Pirate Baseball Opens Season at College of Charleston
February 10, 2005 | Baseball
The 2005 Pirates return a number of key contributors from last year's record-breaking club but also lost several all-america and all-conference performers. Seven Pirates were drafted last season, five of which still had one year of eligibility remaining. Due to the early departures and losses to graduation, coach Mazey and his staff will look for reserve players from last year as well as several newcomers to step up and continue to success enjoyed by the program in recent years.
Newcomer Jeff Ostrander, a left-hander from Louisburg College will likely make his first start as a Pirate this weekend in the season opener. Sophomore Shane Mathews is the probable starter for ECU on Saturday. Mathews enjoyed a very successful freshman season, ranking third on the team in appearances (18), games started (11), innings pitched (77.1), wins (7) and strikeouts (54).
Senior shortstop Billy Richardson will likely get the Pirate lineup started in the leadoff spot. Richardson ranked second on the team last season with 15 stolen bases. Junior third baseman Mark Minicozzi is the top returning offensive player for ECU, batting .342 with 10 homers and 50 RBI in '04. Minicozzi, preseason all-conference selection, will be joined by catcher Jake Smith, outfielder Drew Costanzo and outfielder/designated hitter Mike Grace in the middle of the Pirate lineup.
ABOUT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Like the Pirates, the Cougars are also coming off arguably the most successful season in school history. The team set school and Southern Conference records for overall wins (47) as well as conference wins (25). Nine of ten players who earned All-SoCon honors a season ago return for CofC head coach John Pawlowski ... Senior outfielder Brian Barber, who finished the 2004 season with 107 hits and a .410 batting average, leads a Cougar offense that scored 535 runs (8.49 runs per game). Fellow outfielder Brett Anderson returns to the middle of the Cougar lineup after hitting 16 homeruns in 2004 ... Despite Anderson's power numbers, CofC relied more on speed, hitting only 49 homeruns as a team and stealing 112 bases last season compared to only 48 by their opponents ... Eight of nine Cougars who batted over .300 last year return in 2005 ... Starting pitchers Reid Price (3.20 ERA, 7-4 record) and Ryan Edell (3.67 ERA, 8-2 record) will lead a pitching staff that compiled an ERA of 4.35, holding opponents to a .268 batting average in '04 ... First-team All-SoCon relief pitcher Brett Harker returns after collecting 13 saves as a sophomore in 2004.
PIRATES ALL-TIME VS. THE COUGARS
East Carolina leads the all-time series vs. College of Charleston, 4-1. The last time the two teams met was during the 1999 season at Harrington Field in Greenville. The Pirates, led by head coach Keith LeClair, swept a doubleheader from the Cougars. ECU won the first contest 11-10 in 10 innings and took the second game by a score of 8-3 in seven innings. Kevyn Fulcher (game one) and Brooks Jernigan (game two) earned the wins for the Pirates.
