Game Day Central: No. 17 ECU Hosts No. 6 UNC
March 14, 2016 | Baseball
| No. 17 East Carolina vs. No. 6 North Carolina (Game 17) | |
| Date | Mar. 15 |
| Time | 6:30 p.m. (ET) |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. (Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium) |
| Tickets & Parking | Buy Tickets | Parking Information (PDF) |
| Live Game Coverage |  Radio: WNCT 1070 AM | ECU Pirates On Demand (Listen/Watch Live) TuneIn Radio Online (within the app search WNCT - Beach Boogie & Blues) |
| Internet Options | GameTracker |
| Official Web Sites | East Carolina | North Carolina | American Athletic Conference |
| Game Notes | East Carolina  | North Carolina | The American |
| 2016 Baseball Statistics | East Carolina | North Carolina |
| ECU Baseball Central | Promotional Calendar | Roster | Fact Book | The American | NCAA Baseball | College Scoreboard |
| Official Social Media Sites | |
| East Carolina | The American | |
| East Carolina | ECUScoreboard (In-Game Updates) | The American | |
| Twitter Hashtags | #ECUPirates | #ECUBaseball | #AmericanRising |
| East Carolina | The American | |
GREENVILLE, N.C. - No. 17 East Carolina will play host to in-state foe and No. 6 North Carolina Tuesday, Mar. 15 at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (ET).
GAME INFORMATION
• The ALS Association will have a booth at Tuesday's game … Greek Challenge - there will be three locations for Fraternity/Sorority check-in at the game (soccer/softball plaza, customer service booth and third-base entry side of the jungle) … Student Pirate Club members will be able to secure their tickets via mobile ticketing starting at 10 am Tuesday morning.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAME
• The Pirates and Tar Heels will meet for the first time since 2014 … UNC holds a 45-27 lead in the all-time series … The Pirates won both meetings in 2014 picking up a 3-2 win in Greenville (4/22) and 1-0 victory in Chapel Hill (4/29) … Both teams have faced off four times in NCAA tournament play (2007, 2009 and 2012) with the Tar Heels winning all four match-ups.
• ECU is ranked in the national polls for the third-straight week after garnering a No. 17 ranking by D1Baseball.com after posting a 3-2 record last week, which included a series road loss at Rice … The Pirates are receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and USA Today Coaches polls.
PIRATE QUICK HITS (prior to midweek game)
• East Carolina (11-5) is off to its best start since the 2012 season through 16 games ... The Pirates are coming off a 3-2 week, which included a midweek series sweep over George Mason and a road win at Rice ... ECU claimed its fourth-straight LeClair Classic title picking up wins over SE Louisiana and Maryland ... ECU is ranked in the national polls for a third consecutive week and entered the polls after picking up a road series win over No. 4 Virginia (Feb. 27-29) - the first over a Top 5 program since 2002.
• Evan Voliva is set to make his first collegiate start on Tuesday against No. 6 North Carolina ... The righty has appeared in three games this season allowing a pair of runs (both earned) on six hits for a 2.70 ERA in 6.2 innings of work.
• Luke Bolka leads the team with a .375 batting average (9-for-24) as the designated hitter ... He is one of six players with a home run and has driven in six and scored six runs.
• Turner Brown ranks eighth in The American with a .353 batting average ... Also stands second in on base percentage (.447) ... Named to AAC Honor Roll (2/22) ... Delivered game winning hit (walk-off) against SE Louisiana (3/4) with a two-RBI single in the ninth ... Fourh on the squad with nine RBI ... In collegiate debut went 3-for-3 with a double and a 2-run home run on Feb. 19.
• Dwanya Williams-Sutton recorded his second game-winning RBI of his career against Maryland (3/6) with a double in the eighth inning ... Ranks among the AAC leaders with a .341 average (10th), while standing among the league leaders in triples (2/t2nd) and on base percentage (.434/10th) ... Named to AAC Honor Roll (2/29) after batting .615 (8-for-13) with 4 RBI, 7 runs, 2 doubles and 2 triples from Feb. 23-28.
• Joe Ingle worked a career-best 3.2 innings of relief with a career-high nine strikeouts in a 4-3 win over Maryland (3/6) ... Owns a 2-2 record with a pair of saves (10 career) ... Named to preseason NCBWA Stopper-of-the-Year Watch List.
• Charlie Yorgen extended his consecutive start streak to 78 games (started in 2015 season opener) against Rice on Sunday ... Tallied career-best four hits vs. the Aggies (Feb. 23).
• Travis Watkins batting .339 with a team-best 12 RBI and seven doubles - the latter is tied for second in the AAC ... 2015 Johnny Bench Award semifinalist ... Four-time Bench Watch List candidate (2013-16).
• ECU's starting pitching boasts a 2.28 ERA ... Allowed 27 runs (22 earned) with 56 Ks to 18 BBs in 86.2 innings ...The bullpen has surrendered 25 runs (22 earned) in 56.1 innings for a 3.51 ERA ... They have allowed 11 of 29 inherited runners to score (37.9 percent).
PROBABLE STARTERS
Tuesday: RHP Cole Aker (2-1, 3.00) vs. RHP Evan Voliva (0-0, 2.70 ERA)
ECU'S HISTORY ON THE DIAMOND
• In its storied history, the Pirates won the 1961 NAIA National Championship, have claimed 24 conference titles (13 regular season/ 11 tournament), made 27 NCAA Regionals and advanced to three Super Regionals (2001, 2004 and 2009).
GODWIN AT A GLANCE
• Cliff 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 eight NCAA Regional and two College World Series teams at the Division I level as an assistant coach and head coach ... Godwin guided the Pirates to a 40-win season, an American Athletic Conference Tournament title and a berth in the Coral Gables Regional -- its first NCAA Regional since 2012 -- in his first year at the helm ... Named 2015 AAC Coach-of-the-Year and was inducted into the George Whitfield Hall of Fame in January of 2016 ... Currently owns a 51-27 overall record (.654 percentage) as a head coach ... Third fast coach to reach the 50-win plateau, which he did in 75 games (Earl Smith and Dr. Gary Overton did it in 65 games) ... 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. 7 national seed in 2001 where they advanced to the Super Regional round before being eliminated by Tennessee.
