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Date: Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Location: Chapel Hill, NC; Boshamer Stadium (2,500)

Time: 6:00 p.m. (EST)

All-Time Series: UNC-CH leads 36-24

The Pirates and Tar Heels have met on the diamond 60 times down through the years, but the two schools did not play season. The intra-state rivalry will resume on Tuesday night when Billy Godwin leads 25th ranked East Carolina into Chapel Hill to face Mike Fox and fourth ranked North Carolina (UNC-CH).

The Pirates' designated hitter Kyle Roller has homered in four of his last five games. PHOTO: Bob Powell

UNC-CH has dominated the series lately, as it has won four straight and eight of the last nine. ECU’s last win came back in 2002 when it posted a 2-1 victory in Greenville when Warren Gaspar drew a walk-off walk in the ninth inning. The Pirates have dropped seven consecutive games in Chapel Hill since they rallied for a 7-5 win in their 1994 visit.

East Carolina head coach Billy Godwin, who is in his second season at the helm of the Pirates’ program, will be squaring off against the Tar Heels for the first time. He will also be facing his former boss, as Godwin spent the 1989 and 1990 seasons as an assistant to current UNC-CH head coach Mike Fox at Division III North Carolina Wesleyan. Fox, who has accumulated a 373-169-1 record in slightly less than nine seasons at his alma mater, is 9-2 against ECU during that span.

The Pirates (28-12 overall, 6-5 CUSA), who outscored Savannah State 34-7 (14-1, 6-1, 14-5) over the weekend, will be looking to continue their recent power surge against the Tar Heels. During their current seven-game win streak, the team batting average has climbed to .296 ECU has blasted 15 home runs in its last six games, bringing the season total to 46, and is now slugging .471.

Leadoff man Harrison Eldridge has done a tremendous job of setting the table for the rest of the Pirates’ line-up. ECU’s center fielder, who is hitting .315, has drawn a team-high 23 walks. He also leads the team with 15 doubles. Defensively, “H” has robbed many opposing hitters while playing a perfect (1,000 FLD %) center field.

Shortstop Dale Mollenhauer leads the Pirates with his .359 batting average. The junior from Gibsonia, PA, who often dazzles with the glove, is tied for second on the team in stolen bases (9) and doubles (11). He is also tied for third (with catcher and third baseman Corey Kemp) in RBI (26).

Clean-up hitter Ryan Tousley, who is hitting .304, has belted a team-high ten home runs. He has also driven in 44 runs, which is tops on the team, while boasting a team-best .551 slugging percentage.

Stephen Batts, who ranks among the team leaders in nearly every offensive statistical category, leads the club with four triples and his .333 mark at the plate places him third on the squad. The versatile sophomore, who played multiple positions last season, has really solidified the Pirates’ infield with his emergence as the everyday first baseman.

Speaking of emerging, the recent power display that Pirate hitters have put on has been highlighted by the breakout performance of bulky freshman Kyle Roller. Roller, who had previously been captivating the attention of fans with his mammoth blasts during batting practice, has launched four bombs in his last five games since being inserted into the designated hitter role.

East Carolina has hit 46 home runs this season.  RF Ryan Tousley leads the team with ten. PHOTO: Bob Powell

The Pirates’ second baseman Ryan Wood, who was named to the CUSA All-Freshman team a season ago, has also been on a recent tear. After a slow start to his sophomore campaign, Wood has upped his average to .343 (second on the team) and is one of the many reasons why the opposition is finding very few, if any, easy outs in the East Carolina line-up.

East Carolina will meet a UNC-CH team that has lost four of its last six games. After dropping a 7-5, 11-inning decision to lowly Campbell (who also beat the Pirates (2-0) back in February), the Tar Heels dropped the first two games of their series at No. 1 Florida State. However, they rebounded on Sunday to avoid the sweep by recording a 10-6 victory in the series finale’. The win was only their second in Tallahassee since 1995.

Don’t let their few minor struggles of late fool you, though. UNC-CH is solid in all three phases of the game, and rank among the nation’s top hitting and pitching teams.

While the Tar Heels did suffer a couple crucial losses from last season’s national runner-up team in pitching phenoms Andrew Miller and Daniel Bard, they don’t appear to have missed a beat. Returning weekend starter Robert Woodard has anchored a staff that has limited opponents to .231 at the plate en route to an outstanding team ERA of 2.83.

