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BAILEY'S
TAKE ON PIRATE SPORTS
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From the
Anchor Desk
Tuesday,
May 31, 2011
By Brian
Bailey |
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Bucs get another bite at
Charlottesville apple
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CHARLOTTESVILLE
REGIONAL |
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DAVENPORT
FIELD
JUNE 3-6, 2011 |
1. Virginia (49-9)
2. East Carolina (39-19)
3. St. John's (35-20)
4. Navy (33-23-1 |
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FRIDAY'S SCHEDULE |
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UVa
vs. Navy, 1 pm |
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ECU
vs. St. John's, 6 pm |
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All 16 Regional Brackets |
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By
Brian Bailey
©2011 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
The East Carolina baseball
team gathered on Memorial Day for lunch and a show.
The show was the NCAA
Tournament Selection Show, and the Pirates had their question answered
quickly.
The first regional
announced was the Charlottesville Regional. Virginia is the top overall
seed in the tournament and the top seed at home.
East Carolina will head to
Charlottesville as the number two seed. St. John's is No. 3 and Navy is
seeded fourth.
“Wherever you go you are
going to play good teams,” said Pirate Coach Billy Godwin. “It is
certainly an opponent we are familiar with. That is exciting that we
know a little bit about them. We’ve also played St. John’s in the past
so we know their style.”
Virginia has been ranked
number one in the nation for a good portion of the season. The Cavaliers
are the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament
champions with a sparkling record of 49-9 on the season.
North Carolina swept
Virginia for three of the Cavalier’s losses. The other teams to beat UVA
this season were Florida State, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Miami,
North Carolina State and ECU.
Virginia took each one of
the series against those same teams.
The series with the
Pirates came early this season, during the last weekend in February.
In the opener, UVa's Danny
Hultzen was brilliant. He struck out a career-best 15 batters in seven
dominating innings. He gave up just three hits in
the 10-1 romp and at one point
retired 19 straight ECU batters.
Game two that weekend
featured a contest in which the Pirates made a couple of errors, both
physically and mentally, that proved pivotal in
a 4-3 loss.
In game three, Pirate
pitcher Mike Wright was the star. He allowed just two runs in seven
innings of work as the Pirates took
a 4-3 victory.
Godwin would say after
that weekend in Virginia that he thought his team grew up a bit in the
series. The club definitely gained some confidence.
“I think we are playing
our best baseball right now,” ECU reliever Brad Mincey said Monday after
the team's regional destination was announced. “To go up there and play
close with them the first time, and then to get a win, it certainly
gives us confidence. We just have to play with confidence.”
The Pirates face off with
St. John’s in the opener. ECU
defeated the Red Storm 9-7 in
the 2009 Keith LeClair Classic.
Coach Godwin said he would
meet with his staff before announcing a starter for the opener.
Ace Seth Maness says he
would like another shot at the Cavaliers. Maness got the loss in the
first game of the February series. Maness gave up 9 runs, but only three
of them were earned in 3.1 innings. The Pirates committed five errors.
“I don’t have a
preference,” said Maness. “But I would probably rather throw against
Virginia. I think it would be a good matchup. ... I would love to prove
myself again.”
As the tournament’s
overall top seed, Virginia will be a heavy favorite in this
Charlottesville Regional.
Godwin, though, likes the
way his team comes into the postseason.
“This time of the year
it’s not so much about your opponent as it is about us playing well,”
said Godwin. “I like the way our guys are playing right now. We look
forward to going up there and playing well.”
BB
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05/31/2011 04:17 AM |
