East Carolina University
Connecticut
Gameday: No. 16 ECU Opens Conference Play Against UConn
March 30, 2017 | Baseball
| Connecticut at No. 16 East Carolina (Games 27-29) | |
| Dates | March 31 – April 2, 2017 |
| Times | 6:30 p.m. \\\ 4 p.m. \\\ 12 noon (ET) |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. (Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium) |
| Tickets | Buy Tickets |
| Live Game Coverage | Radio: WNCT 1070 AM Watch Live (All Weekend) TuneIn Radio: Online (Pirate IMG Sports Network) |
| Internet Options | Live Stats: All Weekend |
| Official Web Sites | East Carolina | Connecticut |
| Game Notes | East Carolina (PDF) | Connecticut (PDF) | The American (PDF) |
| 2017 Statistics | East Carolina | Connecticut | The American |
| Baseball Central | Roster | Fact Book (PDF) | The American | NCAA Baseball | College Scoreboard |
| Social Media | @ECUScoreboard (in-game updates) | The American #ECUPirates | #ECUBaseball | #AmericanRising |
GREENVILLE, N.C. – No. 16 East Carolina (18-8) will close out its eight-game home slate when it welcomes in Connecticut (13-9) for the start of the American Athletic Conference season. Games are set for Friday, March 31 (6:30 p.m.), Saturday, April 1 (4 p.m.) and Sunday, April 2 (12 Noon) at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium.
MUSTACHE MARCH
• The entire team, including the coaching staff and support staff, will participate in Mustache March in order to raise awareness and money for the Jim "Catfish" Hunter chapter. Mustache March will create a fun and entertaining environment for Pirate fans throughout the month of March, which will also help towards ALS research. Please join our efforts of Striking Out ALS by donating to our event. All money raised throughout the season will go straight to the ALS Association, and more specifically the Jim "Catfish" Hunter chapter. During the 14th-Annual Keith LeClair Classic (March 3-5) members of the local ALS Chapter will be on hand to receive donations. Also, please follow our status through various social media outlets (@ECUBaseball, and many more), as well as on the field. Go Pirates! ... For more information about Mustache March, please click on this link.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE WEEKEND
• East Carolina and Connecticut will meet for the 42nd time on the diamond Friday evening … The Pirates hold a 34-7 all-time record in the series and since the two clubs have squared off as conference members (2015), ECU is 10-3 against UCONN … ECU comes into the weekend having won four-straight (5 of last 6), while UCONN has won four of its last five.
• ECU enters the weekend ranked in the Top-25 in a pair of polls (16/Perfect Game and No. 25/Baseball America), while receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and USA Today/Coaches Poll.
• The Pirates, who are in their 82nd season of intercollegiate baseball, 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).
PIRATE QUICK HITS (prior to series)
• Chris Holba will get the Friday night start as the Pirates open AAC play this weekend ... He has appeared in eight games (three starts) posting a 3-0 record with one save ... Allowed 11 runs (six earned) on 29.2 innings for a 1.82 ERA ... Has struck out 36 while walking six ... For his career, Holba has appeared in 33 games posting a 6-1 record with two saves in 60.0 innings ... He has allowed 32 runs (27 earned) on 62 hits with 55 strikeouts and 16 walks for a 4.05 ERA.
• Trey Benton will toe the rubber Saturday against UConn ... The right hander is 3-0 in six starts and has fanned 42 while walking just nine ... He sports a 2.27 ERA after allowing nine runs (seven earned) in 31.2 innings ... Struck out a career-high 10 batters against La Salle and Towson ... Has 3 quality starts.
• Jake Agnos is penciled in as the Sunday start when league play gets underway this weekend ... Picked up first collegiate win against Towson ... Appeared in six games (three starts) where is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA ... Allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 20 hits ... Struck out 27 while walking 11 in 26.2 innings ... Fanned a career-best 11 in five frames vs. WCU (3/3).
• Spencer Brickhouse leads the club HRs (7) and runs (24), while standing fourth in RBI (18) and batting average (.337) ... Hit three home runs in two-game set at CofC including his first multi-HR game on Mar. 8 (consecutive at-bats) ... Belted first home run in first collegiate game at Ole Miss (2/17) ... He started all 25 games (19/1B, 6/DH) ... Two game-winning RBI (ASU, CofC).
• Travis Watkins is the team leader in RBI (24) ... Stands second on the team with four home runs (14 career), two of which have been grand slams ... The five-time Johnny Bench Award Watch List candidate (2013-17) has thrown out 7 of 13 runners on the season ... Two-time team captain and two-time Bench Award semifinalist (2015-16).
• Dwanya Williams-Sutton is 8-for-18 (.444) with two home runs, two doubles and four RBI since returning to the lineup against Towson ... Has eight career home runs and three on the season ... Garnered a pair of preseason All-America honors (D1Baseball, NCBWA) and was a unanimous preseason All-AAC selection ... 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.
• Charlie Yorgen saw his 190-game starting streak snapped vs. Towson (March 25) which started in 2014 ... Belted first homer of the year (6th career) with his 3 run shot in the 10th inning giving ECU a 10-7 walk-off win against Charlotte in game one of the doubleheader (3/11).
• Luke Bolka is tied for third on the team with three HRs, while driving in 16 ... Tallied a three game-winning RBI ... Blasted his second homer of the season hitting a grand slam in the second game of the La Salle series.
• Joe Ingle has worked 15.2 innings out of the bullpen allowing nine runs (all earned) with 18 Ks ... Owns a 3-1 record with two saves (TOW/LIB) ... Named a 2017 Second-Team Preseason All-American by NCBWA ... Unanimous preseason All-AAC selection ... Three-time Stopper-of-the-Year candidate (2015-17) ... Notched 22 career saves (4th all-time at ECU) ... Sports a 10-4 record in 75 games with a 3.06 ERA.
• Eric Tyler enters this weekend on a 12-game hit streak where he is batting .458 (22-for-48) with a home run, five doubles, 12 RBI and nine runs scored ... Currently he is batting a team second-best .371 with three home runs, 20 RBI with 18 runs scored ... Leader on the club with 39 hits.
• Bryce Harman comes into this weekend having reached base in 9 straight games (at least one hit in 8 of last 9) ... Currently he is batting .313 (10-for-32) with six RBI and seven runs scored.
• Bryant Packard posted his first career four-hit game against Towson where he laced pair of doubles and drove in two ... He has tallied five multi-hit games ranking sixth on the club.
• ECU's starting pitching sports a 3.37 ERA ... Allowed 59 runs (49 earned) with 112 Ks to 44 BBs in 120.0 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .251 clip ...The bullpen has surrendered 67 runs (59 earned) with 115 Ks to 55 BBs in 112.0 innings for a 4.74 ERA and opposing hitters are batting .243 ... Allowed 20 of 57 inherited runners to score (35.1 percent).
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday: LHP Tim Cate (1-1, 3.38 ERA) vs. RHP Chris Holba (3-0, 1.82 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Wills Montgomerie (4-1, 3.08 ERA) vs. RHP Trey Benton (3-0, 2.27 ERA)
Sunday: LHP Mason Feole (3-0, 3.49 ERA) vs. LHP Jake Agnos (1-0, 2.70 ERA)
CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCHES (10 minutes before game time)
Friday: Jeff Nelson (ECU / 2015-16)
Saturday: Holly Garriot (Uptown)
Sunday: Adell Remsberg & Samantha Teague (T&F Senior SAC Representatives)
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 95-53-1 (.641) 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.
