Game Day Central: ECU Hosts UConn In Conference Play
May 01, 2015 | Baseball
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| East Carolina vs. UConn May 1-3, 2015 | 6:30 p.m./ 4 p.m./ 1 p.m. (ET) Greenville, N.C. RADIO: WNCT 1070 AM |
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PROMOTIONS
? For Friday nights game, fans will receive a coupon for a small fountain drink when they walk through the gates due to the cancellation of tonight's fireworks because of weather ... Ceremonial first pitch by Lieutenant Colonel Sean Farrar ... Saturday the first 300 fans will receive Pirate sunglasses ... Senior Sendoff Event (2-4 p.m.) will be held outside of the baseball stadium in the grassy area (behind first base sideline next to the shed) for all ECU seniors ... Bring your "A" Game - free youth ticket with an "A" on your reports card with the purchase of an adult ticket ... Pitt County School District Staff Appreciation - $3 tickets with flyer ... The New Bern Sunday School League will run out with the team for the National Anthem) ... Sunday the first 200 Pirate fans will receive a rally towel ... Inflatables (Moonwalk and speed pitch) will be located in the grassy area down the third base line and will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. ... Kids can run the bases and get player/coach autographs following the game ... The Pirates will host their annual ECBL Game following the series finale against the Huskies ... Youth team will play from 4:30-5:30 p.m. followed by the adult team from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAME
? East Carolina has won five-straight game at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium and eight of its last 10 games overall ... The Pirates have claimed consecutive American Athletic Conference series (at UConn and vs. UCF/sweep) to pull into a four-way tie fir first with Houston, Memphis and USF - all sitting at 9-6 in the standings ... ECU took two of three at UConn two weeks against winning games one (7-3) and three (4-3/10 inn), while dropping the middle contest (7-3) ... The Huskies enter this weekend's match-up on a three-game skid losing the final two games against Memphis and falling in midweek action against Holy Cross ... ECU holds a 26-5 all-time meeting in the series, which dates back to 1979.
? The Huskies take a 23-11 record in road/neutral site games with them to ECU's Clark-LeClair Stadium, currently leading the nation in road/neutral victories. UConn is 4-2 in road conference games this year, winning series at Tulane in March and at No. 12 UCF early in April ... The Huskies are 5-26 all-time against the Pirates, with all but the three meetings this season coming at ECU in nine seasons between 1979-1989 ... UConn is currently tops in The American with a 2.68 ERA, led by the starting pitching duo of Carson Cross and Anthony Kay ... Cross is 8-2 with a 1.85 ERA and 91 strikeouts on the year, ninth in the nation in punch-outs ... Kay is first in The American and 16th nationally with a 1.50 ERA, placing top-20 in the country with a 0.88 WHIP ... Sunday starter Jordan Tabakman is coming off six shutout innings in his last start and holds a 3.64 ERA, while closer Patrick Ruotolo strikes out 12.77 batters per nine innings and holds a .138 batting average against ... At the plate, Vinny Siena leads UConn with a .364 average and is fifth in the country with 75 hits ... Siena is also UConn's leader and is second in the conference with 48 runs scored and 43 RBIs ... Willy Yahn is batting .342 behind Siena and Max McDowell checks in at .309 with seven home runs, tied with Joe DeRoche-Duffin for the team lead ... Jack Sundberg (Mansfield, Conn.) leads the Huskies from the leadoff spot with a .418 on-base percentage and 28 stolen bases, checking in at seventh in the country in swipes.
PIRATE QUICK HITS (prior to weekend games)
? East Carolina enters this weekend's action having won eight of its last 10 games (five-straight at home) ... The Pirates have claimed consecutive AAC series (at UConn, vs. UCF/sweep) and are in a four-way tie for first.
? Evan Kruczynski has won 6 of his 11 starts (five NDs) ... Tossed 2nd CG in the AAC opener vs. Memphis allowing one run with six strikeouts ... Other was vs. Monmouth (2-Hit, SHO) ... Recorded 8 quality starts.
? Reid Love earned his second AAC weekly honor and first as the Player-of-the-Week on April 27 following ECU's 5-0 outing ... Named AAC Pitcher-of-the-Week on April 2 ... On the season he is 4-3 with 4 saves in 17 apps. (6 starts) with a 2.70 ERA ... At the plate he is batting .325 with 3 HRs, 14 RBI, 21 runs scored.
? Jacob Wolfe appeared in 13 games (11 starts) posting a 3-1 record with a 3.03 ERA in 65.1 IP ... Recorded 1st career save at UConn in the series finale ... Tossed 6.0 SHO frames vs. MON with 6Ks in first collegiate win ... Worked into the fifth inning in eight-straight starts (6 quality starts).
? Kirk Morgan has recorded at least one hit in 13 of last 15 games with multiple hits in seven contests ... Walk-off RBI single vs. NC State (3rd career GW RBI).
? Luke Lowery leads the team in nine offensive categories ... Walk-off single vs. Duke (7th career GW RBI) ... 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) ... Third on the team with 13 multi-hit games.
? Hunter Allen was named to Brooks Wallace Watch List (April 23), which is given to the nation's top shortstop ... Fourth on the team with a .324 BA ... Currently riding a 15-game hit streak.
? Charlie Yorgen was named to the AAC Honor Roll (April 2) ... Team leader with 27 walks and tied for 3rd with 27 runs in 46 games.
? ECU's starting pitching boasts a 2.89 ERA ... Allowed 113 runs (83 ERs) with 174 strikeouts to 56 walks in 258.1 innings.
? The bullpen has surrendered 68 runs (54 earned) in 152.2 innings posting a 3.18 ERA ... They have allowed 22 of 94 inherited runners to score (23.4 percent).
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday: RHP Carson Cross (8-2, 1.85 ERA) vs. LHP Evan Kruczynski (6-2, 2.65 ERA)
Saturday: LHP Anthony Kay (6-4, 1.50 ERA) vs. LHP Reid Love (4-3, 2.70 ERA)
Sunday: RHP Jordan Tabakman (2-3, 3.64 ERA) vs. LHP Jacob Wolfe (3-1, 3.03 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.
