East Carolina University
Ole Miss
Gameday: ECU Opens Season At Ole Miss
February 16, 2017 | Baseball
| No. 6 East Carolina at No. 8 Ole Miss (Games (1-3) | |
| Dates | Feb. 17-19, 2017 |
| Times | 5 p.m. \\\ 2:30 p.m. \\\ 1 p.m. (ET) |
| Location | Oxford, Miss. (Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field) |
| Tickets | Buy Tickets |
| Live Game Coverage | Radio: WNCT 1070 AM WatchESPN: Friday | Saturday | Sunday TuneIn Radio: Online (within the app search WNCT – Beach Boogie & Blues) |
| Internet Options | Live Stats: Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Official Web Sites | East Carolina | Ole Miss | American Athletic Conference |
| Game Notes | East Carolina (PDF) | Ole Miss (PDF) | The American (PDF) |
| 2016 Statistics | East Carolina | Ole Miss |
| Baseball Central | Roster | Fact Book (PDF) | The American | NCAA Baseball | College Scoreboard |
| Social Media | @ECUScoreboard (in-game updates) | @ECUBaseball | @American_BSB #ECUPirates | #ECUBaseball | #AmericanRising |
GREENVILLE, N.C. – No. 6 East Carolina opens the 2017 season on Friday, Feb. 17 when it travels to No 8 Ole Miss in a battle of two Top-10 programs at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field with a 5 p.m. (ET) scheduled first pitch.
The Pirates return 19 letterwinners, including four Charlottesville All-Regional selections (Evan Kruczynski, Eric Tyler, Travis Watkins/Most Outstanding Player and Charlie Yorgen), 2016 Freshman All-American Dwanya Williams-Sutton and 2014 all-conference performer Bryce Harman. In all, the roster consists of 10 freshmen, eight sophomores, nine juniors and nine seniors.
Also stepping onto the diamond are 14 newcomers, a group that consists of three infielders (Nick Barber, Spencer Brickhouse and Bryant Packard), one catcher (Zack Moore), four outfielders (Dusty Baker, Tyler Edwards, Andrew Henrickson and T.J. Riles) and six pitchers (Jake Agnos, Trey Benton, Hunter Britt, Hunter Hood, Ryan Ross, Tyler Smith). The 2016-17 recruiting class garnered a No. 23 national ranking by Baseball America.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAME
• The Pirates, who are set to open their 82nd season of intercollegiate baseball on Feb. 17 at Ole Miss, won the 1961 NAIA National Championship, have claimed 24 conference titles (13 regular season/11 tournament), made 28 NCAA Regionals and advanced to four Super Regionals (2001, 2004, 2009 and 2016).
• East Carolina and Ole Miss will meet for the first time on the diamond in the 2017 season opener … The Pirates has faced off against nine of 13 SEC programs posting a 14-30 all-time record.
PIRATE QUICK HITS (prior to weekend games)
• Last year Godwin guided the Pirates to their second consecutive NCAA Regional (No. 3 seed in Charlottesville) and a Super Regional appearance (Lubbock, Texas). ECU, who posted a 38-23-1 record and finished second in The American (15-8-1), rolled through regional play picking up wins against No. 20 Bryant (9-1), No. 10 Virginia (8-6) and William & Mary (8-4) en route to claiming the Charlottesville crown – its fourth regional title. The Pirates continued their magical run, defeating No. 5 national seed Texas Tech, 8-6, in the opener of the Super Regional and came 90 feet away from making their first appearance in the Men's College World Series in game two of the series.
• Evan Kruczynski enters senior season having been named to three preseason All-America Teams (Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, Perfect Game) and was tabbed as The American Preseason Co-Pitcher-of-the-Year ... The lefty posted an 8-1 record with a 2.01 ERA to go along with 95 strikeouts in 116.2 innings a year ago ... Will toe the rubber as the Friday night starter for the second-straight season ... 24 of his 33 starts have been quality starts ... Named to 2016 Charlottesville All-Regional Team while earning Third-Team All-America honors by D1Baseball.
• Jacob Wolfe is slated as the Saturday starter to open the 2017 season at Ole Miss (second-straight year) ... The lefty owns an 11-6 career ledger with a 3.12 ERA in 44 games (32 starts) ... Tossed first career complete game at UCONN (5/8/16) with a personal-best nine strikeouts ... Two time AAC Pitcher-of- the-Week (both in 2016) ... Has 17 career quality starts.
• Dwanya Williams-Sutton garnered a pair of preseason All-America honors (D1Baseball, NCBWA) and was a unanimous preseason All-AAC selection by the leagues coaches ... Led The American in average (.360) and on-base percentage (.455) on his way to three Freshman All-America Team designations ... Tallied six game-winning RBI on the season with four coming in league play.
• Travis Watkins hit four of his seven home runs in 2016 NCAA postseason play (three game-winners) ... Named 2016 Charlottesville Regional Most Outstanding Player ... Earned Second Team All-AAC honors ... 2017 preseason All-AAC selection by the leagues coaches ... Two-time team captain and two-time Johnny Bench Award semifinalist.
• Charlie Yorgen extended his consecutive start streak to 167 games (started in 2014) vs. Texas Tech in the 2016 Lubbock Super Regional (game 3) ... Named to 2016 Charlottesville All-Regional Team after batting .600 (9-for-15) with a home run, two doubles, four RBI and four runs scored ... His nine hits were the second-most by any player in regional action (Rice's Grayson Lewis had 10 in Baton Rouge Regional).
• Joe Ingle picked up Second-Team Preseason All-America honors from NCBWA ... Unanimous preseason All-AAC selection by the leagues coaches ... Three-time Stopper-of-the-Year candidate ... Notched 20 career saves (4th all-time at ECU) ... Owns a 7-3 record in 64 games with a 2.67 ERA.
• ECU has appeared in more NCAA Regionals (28) than any other team without advancing to a CWS.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday: LHP Evan Kruczynski (8-1, 2.01 ERA) vs. LHP Davis Parkinson (5-3, 2.78 ERA)
Saturday: LHP Jacob Wolfe (6-4, 2.95 ERA) vs. RHP James McArther (6-1, 4.26 ERA)
Sunday: TBA vs. RHP Brady Feigl (4-0, 3.76 ERA)
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 nine NCAA Regional and two College World Series teams at the Division I level as an assistant coach and head coach …During his two years at the helm of the program, Godwin has guided ECU to a pair of NCAA Regional berths, a Super Regional appearance, an American Athletic Conference Tournament title and a 78-44-1 (.638) overall record … Three players have earned All-America honors, five were named to the Charlottesville All-Regional Team, six took home all-conference honors (five first-teamers), seven were selected as American Player-of-the-Week, while a pair were drafted by Major League Baseball teams … Named 2015 AAC Coach-of-the-Year and was inducted into the George Whitfield Hall of Fame in January of 2016 … 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.
