2006 East Carolina Baseball Outlook
February 08, 2006 | Baseball
Feb. 8, 2006
Clark-LeClair Parking Map (PDF)
East Carolina first-year head coach Billy Godwin and his staff will look to keep the Pirates among the elite in college baseball and a new look Conference USA with their eye on an eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2006.
Four Pirates from the 2005 squad were taken in the Major League Baseball Amateur player draft, two of which (Ricky Brooks and Mark Minicozzi) still had eligibility remaining. Godwin will look to rely on an experienced pitching staff which welcomes back Carter Harrell, Brody Taylor, Shane Mathews and Dustin Sasser, all who sat out the 2005 season due to injuries. A strong mix of upperclassman, junior college transfers and freshman will help the Pirates compete for their second C-USA championship in three years.
The 2006 Pirates will play a 37-game home schedule this season in Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium, which includes 15 consecutive games to open the season. During the 15-game home stand, ECU will face three Atlantic Coast Conference teams in Maryland, Virginia Tech and Duke, as well as post-season participants College of Charleston, Coastal Carolina, Marist and N.C. A&T.
Also on the 2006 docket are a trio of three-game series against perennial national powers Rice (2003 National Champions), Cal State Fullerton (2004 National Champions) and Tulane (2005 College World Series participant).
CATCHERS
Jake Smith returns for his senior season as one of the essential team leaders heading into the 2006 season. Smith, who was a C-USA All-Freshman performer in 2003, has been plagued by knee injuries the past two seasons, including an injury that kept him out of ECU's final nine games in down the stretch in `05. The 6-2, 217-pound Greensboro native hit .259 last season with four home runs, 31 RBI and 33 runs scored. In his career, Smith has 16 homers, 70 RBI and 67 runs while hitting at a .276 clip.
"Jake had a great fall practice, especially since he is coming off an injury from the last-third of the year," head coach Billy Godwin said. "We are really pleased with his progress physically and mentally. He will be a leader on this club."
Smith will be backed up behind the plate by senior Adam Hodges. Last year, Hodges played in 23 games while starting one as a designated hitter. The Rockingham native and Louisburg College transfer was used primarily as a reserve catcher and will likely fill that role again this season. Hodges hit .250 (7-for-28) with two RBI and one run scored in `05.
"Adam has a legitimate shot to hit everyday in our lineup," Godwin said. "From a catching standpoint, he gives us depth behind the plate and we have seen him make great strides as a catcher."
Andrew Fritz, a transfer from Young Harris Junior College in Georgia, is recovering from shoulder surgery and will miss the entire 2006 season.
INFIELDERS
Adam Witter, another key leader of this year's senior class, will take over the full-time spot at first base and provide power in the middle of the Pirate lineup. The Pennsylvania native served in a key utility role last season, starting 24 games at first base,14 games at DH and nine at catcher. He ranked third on the team last season with a .328 average, hitting seven home runs while driving in 33.
"We think Adam Witter has a chance to hit 15-plus homeruns while hitting in the heart of our order," Godwin said. "He is a guy that can really carry this club offensively."
Also returning to the Pirate infield will be sophomore Dale Mollenhauer. As a C-USA All-Freshman performer in 2005, Mollenhauer hit .327 with four home runs, 38 RBI and 31 runs scored while splitting time between second and shortstop. This season, Mollenhauer will take over at shortstop after the departure of Billy Richardson. The 6-0, 169-pound Gibsonia, Pa. native will likely hit second or third and be an important part of ECU's success offensively.
Newcomer Jake Dean will start the season at the hot corner, replacing three-year starter Mark Minicozzi. Dean, who transferred in from Kansas City Kansas Community College, is the front-runner to replace Minicozzi at third. While at KCKCC, Dean hit .321 with 23 home runs and 128 RBI in a two-year stint.
The battle for the second base job will come down to a pair of newcomers, Drew Schieber and Chris Buss. Schieber, a 5-11 freshman from Blue Springs, Mo., was named the Offensive Player-of-the-Year at Blue Springs High School his junior and senior seasons at shortstop. Buss, a 6-2 freshman from Minnesota, started five years on the varsity squad, one at third base as an eighth grader and his final four at shortstop.
Redshirt freshman Stephen Batts will likely back-up Dean at third with newcomer Ryan Wood backing up Mollenhauer at short. Batts, who came to ECU as a goalie on the men's soccer team, has the versatility to play at all four infield positions. Wood, a 6-4 freshman from Woodbridge, Va., hit .460 with 25 RBI and 16 stolen bases his senior season at Hylton High School.
OUTFIELDERS
ECU returns more experience in the outfield with projected starters Harrison Eldridge, Jamie Ray and Jay Mattox all back after seeing time in the lineup last year.
Eldridge, a 5-7 sophomore, returns with the most experience of the bunch, playing in 59 games while starting 46 in right in his freshman campaign. The Knoxville, Tenn. native was fifth on the team with a .313 average while also tallying 34 RBI and 27 runs.
