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BAILEY'S TAKE
ON PIRATE SPORTS
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From the Anchor Desk
Tuesday, April 14, 2008
By Brian Bailey |
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Coaches, players
prep for spring climax
By
Brian Bailey
©2009 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
While it lasts,
East Carolina coach Skip
Holtz truly enjoys the
spring football season.
This year’s spring
schedule is quickly
winding down. The
Pirates have one more
practice, and then will
close out the spring
with Saturday’s game.
The spring football game
is the highlight of the
annual “Great Pirate
Purple Gold Pigskin
Pigout Party.”
“It’s gone by quickly,”
said Holtz about the
spring. “Knock on wood
we haven’t added to our
injuries. We just hope
to get through Saturday
without getting anyone
hurt.”
The Pirates do have
injury problems. As many
as fifteen players who
are expected to make up
the first or second
string this fall are
sitting out this spring.
Saturday’s game should
feature a competitive
balance. Coach Holtz
says the coaching staff
will conduct a players
draft, and the squads
should be announced by
Wednesday.
Holtz also said he’ll
talk with his seniors
about just what the
squads will play for.
Sometimes the winning
teams get steak for
dinner, while the losers
get beanie-weenies. One
year the losing team had
to hold a car wash for
charity. Of course.
members of the winning
team that year got their
cars washed in the deal.
“I’ll get with the
seniors and give them
some ideas,” said Holtz.
“It’s funny how the guys
really get into it. Once
the teams are divided
up, some of the players
will pass out their own
‘scouting reports’ for
the game. They really
enjoy the competition.”
The game clock will run
as normal for the first
half. Holtz says he’ll
take a look and adjust
if needed to make sure
the team gets in the
plays it needs
for the game.
“I think the fans will
enjoy it,” said Holtz.
“It’s our last taste of
football for a while. I
really like the entire
weekend and I know our
players do as well.”
Holtz and the rest of
the coaching staff will
be up for bids for the
golf teams that will tee
off in the Pirate Golf
Classic on Friday.
“If anyone wants to bid
on me it had better be
to talk football, and
not for my golf game,”
joked Holtz. “I haven’t
had a lot of time to
play golf lately.”
Diamond Bucs tarnished a
bit
On the diamond, the
Pirates came away with
just one win in those
five big games last
week.
Still, East Carolina
stands tied with Rice
for first place in
Conference USA. Rice
took the series with ECU
by
winning the third
game 5-4.
The most disappointing
part of the week was in
the first game against
Rice. East Carolina
failed to hold seven-run
leads on two occasions and
lost 15-11.
Seth Maness was the man
in game two, giving up
just three hits in a
complete game
winning performance.
In the third game, Devin
Harris hit a three-run
home run in the eighth to
pull the Pirates within
a run. In the ninth, the
Pirates got two on and
Brandon Henderson looked
like he hit a gapper to
win it. But the wind
knocked down the line
drive, and the Pirates
lost the series to the
Owls.
“The say it’s a game of
inches and it certainly
game into play today,”
said Coach Billy Godwin
after Sunday’s game. “A
foot or two more and
that ball is over his
head, but that’s the way
it goes. I couldn’t be
any prouder about how
our kids completed. I
told them in the eighth
when we were down 5-1
that they had to keep
believing, and they did
and they battled their
rear end off and I
couldn’t be any prouder
of that.”
Despite losing four of
five games last week,
the Pirates
were ranked
nationally for the ninth
straight week.
East Carolina is now
ranked 17th in the USA
Today/ESPN Coaches poll,
20th by the National
Collegiate Baseball
Writers Association,
23rd in Baseball America
and 25th by Rivals.com.
The Pirates host
Campbell tonight, and
then N.C. State comes to
town on Wednesday.
“All we are thinking
about is Campbell right
now,” said Godwin. “They
gave us all that we
wanted down in Buies
Creek, so we know it
will be a tough game.”
The Pirates are back on
the road in league play
this weekend at Tulane.
No. 3 for Sowers
ECU pitcher Sthil Sowers
will wear uniform number 3
for the rest of the
season.
Sowers requested the
number change to honor his
former teammate at North
Lenoir, John Alphin, who
died in an automobile
accident on Friday.
Sowers told me that
Alphin was going to try
and walk on at ECU, but
he had some back
problems and didn’t do
so. He was finishing up
his freshman year at
East Carolina.
Alphin and Sowers led
North Lenoir to a state
championship in 2006.
"We were real good
friends," Sowers said.
"In high school, the
whole team was like
brothers.”
Sowers wore No. 3
in his relief appearance
on Sunday. Later that
day he attended the
funeral of his friend.
"It's tough losing
someone like him, as
great a person as he was
and as great a friend.
It's tough," said
Sowers.
Tougher then any hitter
Sowers will ever face.
It’s just another
example of how each day
is a gift that many of
us, especially including
myself, take for
granted.
Sthil showed great
courage in pitching on
Sunday with such a heavy
heart.
Our thoughts and prayers
will continue to be with
the Alphin family.
BB
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