Pirates open pool play with Cougars

East Carolina will meet Houston at 5pm (EST) on Wednesday

After taking its first ever series from Tulane by sweeping the Green Wave in New Orleans over the weekend, No. 3 seed East Carolina will begin pool play at the CUSA Tournament on Wednesday with a game against No. 6 Houston.

The Pirates (37-18, 14-10), who are ranked No. 25 by Baseball America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA), have won eight of their last nine.  They took two of three from the Cougars on April 21-23.  ECU holds a 20-16 all-time advantage over Houston.

That series featured two close games and a blowout.  In game one, East Carolina trailed 4-1 and was down to its final out.  However, a solo shot by freshman Chase McDonald sparked a four-run ninth and an impropable 5-4 Pirate victory.  The Cougars responded to capture a 4-2 win on Saturday, but ECU hammered Houston, 12-2, in seven on Sunday to take the series.

Shawn Armstrong, who started that rubber match, will get the ball on Wednesday.  The hard-throwing righty, who hits at least 94 on the gun, allowed two runs--both earned--on six hits in five innings of work.  He struck out eight and walked two.  For the season, he has posted a 3-1 record and has an ERA of 3.89.  Opponents are hitting just .248 against him and he has 46 strikeouts in 39.1 innings.  He has appeared in 17 games and started five.

The Pirate pitching staff, which boasts a 2.57 ERA, has certainly carried more of the load this season, but the East Carolina bats seem to be heating up at the right time.  The team batting average is .299.  Trent Whitehead and Jack Reinheimer top the team with their .333 marks.  Whitehead has 25 extra-base hits--including a club-high 20 doubles.  Corey Thompson, who is hitting .320, is tied for second with 38 RBI.  Zach Wright has 13 of the team's 34 homers and tops the Pirates with 39 RBI.

Houston (25-30, 12-12) enters the tournament having lost seven of ten.  The Cougars, who are led by first-year coach Todd Whitting, dropped two of three last weekend at Memphis.

UH is hitting .284 as a club.  They have had their struggles in the field (.961) and on the mound (4.58; .290 BA).

Ryan Still is hitting a team-high .322 and is second on the Cougars with 12 steals.

Chase Jensen, who is tied for the team-lead in RBI with 44, is hitting .317.  Caleb Ramsey, who is at .313, also has 44 RBI.  Ramsey also leads UH in doubles with 17.

Freshman Landon Appling has swiped 21 bases in 23 attempts.

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