ECU baseball preview: East Carolina - Campbell Game Preview

"HUMPDAY:" Pirates look to get back into win column against Camels

CUSA Fans Director of Content and East Carolina sports correspondent Thomas "Bubba" Rosenbaum provides us with a preview of the upcoming baseball series between ECU and Campbell.

After losing three straight at No. 15 UCLA over the weekend, East Carolina (2-4) will look to rebound with a mid-week win over in-state foe Campbell on Wednesday afternoon at Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. (EST).

These programs have met many times down through the years, as East Carolina has only played six schools more than it has Campbell. The Pirates hold a commanding 48-17 advantage in the series.

The Camels have struggled out of the chutes, dropping five consecutive home games to start their season. They first dropped two to Atlantic 10 power Charlotte (15-6, 8-0) prior to being swept by Big South foe UNC-Asheville (6-1, 10-8, 5-3).

East Carolina's Dale Mollenhauer celebrates with teammates after hitting a grand slam against Liberty. Through the Pirates' first six games, the junior shortstop is second on the team with a .346 batting average while leading ECU with 9 RBIs.

Campbell was projected to finish anywhere from 4 th (Baseball America) to 8 th (A-Sun Coaches) by the various preseason polls despite returning only three position player starters from last season’s team that finished 19-38 overall and 13-17 in the Atlantic Sun (7th).

However, then came the unexpected resignation of eleventh year head coach Chip Smith only four weeks (January 10 th) before the season opener. Smith, who posted a 267-339-1 record during his time in Buies Creek, opted to pursue a career in pharmaceutical sales.

Thus, the Camels were forced to scramble to name an interim coach for this season. They chose to promote current assistant and 2003 Campbell alum Chris Wiley into the lead role. Prior to returning to his alma mater, Wiley spent a season (2006) as the pitching coach at Limestone College and two seasons (2004-05) at Louisburg Junior College.

This transition combined with Campbell’s youth and inexperience—they start five freshman, two sophomores and no seniors—has resulted in a rocky start.

The Camels’ offense has had very little punch, as it is producing a meager 3.6 runs per game while sporting a .254 team batting average. CU has not only failed to produce, but it has failed to put the ball in play—striking out slightly more than eight times per game thus far. Extra base hits have also been hard to come by, as the Camels only have two home runs and two doubles.

The pitching and defensive efforts have also been sub-par. Opponents are batting .325 while the team ERA currently sits at 6.20. The Camels’ problems have been compounded by the 15 errors they’ve committed.

Junior shortstop Brandon Scott is the squad’s top returning player. The Greenville, N.C. native earned second team All-Atlantic Sun honors during his sophomore campaign. He was among the league’s best in several offensive categories. His .365 batting average ranked eighth while his seven triples were tops in the conference. Scott also collected 29 multi-hit games in 2006. So far this season, the 6’2”, 190-pound centerfielder is hitting .263 (5-of-19) with 2 RBIs.

Carlton Floyd, who has primarily started in left field, leads the team with his .421 batting average (8-of-19) and has done a fine job in the lead-off role.

First baseman Ryan Hamme was a second-team All-Atlantic Sun member and an All-Freshman team honoree in 2006 after hitting .312 with two home runs and 31 RBIs. However, with the arrival of freshman Zach Johnson, Hamme has been moved from second base to first base (and occasionally third) this year. He is swinging the bat well again this season, as he is currently sitting at .350 (7-of-20).

Johnson (6’1”, 185) has struggled a bit with the glove, having committed a team-high four errors through five games. He is hitting second in the line-up and has been inconsistently productive. The newcomer is 7-of-21 so far, but has also struck out a team-high eight times.

The Camels have only hit two long balls this season, both of which were by sophomore Todd Matthews. After logging only 21 at-bats as a freshman, Matthews has already recorded 13 this season while filling the role of designated hitter.

Campbell head coach Chris Wiley has not released his starting pitcher for East Carolina. Chris England and Quinn LeSage are unlikely to see any mound time after throwing over 6 innings each against UNC-Asheville over the weekend. The Pirates could see one or both of two righthanders, Justin Lilly and Trevor Smith. Lilly (6-4, 215), who is in his first season at CU after transferring from Louisburg Junior College, has seen eight innings in two relief appearances. He has a team-low 2.25 ERA, but has allowed seven runs (only two earned) on 11 hits. In 2.2 innings of work, Smith is yet to surrender a run.

Billy Godwin and the Pirates will run out sophomore righty Josh Dowdy, who did not travel to Los Angeles with the team since the coaching staff knew he would be starting against the Camels. As a freshman, Dowdy made 15 appearances while compiling a 1-1 record and 5.25 ERA in 24 innings. Opposing batters hit .359 and belted five round-trippers off him. His lone start came late in the season at Coastal Carolina. He lasted only 1.2 innings as the Chanticleers scored two runs off five hits and two walks.

East Carolina’s failure to collect the timely hits and several instances of poor baserunning have really troubled them. Juniors Harrison Eldridge and Dale Mollenhauer have led the way offensively. “H”, as he is known by most around the ECU program, has been knocking the cover off the ball and comes in hitting .522 (12-of-23). He has been the epitome of a good lead off man, getting on base over 60 percent of the time.

In their 7-6 loss to UCLA on Sunday, the Pirates showed some previously unseen pop—hitting three home runs. Brandon Henderson, who is 6-of-20 on the season, had two of those round trippers. Senior catcher and Campbell transfer David Forbes had the other. Forbes, who was hitless in the Pirates’ three-game set against Liberty, also had two doubles against the Bruins.

Home Sweet Home
Wednesday’s game against Campbell will mark the beginning of a 21-game East Carolina homestand. They will not play another game away from Clark-LeClair Stadium until they travel to Tulane on March 30 th.

Final Prediction
East Carolina will break its three game losing streak. It appears that the Camels are still searching to find themselves and they won’t be able to do so against some Pirates that will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing weekend in Los Angeles. ECU will swing it well while three or four Pirate pitchers see mound time—resulting in a Pirate win of the 10-3, 11-4 variety.