The Heels’ bats have provided more than enough run support, as they’re hitting an eye-opening .326 as a team en route to an average of 7.9 runs per contest. UNC-CH’s line-up also has power, as they’ve produced 41 home runs while slugging an astounding .486.

Freshman Dustin Ackley, who has started all 42 games, leads the team with his almost unheard of .467 batting average. The Heels’ first baseman is tops on the team in essentially every offensive category, as he is either leading or tied for the lead in: home runs (6), doubles (15), slugging percentage (.701), RBI (50), on-base percentage (.497) and stolen bases (6).

UNC-CH’s production hardly stops with its fabulous freshman, as its line-up features only one player hitting below .300 and that player—Chad Flack—has more than proven himself in the past. Tim Federowicz, who is more commonly known as “Fed Ex” by his teammates, is second on the team in average (.363), doubles (14) and RBI (46).

Josh Horton and Reid Fronk have also started every game. Horton is one of the most patient hitters in the nation, having struck out only six times all season. The selective shortstop has worked pitchers for 35 walks and is hitting .340. Fronk, who normally starts in left field, is third on the team in doubles (12) and RBI (29).

 

Starting Pitchers:

• East Carolina - Fr. RHP Mike Anderson (1-0, 0.90 ERA)
• UNC-CH - Fr. RHP Adam Warren (7-0, 2.13 ERA)

 

East Carolina will send freshman Mike Anderson to the hill for his fifth start of the season. Anderson, who has a miniscule 0.90 ERA, has surrendered only 12 hits in 20 innings of action. The righty has limited opponents to .174 at the plate and has not allowed a home run.

Freshman Mike Anderson will likely make his fifth start of the season on Tuesday night when the Pirates play the Tar Heels. PHOTO: Bob Powell

The Tar Heels will counter with freshman Adam Warren. Warren, who has compiled a 7-0 record while being the team’s usual mid-week starter, has held the opposition to 33 hits in 38 innings. The hard-throwing New Bern-native has given up four long balls.

Both teams have a solid bullpen.

The Pirates’ features solid middle relievers in lefty Jason Neitz and hard-throwing righty Brett Butts. Neitz has compiled a 4-1 record in 30 2/3 innings of relief while opponents have only been able to muster 12 hits in 20 1/3 innings off Butts. Closer Shane Mathews ranks in the top ten nationally with ten saves.

The Tar Heels’ top middle relievers appear to be righty Matt Danford and Rob Wooten. Both have ERA’s of 1.85 or less in 20 plus appearances. UNC-CH also has one of the nation’s top closers in Andrew Carignan. Carignan, who has registered eight saves, has only allowed two runs and 16 hits in 29 2/3 innings.

 

ECU vs. UNC PREDICTION:

With an opportunity to win a game that would definitely enhance their NCAA resumes, each team’s approach may vary from your typical mid-week game with regards to relief pitching.

Don’t be surprised if East Carolina does as it did in its mid-week contest versus nationally-ranked N.C. State and uses some of its best (Neitz and Mathews).

Pirate hitters have seen some of the nation’s top pitchers this season, which has featured names such as Pepperdine’s Barry Enright, Cal State Fullerton’s Wes Roemer, Rice’s Joe Savery and NC State’s Andrew Brackman. They will not be phased by anything the Tar Heels might throw at them. ECU has faired especially well versus hard-throwers, thus Pirate batters are probably chomping at the bit for another opportunity to prove themselves in this match-up.

This will be a tightly contested game, but East Carolina will notch a hard fought win over its bitter rival on the road.

East Carolina 6 - UNC-CH 4

 

Other ECU vs. UNC-CH Game Notes:

• The Tar Heels are 26-6 at Boshamer Stadium this season.
• UNC-CH is averaging 1,404 fans per game.
• East Carolina is #15 in the Warren Nolan RPI and #16 in the Boyd’s World RPI while UNC-CH ranks #7 and #9, respectively.
• Per Warren Nolan RPI, CUSA is the fifth toughest league in the nation—just behind the PAC-10. The ACC ranks as the third toughest conference.
• Per Warren Nolan RPI, the Pirates have played the 19 th toughest schedule in the country. The Tar Heels’ strength of schedule is currently 35 th.
• East Carolina is 23-0 when leading after eight innings.
• The Pirates have outscored their opponents 88-30 in the seventh and eighth innings.