Ray is faced with the difficult job of replacing Brian Cavanaugh, ECU's team leader and top C-USA hitter in 2005. Ray, who appeared in 36 games with 13 starts, batted .359 (28-for-78), serving primarily as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner.
Jay Mattox will likely replace Drew Costanzo in left after serving as a back-up outfielder in `05. Mattox, who originally signed with LSU out of high school and came to ECU from Chipola Junior College, hit .286 (18-for-63) and played in just 27 games while battling a back injury.
"Jay physically has some of the best tools you will ever see in a ball player," Godwin said. "We have worked hard with Jay to be a better baseball player and use those physical skills."
Newcomers Brandon Henderson (Alpharetta, Ga.) and Ryan Tousley (West Des Moines, Iowa) will serve as the team's back-up outfielders. Henderson, a 6-0 freshman, was named team MVP at Milton High after hitting .420 his senior season. Tousley, a junior college transfer by way of Johnson County Community College in Tennessee hit .356 with 79 RBI and 73 runs in two seasons at JCCC.
DESIGNATED HITTER
Tousley will likely start the season as the primary designated hitter for coach Godwin. Other possibilities at the DH spot include Wood, Hodges and Buss. Smith could also see occasional time at DH when Hodges spells him at the catcher position.
STARTING PITCHERS
The rotation is a big question mark for the Pirates heading into the 2006 season. Nine different pitchers made multiple starts in 2005 due to the amount of injuries the staff suffered prior to and during the season.
T.J. Hose, who started last season as the Pirates closer, enters the `06 campaign as the most experienced starter, having made 10 starts down the stretch for ECU last season. Hose, who led the Pirates last year with seven wins and 81 1/3 innings pitched, will be the Pirates' ace entering the season.
"T.J. is as solid as they get on the mound and we are counting on him," said Godwin. Without question, he will be one of our weekend guys."
After Hose, the starting spots are up for grabs. Luckily for coach Godwin and his staff, there are a lot of arms to choose from.
Shane Mathews, Brody Taylor, Carter Harrell and Dustin Sasser, all pitchers who missed the 2005 season with injuries, could all fit into the mix in the rotation in `06 if completely healthy. The four pitchers combined for a record of 22-3 and an ERA of 3.99 in 2004 with Mathews and Taylor working as weekend starters, Harrell splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen and Sasser working mostly in relief.
The likely starting rotation could feature Hose, Mathews, Sasser, Taylor and Harrell for weekend and mid-week appearances.
"If you look at our staff from top to bottom, we have six to eight guys, minus their injury set-backs, who we could classify as a Friday night type-guy at any Division I program," Godwin said.
Jeff Ostrander, who worked as the Pirates' top starter early in 2005, missed most of the season after having Tommy John surgery and will likely miss the 2006 season rehabilitating his elbow.
"With the exception of Ostrander, I expect all of our injured pitchers from last year to be close to 100 percent when we open the season against Maryland on Feb. 10," Godwin said.
RELIEF PITCHERS
Seniors Scott Andrews and Kevin Rhodes and junior Mike Flye will carry the load for the Pirates out of the bullpen this year. All three hurlers saw time as starters in 2005 due to injuries to the starting staff but return to the pen in 2006.
Rhodes, who went 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA, will likely return to a more comfortable role as the Pirates' closer after starting four games down the stretch in `05. The right-handed hurler with a side-arm delivery is 8-2 in his career with a 3.91 ERA in 91 1/3 innings.
"I think Kevin adds a lot of deception with his delivery. He fits the bill as a closer because his demeanor is not too high or too low and he is always business as usual."
Flye, who also is more accustomed to relief work, returns to the bullpen as a likely set-up man after starting eight games last year. Andrews, a 2003 walk-on, will be coach Godwin's top lefty reliever and will likely return to a similar role he served last season. Appearing in 19 games while starting four, Andrews could also be available for mid-week spot starts against left-handed hitting heavy lineups.
Jason Neitz, Cody Leggett and Chris Powell all return to the bullpen and will add depth. Powell has the ability to start if needed, having made a pair of starts in 16 appearances last season while Leggett and Neitz made 13 and nine appearances in relief respectively in `05.
"If we gave a comeback player-of-the-year award in the fall it would go to Jason Neitz for the pitchers. He really pitched well overall this fall and we expect him to be a bulldog for us."
The Pirates will welcome four newcomers to the pitching staff this year. Chad Jennings, who joined the team prior to last season, will see time on the mound after sitting out as a redshirt. Jennings will be joined by newcomers Josh Dowdy (Raleigh, N.C.), Michael Hill (Proctorville, Ohio) and Chase Hooper (Buxton, N.C.). Dowdy struck out 85 batters and posted a 1.06 ERA his senior season while Hill finished his senior campaign with a record of 7-2 and a 1.12 ERA.
"We have two freshman pitchers (Michael Hill and Josh Dowdy) that we are really excited about. I believe they could step in right now and compete right away and the team would not skip a beat."
