| |
| Charlottesville Regional |
| |
 |
|
|
| |
| Hitting |
| Stats |
Virginia |
East Carolina |
St. John's |
Navy |
| Record |
49-9 |
39-19 |
35-20 |
33-23-1 |
| Avg. |
.303 |
.299 |
.285 |
.276 |
| At-Bats |
1987 |
2014 |
1905 |
1889 |
|
| Runs |
414 |
322 |
371 |
357 |
| Hits |
603 |
602 |
543 |
521 |
| RBI |
381 |
297 |
327 |
300 |
| Home Runs |
20 |
35 |
37 |
21 |
| Field Pct. |
.980 |
.970 |
.969 |
.963 |
| Pitching |
| Stats |
Virginia |
East Carolina |
St. John's |
Navy |
| ERA |
2.34 |
2.58 |
4.04 |
4.94 |
| IP |
520.0 |
526.0 |
487.1 |
484.1 |
| Runs |
159 |
202 |
253 |
319 |
| ERs |
135 |
151 |
219 |
266 |
| Strikeouts |
571 |
459 |
386 |
414 |
| Walks |
133 |
173 |
212 |
228 |
| Hits |
383 |
456 |
468 |
534 |
| Opp. BA |
.212 |
.236 |
.257 |
.280 |
| |
| Regional Central |
Virginia | East Carolina | St. John's | Navy
Interactive Bracket l NCAA Baseball | Conference USA Baseball
ECU Fact Book l Interactive Guide l ECU Gameday Central
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Compiled from several regional previews
GREENVILLE, N.C.- Twenty-third ranked East Carolina makes its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 13 years and 25th overall this week Charlottesville, Va. The Pirates (39-19) opens play against St. John's (35-20) Friday, June 3 at 6 p.m. (EDT). The region's top seed is Virginia (49-19), which earned the overall No. 1 national seed, will take on Patriot League champion Navy (33-23-1) at 1 p.m.
Scouting Virginia:
The Cavaliers captured the 2011 ACC Coastal Division title as well as the ACC tournament championship last week. UVa will be competing in its eighth-consecutive NCAA tournament and is one of 13 schools to play in each of the last eight tournaments. Virginia will serve as a regional host site for the fifth time - all in the last eight years (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011). Offensively the Cavaliers enter the post-season with a .303 batting average and are led by junior's John Hicks (.338/6 HR/50 RBI) and Steven Proscia (.333/7/53) as well as sophomore Chris Taylor (.293/2/42). They rank sixth nationally in doubles per game (2.34) and 17th in scoring (7.1 runs per game). On the mound however is where UVa shines as they have allowed just 2.7 runs per game and have outscored their opponents by 4.4 runs per game, both tops in the nation. Junior Danny Hultzen (10-3, 1.59 ERA, 136 Ks in 96 IP) leads a pitching staff that ranks first in strikeouts per nine innings (9.9), ranks second in ERA (2.34), third in fewest hits per nine (6.8) and fifth in fewest walks per nine (2.3). The rest of the rotation is solid, too, with Will Roberts (10-1, 1.78 ERA, 76 Ks), Tyler Wilson (7-0, 2.41 ERA, 104 Ks) and Cody Winiarski (6-3, 3.25 ERA, 52 Ks) leading the way.
Scouting East Carolina:
ECU received an at-large berth in the tournament and is anchored by its strong pitching staff, which owns a C-USA-best 2.58 ERA (seventh nationally). A rock-solid weekend rotation features junior Mike Wright (6-3, 2.84), senior Seth Maness (9-3, 1.88) and junior Kevin Brandt (7-3, 2.26). The bullpen has one of the best one-two punches anywhere in senior righties Brad Mincey (9-3, 1.88, three saves) and Seth Simmons (6-2, 2.56, six saves). More quality arms like Zach Woods (2-2, 3.29) and Shawn Armstrong (3-1, 4.22) give the Pirates one of the deepest staffs in the country. Senior Trent Whitehead has returned to form after a slow start in 2011 and leads the team in hits (77), doubles (20), stolen bases (16) and batting average (.322). A pair of solid run producers in juniors Corey Thompson (.330/5/45) and Zach Wright (.278/13/39) has helped the Pirates record 12 wins in its last 15 games.
Scouting St. John's:
The Red Storm received an at-large berth in the field after finishing as the runner-up to Seton Hall at the Big East tournament. Junior shortstop Joe Panik, a semi-finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, leads the team with a .402 average, while belting nine home runs and collecting 56 RBI. Outfielder Jeremy Baltz captured first-team All-America honors as a freshman, and while he hasn't hit for nearly as much power as a sophomore, he remains a dangerous run producer in the middle of the lineup, hitting .312 with six homers and 58 RBIs. Veterans Matt Wessinger (.274/6/42) and Paul Karmas (.319/5/40) make this a dangerous heart of the order for opposing pitchers. Right-hander Kyle Hansen anchors the pitching staff with an 8-6 record and 2.70 ERA in 103.1 innings, while closer Matt Carasiti owns a 2.52 ERA with seven saves and 37 punch outs in 27 appearances.
Scouting Navy:
Navy earned the Patriot League's automatic berth after winning the league's championship series, two games to one, over rival Army and will be appearing in its first NCAA tournament since 2002. The Midshipmen, who rank 17th nationally with 22 triples, and five regulars have 10 or more doubles, led by Alex Azor, Greg Dupell and Dave Milanes with 14 apiece. Taylor Cato (.342/0/14) leads the team in batting, while Azor is hitting .332 with a team-high 75 hits. The pitching staff carried Navy through to the Patriot League tournament allowing two runs in three games against Bucknell in the semifinals, then held Army to three runs in each of the two games they won in the championship series. Ace right-hander Ben Nelson (6-5, 4.64) followed up his stellar freshman year with a solid sophomore season as the staff workhorse. The bullpen is the biggest strength of the pitching staff, as Joel Rinehart (1.88, six saves), Preston Gainey (2.40, four saves) and Wes Olson (7-1, 2.51, two saves) form a very reliable relief trio.
2011 NCAA CHARLOTTESVILLE REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, June 3
Game 1: (4) Navy vs. (1) Virginia (1 p.m.)
Game 2: (3) St. John's vs. (2) East Carolina (6 p.m.)
Saturday, June 4
Game 3: 1 p.m.
Game 4: 6 p.m.
Sunday, June 5
Game 5: 1 p.m.
Game 6: 6 p.m.
Monday, June 6
Game 7: 6 p.m. - IF NECESSARY
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