Game Day Central: ECU Hosts Tulane In Conference Play
April 01, 2015 | Baseball
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| East Carolina vs. Tulane Apr. 4, 2015 | 12 Noon (ET) Greenville, N.C. RADIO: WNCT 1070 AM |
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THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAME (prior to series)
? East Carolina (17-12, 1-2 AAC) will look to get back to its winning ways when Tulane (19-10, 1-2 AAC) for a three game series starting Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. ... With it being Easter Weekend, the Pirates will also play the Green Wave on Friday (6:30 p.m.) and Saturday (12 Noon) ... ECU has lost six of its last 10 games after starting the season 13-6 ... Over their last 10 games, the Green Wave have posted a 5-5 record ... In the series, which dates back to 2002, both teams has split the last 10 contests with ECU winning the last C-USA series in 2014 ... The Green Wave holds a 27-18 all-time advantage.
? Tulane is coming off a midweek win at UNC Wilmington, 8-4 ... Stephen Alemais continues to swing a hot bat, as he enters the weekend series as the Green Wave's top hitter at .350 ... John Gandolfo homered for the second time this season on Tuesday night at UNCW, and his average of .280 is good for second on the squad ... The team is hitting .247 ... Seven hitters have posted double-digit RBI totals - up from five from a year ago - with Hunter Hope leading the way with 16.
PIRATE QUICK HITS
? East Carolina enters this weekends action having dropped six of its last eight games including its first-ever American series, which came against Memphis last weekend in the league opener.
? Reid Love will make his third start of the season in the weekend series opener ... The lefty also got starts against ODU and UNCW allowing four runs in each contest and working into the fifth frame ... He has appeared in 12 games recording a team-best three saves.
? Evan Kruczynski has won 5 of his last 6 outings (one ND) ... Tossed second career complete game in the AAC opener against Memphis allowing one run with six strikeouts ... Other was against Monmouth (2-Hit, SHO) ... Ranks among NCAA leaders in CGs (2/6th), wins (14th) and ERA (26th) ... Recorded five quality starts in seven appearances.
? David Lucroy owns a 2-1 record with a 1.62 ERA ... In seven starts has recorded 30 strikeouts to just 12 walks in 39.0 innings ... Fanned season-high nine batters vs. Memphis ... Had shortest outing of the season vs. VCU going 3.2 innings allowing two runs on six hits.
? Jacob Wolfe, the usual Saturday starter, will be available this weekend out of the bullpen ... Tossed 6.0 SHO frames vs. MON with 6Ks in first collegiate win ... Worked into the fifth inning in four-straight starts.
? Luke Lowery leads the team in eight offensive categories ... Ranks among national leaders in HRs (6th), slugging pct. (9th/.732) and on-base pct. (23rd/.505) ... On Mar. 16th earned AAC Hitter, Collegiate Baseball and CollegeSportsMadess National Player and NCAA.com Player-of-the-Week honors.
? Travis Watkins was named to the initial Johnny Bench Award Watch List (Mar. 11) marking the third-straight season on the list ... AAC Honor Roll selection (Mar. 9) ... The redshirt-sophomore, who is batting .379 on the season, saw his career-best 14 game hit streak come to an end vs. VCU.
? Bryce Harman is third on the team with a .330 BA ... Leads club in 2Bs (9), Rs (23), HBPs (8).
? ECU's starting pitching boasts a 2.49 ERA through 29 games ... Allowed 72 runs (46 ERs) with 105 strikeouts to 35 walks in 166.0 innings.
? The bullpen has surrendered 41 runs (32 earned) in 93.0 innings posting a 3.10 ERA ... They have allowed 13 of 48 inherited runners to score (27.1 percent).
PROBABLE STARTERS
Thursday: RHP Corey Merrill (1-2, 1.93 ERA) vs. LHP Reid Love (2-2, 3.91 ERA)
Friday: RHP Emerson Gibbs (3-0, 1.62 ERA) vs. LHP Evan Kruczynski (5-1, 1.27 ERA)
Saturday: TBA vs. RHP David Lucroy (2-1, 1.62 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.
