Game Day Central: ECU Eyes Sweep Of Monmouth
March 06, 2015 | Baseball
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| East Carolina vs. Monmouth Mar. 8, 2015 | 1 p.m. (ET) Greenville, N.C. RADIO: WNCT 1070 AM |
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THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE WEEKEND
? East Carolina continues its six-game home stand playing host to Monmouth ... The Pirates have won six of their last eight games after dropping all three contests to start the season against nationally-ranked Virginia at home ... Earlier this week ECU split a pair of midweek games falling at instate rival NC State 7-0 before rebounding for a 9-7 win over former CAA and C-USA foe Old Dominion ... ECU holds a 14-3 series advantage over Monmouth and has won 8 of the last 10 dating back to 2009.
? Monmouth enters the weekend series winless on the season dropping road series at Dallas Baptist (15-1, 6-1, 7-2) and at Florida Atlantic (9-5, 11-0, 9-0) ... Last Friday at FAU, senior catcher Kyle Perry picked up his second career game with multiple extra base hits, and his first since last April 18 at Fairfield ... On the same night, senior center fielder Steve Wilgus recorded his 14th career three-hit game.
PIRATE QUICK HITS
? Luke Lowery earned his second-straight AAC Honor Roll nod following the Pirates' 3-0 week ... The junior batted .600 (6-for-10) with a home run, six RBI and reached base nine times, including all six times in ECU's 14-3 win over UAlbany ... In nine games, he has already tied his single-season high with four homers and six walks.
? Bryce Harman leads the team with six doubles and four hit by pitches, while batting a team second-best .400 (10-for-25) in seven games ... He has reached base in all seven contests heading into the weekend.
? Parker Lamm has recorded at least one hit in 9 of 10 games (8-game hit streak snapped at NC State) ... He has tallied three multi-hit games and against Old Dominion reached base four times (three via walk).
? Evan Kruczynski notched his second win of the season tossing seven scoreless innings with a season-high six strikeouts against UAlbany ... On the season he is 2-1 with a0.49 ERA allowing three runs (one earned) in 18.1 IP with 14 strikeouts.
? Jacob Wolfe has made three starts on the season posting an 0-1 record with a 4.11 ERA ... Tossed career-best 6.2 innings vs. No. 24 Liberty and fanned a career-high four batters in his last start against UAlbany.
? David Lucroy picked up his lone win of the season in three starts against St. John's in the LeClair Classic ... Lucroy allowed one run (unearned) on five hits with a three strikeouts in seven innings of work.
? ECU's starting pitching boasts a 2.85 ERA in 11 games ... They have allowed 46 runs (31 ERs) with 58 strikeouts to 26 walks in 98.0 innings.
? The bullpen has surrendered 17 runs (13 earned) in 35.1 innings posting a 3.31 ERA ... They have allowed just two of 21 inherited runners to score (9.5 percent).
PROBABLE STARTERS
Saturday (G1): RHP Chris McKenna (0-1, 8.68 ERA) vs. LHP Evan Kruczynski (2-1, 0.49 ERA)
Saturday (G2): RHP T.J. Hunt (0-2, 13.50 ERA) vs. LHP Jacob Wolfe (0-1, 4.11 ERA)
Sunday: LHP Anthony Ciavarella (0-2, 6.75 ERA) vs. RHP David Lucroy (1-0, 2.50 ERA)
ECU'S HISTORY ON THE DIAMOND
? 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 PIRATES AT A GLANCE
? The Cliff Godwin Era officially got underway on Feb. 13 with a three-game series against No. 2 Virginia ... Godwin, who was named the 16th head coach in school history on June 25, 2014, was a four-year letterwinner for the Pirates from 1998-2001 ... He has been a part of seven NCAA Regional and two College World Series teams 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.
? 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); 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.
