By
Al Myatt
©2014 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
The East Carolina baseball team has been stumbling over
that fine line between winning and losing for the first third of the
2014 regular season. The Pirates are 8-9 overall and 1-2 in Conference
USA going tonight's 6 p.m. opener of a league series with Tulane at
Clark-LeClair Stadium.
That's as close as you can get to .500 on the lower side
of each ledger. If the four one-run losses go the other way, ECU is 12-5
for 2014 and 2-1 in the league.
Of course, 'if' is a big word but it's a lot of little
things that have failed to align for the Pirates.
Kevin Costner's character in the movie Bull Durham, Crash
Davis, espoused on the value of breaks in relation to success on the
diamond.
"Know what the difference between hitting .250 and .300
is?," Costner/Davis said. "It's 25 hits. 25 hits in 500 at bats is 50
points, OK? There's six months in a season. That's about 25 weeks. That
means if you get just one extra flare a week just one a gorp ... you
get a ground ball, you get a ground ball with eyes ... you get a dying
quail, just one more dying quail a week... and you're in Yankee
Stadium."
The Pirates were in Fleming Stadium in Wilson on
Wednesday night, about 35 miles from campus, but still East of I-95, and
Pirate Nation was out in force, boosting attendance to 2,733 at the
renovated former minor league park built in the 1930s.
That fickle factor of baseball luck was not in the ECU
dugout, at least not for the four hour, 11-minute duration that included
a 98-minute rain delay as the Pirates played Wake Forest.
Although big bats Luke Lowery, Drew Reynolds and Ian
Townsend were out with the flu, things were going well for five innings.
ECU led 4-2 thanks to a 3-run homer by Bryce Harman in the first inning.
The Pirates had just gotten out of the bottom of the fifth with an out
on a play at the plate when the storm system swept through.
Whatever momentum the Pirates may have had apparently was
washed away. Starting pitcher Tyler Bolton didn't return after the rain
moved east. Ryan Williams was called in after throwing 28 pitches the
night before in
a 6-5 home loss to UNC-Greensboro
and the Deacons jumped on him for seven hits and three decisive runs
over his two and two-thirds innings. It was Williams' worst showing
since moving to the bullpen for his senior season from a spot in the
weekend rotation as a junior.
Much of the crowd left during the lengthy rain delay,
diminishing the supportive atmosphere that was on hand for the first
segment of the nonconference contest.
Wake's comeback started with some help from the Pirates
that contributed to an unearned run in the sixth. A throwing error by
freshman second baseman Charlie Yorgen, who was filling in for the ill
Reynolds, contributed to the sequence that allowed the Deacs to get
within a run.
Wake scored a pair in the seventh to take the lead before
a double play prevented further damage.
The Deacons held on
to deal the Pirates another one-run setback,
their third in the last five games.
This is obviously a pivotal year for ECU coach Billy
Godwin in terms of his job status but the Pirate skipper has remained
positive.
"Its a tough loss for us," he said late Wednesday night.
"We just keep grinding. I thought we did some great things. I thought
there was some energy.
There is enough experience and talent in the program for
ECU to have gotten some consideration in the national polls in the
preseason.
Better defense, more timely hitting, healthy players and
some baseball luck are necessary elements for a turnaround.
There's still a lot of season left. Maybe the Pirates can
find some four-leaf clovers on Lewis Field this weekend.
Auburn firing validates Lebo
Four years to the day that Jay Jacobs dismissed Jeff Lebo
as basketball coach, the Auburn athletic director pulled the trigger
again on Wednesday, firing Tony Barbee, the former Texas-El Paso coach
who was Jacobs' selection as Lebo's successor.
Lebo went 96-93 in six seasons with the Tigers. He was
35-61 in the Southeastern Conference. Barbee went 49-75 overall and
18-50 in league play.
Barbee had the additional advantage of recruiting to
Auburn Arena. Lebo's home court was an antiquated facility built in the
1960s.
Obviously, Auburn's loss has been East Carolina's gain.
ECU athletic director emeritus Terry Holland wasted
little time in pursuing Lebo when he became available four years ago.
"Dave Odom called me and said 'Auburn fired Jeff Lebo,'"
Holland said.
That put the wheels in motion that have resulted in
unprecedented success on the hardwood for the Pirates.
Lebo guided ECU to a school Division I record 23 wins in
2012-13 and
the CollegeInsider.com Tournament championship.
The case could be made that he did an even better job
this season with a rotation drastically shortened by personnel exits and
injuries. With less size and talent, the Pirates departed the C-USA
Tournament in El Paso, TX, this week with a 1-1 record in the league
event and a 17-16 mark for the season.
ECU athletic director Jeff Compher wisely extended Lebo's
contract last month. Compher will probably be involved in some
conversations this weekend as the Pirates seek a postseason tournament
berth. Perhaps Compher can even negotiate a home game.
The downside is that a postseason loss would drop the
Pirates to .500, jeopardizing a third winning season in Lebo's four
years at the Pirate helm. ECU had not had a winning record in the 14
seasons prior to his arrival.
An additional game or games would give Akeem Richmond an
opportunity to challenge Stephen Curry's NCAA Division I record for
3-pointers in a season. Richmond currently has 153 from beyond the arc
in 2013-14. Curry dropped 162 from long range for Davidson in 2007-08.
Good things come to those who wait
ECU's recent signing of quarterback Blake Kemp from Mesa
(AZ) Community College gives the Pirates a more experienced player who
has proven himself on a higher level than either of the high school
signal callers who decommitted from ECU during the recruiting period
that produced the 2014 signing class.
Kemp has three years to play two seasons. The left-hander
will provide some proven depth behind Shane Carden as the Pirates
transition to the American Athletic Conference.
The AAC schedule was released this week and will provide
ECU with some potentially-valuable bye weeks as well as national
exposure.
There are three open dates and a pair of short weeks.
The Pirates play Southern Methodist at home in their
first contest in the new league on Oct. 4. ECU will have an open date on
Sept. 27 after hosting North Carolina on Sept. 20.
The Pirates are 2-2 against the Mustangs,
losing the last meeting 45-38 in overtime in
2010, Ruffin McNeill's first season as head coach.
ECU visits another former C-USA foe, South Florida, Skip
Holtz's destination after guiding the Pirates
to the C-USA crown in 2009, on
Oct. 11.
A home game with Connecticut on Thursday, Oct. 23, is
preceded by another open date on Oct. 18. The Pirates should have plenty
of time to recharge their batteries and prepare for the appearance on
ESPNU at home against the Huskies.
ECU renews a series with Temple that has been dormant
since 1995. The Pirates will visit Philadelphia on Nov. 1.
Another bye week precedes a trip to projected AAC power
Cincinnati for a Nov. 15 game. The Bearcats are coached by Tommy
Tuberville, whose hiring at Texas Tech followed McNeill's win in the
Alamo Bowl over Michigan State as interim coach of the Red Raiders.
That series of events led to Ruff's return to his alma
mater.
ECU hosts Tulane on Nov. 22. The Green Wave
stunned the Pirates 36-33 in three overtimes
in New Orleans last season.
The first short week of the season follows as the Pirates
will venture to Tulsa for a Friday night kickoff on Nov. 28. Presumably,
that one will be televised, too.
ECU plays Central Florida for Senior Night on ESPN on
Thursday, Dec. 4, another short week.
The Pirates lobbied for years to join the group that now
comprises the AAC. With the inaugural season defined, it appears that
the gridiron gauntlet will be compelling.
