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NEWS, NOTES &
COMMENTARY
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The
Bradsher Beat
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
By Bethany Bradsher |
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Bucs stick to the plan after
bumpy West Coast trek
�2006 Bonesville.net
Billy Godwin didn�t make the connection between
East Carolina's Spring Break and the baseball team�s California road trip
before the season started.
But now that the Pirates have returned with jet
lag and a need to refocus and refresh, Godwin sees the two pieces of the
schedule fitting like a hand in a glove.
�I didn�t realize it when we first scheduled the
trip, but it was good,� he said. �I think they were able to get back
yesterday and get some rest, and we got back out here this morning to kind
of go after business.�
On Tuesday, the Diamond Bucs were scheduled to
begin practice at 9 a.m., and then they were interrupted by a rain delay.
They finished the workout at 3 p.m., ending almost a full day of practice
that never would have been possible on a regular school day.
�We�re taking our time a little bit more,� said
senior first baseman Adam Witter. �It doesn�t need to be crammed into two
and a half hours. We can elaborate on the areas we need extra work on.�
Certainly getting swept by Cal State-Fullerton
tarnished the shine of the early part of the season, which saw the Pirates
going 12-3 in a stretch of 15 home games before the West Coast trip. But
even in his first season at the ECU helm, Godwin is able to take such a
valley in stride, and he encouraged the players at the opening of Tuesday�s
practice.
�I basically said that I�m not pushing any panic
buttons, that we�ve got to stay the task,� he said. �It�s a long season,
it�s a marathon, and we�ve got to come back out and have a good approach in
practice and go back to the things that have been successful up until this
past weekend.�
In fact, even with the extra blemishes the
Fullerton defeats put on their record, the players hope to look back on the
trip as a crucial step in their development as a national-caliber team. The
younger players, especially, have already had the equivalent of five road
trips with a cross-country trek against the 2004 national champions.
�It definitely turned some of our younger guys
into veterans,� Witter said.
In just two weeks the Pirates will take their
second major road trip � this time to the home stadium of 2003 national
champion Rice University. It�s a stretch of the schedule that can only
strengthen the team that is vying for its eighth straight trip to the NCAA
regionals, Godwin said.
�It�s awesome,� Godwin said. �For us to be able
to go out there and play a caliber team like Fullerton and then go to Rice,
it�s a similar type test. It�s an awesome experience for our players.�
With Conference USA play originating with that
Rice series, the Pirates hope that the Houston trip will stand out as a peak
in this season and a spark for the team as they look toward their perennial
goal in Nebraska.
�Hopefully, we�ll step up to our game and know
what it takes to get to Omaha,� said senior pitcher Brody Taylor.
Taylor, who missed all of last season due to an
arm injury, is slated as the starting pitcher for the Pirates� next
challenge � tonight�s away game against UNC-Wilmington. The Pirates defeated
the Seahawks 11-2 on February 25 and will host them again next Wednesday.
The rivalry with UNCW never lacks intensity, but Taylor is just thankful for
a chance to get out there and try for his third win of the season, he said.
�I�m just happy to be back out on the mound and
to be able to pitch again,� he said.
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02/23/2007 01:12:53 AM |
