Game Day Central: ECU Closes Out Regular Season At Cincinnati
May 14, 2015 | Baseball
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| East Carolina at Cincinnati May 14-16, 2015 | 6 p.m. / 6 p.m./ 12 Noon (ET) Cincinnati, Ohio RADIO: WNCT 1070 AM |
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THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAME
? This weekend's three-game set in Cincinnati will wrap up the regular season for both East Carolina and Cincinnati ... The Pirates, who are just one game back of Houston in the league standings, comes into the weekend having won six of their last 10 games ... ECU has picked up AAC series wins three of the last four weekends dropping last weekends series at Houston in a battle for first place ... Picked to finish third in the preseason coaches poll, ECU will to solidify one of the top two seeds in next weeks AAC Baseball Championships with a series win at Marge Schott Stadium ... The two clubs last met back in 2005 as members of Conference USA with the Pirates taking the home series, two games to one ... ECU owns an 8-3-1 all-time record against Cincinnati, which dates back to 2002.
? Cincinnati enters this weekend's series with a 15-36 overall record and a 6-15 league mark ... The Bearcats are led by junior Ian Happ, who is one of the nations top hitters and top prospects for the upcoming Major League Baseball Draft ... Happ was named to USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award 30-man final watch list back on May 7, which goes to the nations top amateur player ... On the season Happ is batting .362 with 13 home runs, 16 doubles, 39 RBI and has scored 43 runs - all of which rank among the AAC leaders ... Junior catcher Woody Wallace, a Johnny Bench Award Watch List selection, has thrown out 19 runners on the base paths and ranks 21st nationally with a .345 caught stealing percentage.
PIRATE QUICK HITS (prior to midweek games)
? 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 6-3 with 4 saves in 19 apps. (8 starts) with a 2.69 ERA and two CGs ... Worked into the eighth inning last three starts (all wins) ... At the plate he is batting .303 with 3 HRs, 18 RBI, 21 runs scored.
? Evan Kruczynski has won 6 of his 13 starts (3 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.
? Jacob Wolfe appeared in 15 games (13 starts) ... 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 9 of last 10 starts (7 quality starts).
? Hunter Allen was named to Brooks Wallace Watch List (April 23), which is given to the nation's top shortstop ... Leads the team in hits (59) and BA (.345) ... At least one hit in 23 of last 27 games including 11 multi-hit contests.
? Luke Lowery leads the team in 10 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 ... Hit 3 HRs in last four games (2 vs. HOU, 1 vs. ELON) - all solo.
? Bryce Harman is batting .250 on the season ... Second on team in HRs (6), doubles (10) and runs (30), while leading the club in HBPs (11) and ranking second in runs (27) ... Hit home runs in three of last six games.
? Charlie Yorgen was named to the AAC Honor Roll (April 2) ... Team leader with 28 BBs and tied for first with 15 multi-hit games.
? ECU's starting pitching boasts a 3.11 ERA ... Allowed 138 runs (104 ERs) with 198 Ks to 71 BBs in 295.2 innings ... The bullpen has surrendered 84 runs (70 earned) in 167.1 innings posting a 3.76 ERA ... They have allowed 29 of 107 inherited runners to score (27.1 percent).
PROBABLE STARTERS
Thursday: LHP Reid Love (6-3, 2.69 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Atkinson (4-5, 4.04 ERA)
Friday: LHP Evan Kruczynski (6-4, 3.36 ERA) vs. TBA
Saturday: LHP Jacob Wolfe (4-2, 3.40 ERA) vs TBA
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.
