earned a number of accolades his freshman season, including C-USA All-Freshman honors as well as being named to the Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America team. Despite moving into the rotation midway through the season, Mathews finished with a record of 7-1 and a 3.72 ERA.
Taylor, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, started 15 games for the Pirates in 2004 and finished with a perfect 8-0 record. The senior southpaw threw 85.1 innings, striking out 63 batters while only walking 16. The Pirates will need Taylor to return to 100 percent as soon as possible to set the rotation and develop consistency with the starting staff.
Hard-throwing sophomore Ricky Brooks will be looked upon to step up and help fill the void left by the early departure of All-America pitcher Greg Bunn.
"We're counting on Ricky to be one of our top three guys this year," Mazey said. "He is a very talented young man and hopefully he can have a big year for us.
Other possible starters for pitching coach Tommy Eason's staff include senior right-hander Carter Harrell, senior lefty P.J. Connelly and junior college transfer Jeff Ostrander. Harrell, who started six games a season ago and finished with a 5-2 record and a 3.00 ERA, is coming off arm surgery and will need to be healthy down the stretch for the Pirates. Connelly, who made four starts a season ago, will be counted on to throw a lot of innings this season. Ostrander, a recent addition to the ballclub, may also likely make some starts throughout the year.
BULLPEN
The bullpen returns all but one key contributor from a season ago and could possibly be the strength of the 2005 team. Junior Kevin Rhodes and sophomore Mike Flye will look to lead a young but talented bullpen into the season.
Rhodes is coming off a great year and Mazey hopes that will continue into the '05 season. He finished last season with a 5-1 record and an ERA of 2.87 in 37.2 innings of work with 28 strikeouts.
Flye, a right-hander who struck out 36 batters in 33 innings of work, led the Pirates with five saves a season ago.
"Mike is a very talented guy with a strong arm. He had some great games for us as a freshman and we are expecting big things out of him this year," said Mazey.
A number of guys could fill the closer role but newcomer T.J. Hose will likely be the last guy out of the pen for the Pirates.
"T.J. has a great arm and a great mentality. We are expecting big things out of him during his four years here," Mazey said.
Coach Mazey has a number of arms returning in the pen that will eat up middle innings throughout the season.
Right-handed relievers include newcomer Chad Jennings, redshirt freshman Brett Braxton and Chris Powell as well as newcomer Cody Leggett. Left-handed relievers out of the pen include junior Scott Andrews, redshirt sophomores Jason Neitz and John Westbrooks as well as redshirt freshman Will Anderson.
Dustin Sasser, who led all Pirates in 2004 with 20 appearances, will miss the 2005 season due to "Tommy John" surgery.
