Game Day Central: Pirates Host Cavaliers In 2015 Season Opener
February 13, 2015 | Baseball
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| East Carolina vs. (2) Virginia Feb. 13, 2015 | 3 p.m. (EST) Greenville, N.C. RADIO: WNCT 1070 AM |
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THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAME
? Friday's game will mark the 80th season of East Carolina Baseball ... In its storied history, the Pirates won the 1961 NAIA National Championship, have claimed 23 conference titles (13 regular season/ 10 tournament), made 26 NCAA Regionals and advanced to three Super Regionals (2001, 2004 and 2009).
? The Cliff Godwin Era will get underway Friday afternoon after he was named the 16th head coach in school history on June 25, 2014 ... Godwin, a four-year letterwinner for the Pirates from 1998-2001, has made seven NCAA Regional and two College World Series appearances at the Division I level as an assistant coach most recently helping Ole Miss to its first CWS appearance since 1972 ... As a player, he helped former ECU skipper Keith LeClair's teams post a 169-76 four-year ledger, including 46-plus wins in each of his final three seasons (16-16 in '99, 46-18 in '00 and 47-13 in '01) ... ECU won a pair of CAA Tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Regionals every season from 1999 to 2001 ... The Pirates were the top seed in their regional all three years, including a No. 6 national seed in 2001 where they advanced to the Super Regional round before being eliminated by Tennessee.
? The Pirates will look to snap a six-game skid against the Cavaliers, which dates back to the 2011 Charlottesville Regional (L, 13-1 on June 5) ... Virginia has won 9 of the last 10 in the series with ECU's lone win coming on Feb. 27, 2011 in Charlottesville, 4-3.
? ECU returns 15 letterwinners in 2015 including 2014 All-Conference USA Freshman Team selections Bryce Harman and Charlie Yorgen, as well as 2013 All C-USA performers David Lucroy and Travis Watkins.
? Also stepping onto the diamond are 11 newcomers, which consist of three junior college transfers in Jimmy Boyd (Brunswick CC), Parker Lamm (Pitt CC) and Jeff Nelson (Pierce College) and eight true freshmen in Ryan Clinch, Ross Gardner, Joe Ingle, Mason Keen, Jackson Mims, Jack Owens, Bailey Sugg and Evan Voliva to go along with redshirt freshman Cameron Snow ... The pitching trio of Davis Kirkpatrick, T.J. McDonald and Brandon Saunders will miss the entire 2015 season due to injuries.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday: LHP Nathan Kirby (9-3, 2.06 ERA in `14) vs. LHP Evan Kruczynski (0-0, 18.00 ERA in '14)
Saturday (Game 1): RHP Connor Jones (4-1, 3.13 ERA) vs. LHP Jacob Wolfe (0-0, 2.35 ERA)
Saturday (Game 2): LHP Brandon Waddell (10-3, 2.45 ERA) vs. TBA
PIRATES TO WATCH
? Kruczynski Notes: Slated to make his first collegiate start against the Cavaliers in the 2015 season opener ... Appeared in three games as a true freshman working one total inning where he allowed two runs (both earned) on three hits with a walk and strikeout ... Played for the Lakeshore Chinooks of the Northwoods League helping them to a 50-21 record, which included a perfect 7-0 run through the playoffs to claim the league title in just the teams third year of existence ... Posted a 6-3 record with a 2.78 ERA in 55 innings ... Closed out his summer working into the sixth inning in six consecutive starts recording a 5-0 record with 20 strikeouts, while allowing just six earned runs in 38.1 innings (1.41 ERA) ... To go along with the league title, the Chinooks were named Perfect Game's Summer Collegiate Team-of-the-Year.
? Wolfe Notes: Scheduled to make his first collegiate start in game one of the Saturday doubleheader ... Appeared in 10 games out of the bullpen during initial year with the program ... Made collegiate debut against James Madison (Feb. 15) facing two batters recording an out and walking one ... Sported the fourth-lowest ERA on the squad (2.35) ... Allowed three runs (two earned) on 12 hits with six strikeouts to four walks in 7.2 innings ... Tossed a career-long 3.2 innings against Marshall (Mar. 8) in game one of doubleheader surrendering a run on four hits ... Over the summer played for the Asheboro Copperheads of the Coastal Plain League ... Appeared in 11 games out of the bullpen posting an 0-1 record with a 2.77 ERA ... Allowed seven runs (four earned) in 13.0 innings to go along with eight punch-outs.
? Redshirt sophomore Travis Watkins is set to return to the diamond as the Pirates top catcher after suffering a season-ending injury just one month into his sophomore season ... He is a two-time Johnny Bench Award Watch List candidate and in 2013 earned Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors after batting .267 (28-for-105) with four doubles and 16 RBI ... In 2014 he played in nine games making eight starts where he batted .360 (9-for-25) with five RBI.
? Senior Reid Love will miss the opening weekend against the Cavaliers after suffering a hand injury during preseason practice ... The Dunnellon, Fla. native and team co-captain is hopeful to return for the 2015 LeClair Classic (Feb. 20-22) ... Last year he appeared in 16 games making 13 starts ... Posted a 5-3 record with a 3.02 ERA ... Allowed 35 runs (27 earned) on 73 hits with 40 strikeouts and 20 walks in 80.1 innings ... Weekend starter that moved into the Friday night slot following Jeff Hoffman's season-ending injury ... Tossed three complete games (UMBC, North Carolina, UTSA) on the season ... Threw a pair of complete game shutouts (UMBC, UNC), while combining on another (Marshall) ... Recorded first shutout against UMBC (Mar. 28) allowing six hits, one walk and striking out six in a 6-0 victory ... Earned Conference USA Pitcher-of-the-Week honors (May 5) following complete game shutout at UNC (Apr. 29) where he scattered five hits and struck out a season-high seven batters ... Against Marshall in game two of a doubleheader, tossed 5.1 scoreless frames with five strikeouts and three walks in a 1-0 win ... Did not allow a run in five outings (three starts) ... Held opposing hitters to a .244 composite batting average ... Recorded four quality starts (Tulane, UMBC, UNC, UTSA).
