East Carolina University
Houston
Gameday: ECU Travels To No. 14 Houston
April 07, 2017 | Baseball
| East Carolina at No. 14 Houston (Games 31-33) | |
| Dates | April 7-9, 2017 |
| Time | 7:30 p.m. \\\ 7:30 p.m. \\\ 2 p.m. (ET) |
| Location | Houston, Texas (Cougar Field) |
| 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 | Houston |
| Game Notes | East Carolina (PDF) | Houston (PDF) | The American (PDF) |
| 2017 Statistics | East Carolina | Houston | 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 |
HOUSTON, Texas – East Carolina (18-12, 0-3 AAC) will close out its four-game road trip this weekend taking on No. 14 Houston (20-8, 1-2 AAC) in a three-game American Athletic Conference at Cougar Field. First pitch of the weekend is slated for Friday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m. (ET)
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE WEEKEND
• East Carolina and Houston will meet for the 52nd time on the diamond when the series gets underway on Friday … The Pirates hold a slim 26-24-1 all-time record between the two clubs … ECU comes into the series having dropped four-straight games including a sweep at home to Connecticut during the first weekend of league play (March 31-April 2) … Houston has lost three of its last four including a road series at UCF last weekend.
• For the first time this season, the Pirates have fallen out of the Top-25 rankings, while the Cougars are ranked in five of the six major polls including No. 11 (Perfect Game), No. 23 (Baseball America), No. 24 (NCBWA) and No. 25 in Collegiate Baseball and USA Today).
• 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 game)
• Chris Holba is scheduled to make his second-straight Friday night start when ECU travels to Houston this weekend ... Against UCONN, he worked 7.1 innings allowing two runs on eight hits with six strikeouts ... He has appeared in nine games (four starts) posting a 3-1 record with one save ... Tallied three quality starts to rank second on the team ... Allowed 13 runs (eight earned) in 37.0 innings for a 1.95 ERA ... Has struck out 42 while walking six.
• Trey Benton will toe the rubber Saturday against the Cougars ... Allowed two runs (one earned) in seven innings with five strikeouts against UCONN in first AAC start ... The right-hander is 3-0 in seven starts and has fanned 47 while walking 11 ... He sports a 2.09 ERA after allowing 11 runs (nine earned) in 38.2 innings ... Struck out a career-high 10 batters against La Salle and Towson ... Has four quality starts.
• Jake Agnos could get the start Sunday in Houston if he isn't used out of the bullpen in the first two games of the series ... In his fourth start of the season (first in league play), he allowed four runs (all unearned) on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks in four innings ... Picked up first collegiate win against Towson ... Fanned a career-best 11 in five frames vs. WCU (3/3).
• Spencer Brickhouse enters the weekend series riding a six-game hitting streak ... He leads the club HRs (7) and runs (24), while standing fourth in RBI (18) and batting average (.322) ... 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 30 games (23/1B, 7/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 15 runners on the season ... Two-time team captain and two-time Bench Award semifinalist (2015-16).
• Dwanya Williams-Sutton returned to the lineup on Mar. 24 against Towson after missing time with a thumb injury ... Since his return, he is .320 (8-for-25) with two home runs, two doubles, four RBI and five runs scored ... Has eight career home runs and three on the season.
• 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) ... Stands third on the team with a .348 average, while ranking second in hits (38) ... Also leads the club in doubles (9) and walks (16).
• 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 18.0 innings out of the bullpen allowing 11 runs (10 earned) with 19 Ks ... Owns a 3-3 record with two saves (TOW/LIB) ... Three-time Stopper-of-the-Year candidate (2015-17) ... Notched 22 career saves (4th all-time at ECU) ... Sports a 10-6 record in 77 games with a 3.08 ERA.
• Eric Tyler enters midweek action having reached base in 16-straight games ... Had career-best 12-game hit streak snapped against UCONN (Mar. 31) ... Currently he is batting a team second-best .352 with three home runs, 21 RBI with 19 runs scored ... Leader on the club with 43 hits.
• Bryant Packard posted his first career four-hit game against Towson where he laced pair of doubles and drove in two ... He has tallied six multi-hit games ranking sixth on the club.
• Dusty Baker enters this week's action batting .375 with 15 runs scored ... He has started 13 of 23 games in centerfield where he has recorded 39 putouts and two assists with one error for a .976 fielding percentage ... Registered career-high four hits at Elon.
• ECU's starting pitching sports a 3.44 ERA ... Allowed 69 runs (54 earned) with 128 Ks to 50 BBs in 141.1 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .247 clip ...The bullpen has surrendered 71 runs (62 earned) with 131 Ks to 61 BBs in 129.1 innings for a 4.31 ERA and opposing hitters are batting .240 ... Allowed 25 of 65 inherited runners to score (38.5 percent).
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday: RHP Chris Holba (3-1, 1.95 ERA) vs. LHP Trey Cumbie (4-0, 0.74 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Trey Benton (3-0, 2.09 ERA) vs. RHP Mitch Ullom (4-2, 2.66 ERA)
Sunday: TBA vs. LHP John King (4-1, 2.22 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 95-57-1 (.624) 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.
