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Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate Notebook No. 71 Monday, June 10, 2002 By Denny O'Brien Staff Writer and Columnist

Diamond Pirates seek series of 2003 solutions

©2002 Bonesville.net

Five key questions

When the East Carolina baseball team broke for the offseason last Monday, assistant coach Kevin McMullan congratulated the Pirates on a fine season.

As they departed, ECU's third-year assistant had a clear message for the players:  "Be focused on getting to Omaha."

But if Keith LeClair's group is to reach college baseball's holy land next year, it has several questions it must address between now and next June.  Many of those, according to McMullan, won't be gauged until next semester when the Pirates commence with fall practice.

"From the very beginning this year, we said we would have to pitch, play defense, and get situational hits," McMullan said Friday.  "We won't really know what our characteristics as a team will be next year until we get into fall practice.  Then, we'll know a little bit more about what our niche will be."

Until then, here are a a few questions to ponder about next season.

Will Narron return?  That is perhaps the biggest question facing the Pirates over the next couple of weeks.  Narron, who last week was drafted in the 15th round by Texas, was undecided as to whether or not he would sign with the Rangers, or return for his senior season.

The Pirates need an ace on the hill, the type of big-game pitcher who possesses that bulldog mentality.  No one fits that bill better than the Goldsboro native.  Lacking an intimidating fastball — Narron's 'heater' ranges from 80-84 mph — the lean left-hander out-thinks hitters by changing speeds and locating his pitches.  Instead of seeking strikeouts, the Academic All-American targets groundouts, which generally keeps his pitch count low.  He never gives in to opposing sluggers.

Without Narron, Davey Penny will have to step up as the No. 1 starter, meaning both Will Brinson and Scott Greene will likely have to step into weekend starting slots.  Neither has proven himself consistently in that role over the long haul.

Who will step into the cleanup roll?  Darryl Lawhorn's numbers are even more amazing when you consider the national freshman of the year didn't have a consistent stick to protect him in the four spot.  But you have to wonder just how long that trend can last.

Unless the Pirates can protect Lawhorn, opposing pitchers will continue to pitch around the 165-pound slugger, which could mean a significant decline in production next season.  Though he consistently delivered base knocks throughout the 64-game season, most of Lawhorn's 19 home runs were blasted in the early half of the year before sufficient scouting reports were out on the Wilmington native.

Among the candidates to assume the role is Ryan Norwood, a 6'4" 205-pound rising sophomore who, on skates, would make the perfect goon in hockey.  The Richmond native showed promise in limited action this season, but didn't get enough swings to get into a groove.

Norwood will get a serious look at first base this fall, with Lawhorn trying his hand at the hot corner.  Norwood can also play the outfield, if need be.  

How will the Pirates stack up defensively?  Defense was one of the hallmarks of the 2002 season, even though the Pirates seemed to experience occasional lulls during the year.  Nonetheless, it was the wizardry of players like centerfielder Warren Gaspar and second baseman Jedd Sorenson that kept the opposition at bay long enough to scratch the surface on the scoreboard.

Replacing both Gaspar and Sorenson is no easy task. Filling the hole left behind the plate by sure-handed backstop and 22nd-round draft pick Clayton McCullough will is no gimme, either, though John Poppert, who was Penny's primary catcher, is a prime candidate to take over everyday duties.

The Pirates aren't short on outfielders, with Ryan Jones, Ben Sanderson and Jamie Paige all returning.  The trio, described by McMullan as "blue collar players", could solidify all three outfield spots.  Brian Cavanaugh could fit in the mix, too.

Justin Phillips and Kevin O'Sullivan are among the candidates to replace Sorenson.

Will more arms emerge out of the pen?  By the end of the season, just three pitchers — Neal Sears, Glenn Tucker, and Kieran Mattison — were consistent in middle relief, with Sears (9-3) being the most dependable workhorse of the bunch.  Both Jason Tourangeau and Ashley Capps got their share of appearances, too, but struggled at times to record outs and proved susceptible to giving up the big inning.

With Mattison now gone, pitching coach Tommy Eason will need to get help for his primary setup men.  If  Tourangeau and Capps aren't the answer, new arms must be developed.  Matt Bishop showed signs in his first year, though he played sparingly.  Phillip Powell and Kevin Rhodes could also provide support.

Can the Pirates catch the big break?  When asked in the preseason what it would take to make it to Omaha, LeClair ran down a grocery list of factors required to reach college baseball nirvana.  Included among those was getting the proverbial "big break," something the Pirates haven't cashed in since LeClair took over the program in '98. 

"You know, I think you have to catch a break," LeClair said.  "It seems that we haven't quite yet caught that break. On the same token, though, you have to make your own breaks, and we haven't quite gotten over that hump of making the big pitch, or getting the big hit, or making that big play when we have to. It basically comes down to performing."

This year, the Pirates certainly didn't get a break in seeding, or placement for that matter.  The prize for winning one of the nation's toughest conferences was a trip to the Clemson regional, hosted by the nationally No. 2-seeded Tigers.

ECU certainly didn't get a break from the weather in the Palmetto State, where it was hotter than blue blazes.  After playing back-to-back games in the sweltering heat on Saturday, the Pirates appeared physically and emotionally drained for their championship matchup against Clemson on Sunday.

Jones looking to build on late-season momentum

One of the players expected to fill a major void next season is Jones, who is the leading candidate to replace Gaspar in centerfield.  Fleet afoot and strong-armed, Jones would be more than serviceable quarterbacking the outfield, though it's hard to imagine him bringing as much flair to the position as Gaspar.

Offensively, Jones could also emerge as the Pirates' leadoff man, considering his good speed on the paths and excellent eye at the plate.  However, it remains to be seen whether or not Jones can consistently produce from the top of the order, something he didn't do during the regular season.

"I wasn't trying to get out during the regular season," Jones explained after his three-RBI performance in the C-USA championship game.  "It just wasn't working for me. Finally, it started coming together (in the postseason), and if I could have picked a better time for that to happen, it would be now."

Jones' postseason performance is exactly what McMullan had in mind when he recruited him out of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania.  McMullan fondly remembers courting the sophomore outfielder, largely because it was his first assignment after joining LeClair's staff.

"The first day I accepted this job was a Tuesday — I think it was in August — maybe in July" McMullan said.  "It was at a showcase in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"I talked to coach LeClair, and I said 'Coach, what are our needs?'  He said, 'Well, we need a catcher, we need a centerfielder, and a couple of pitchers.'  I called him that night going back to New Jersey and said 'I think I found a centerfielder.  He's a Pittsburgh kid, and I've got some ties up that way, so I'm going to do some research on him.'"

That research certainly paid dividends — it helped deliver the school's first-ever C-USA team championship.

Pirates thrive for postseason

Some may have been surprised by East Carolina's sudden surge in the C-USA tournament two weeks ago.  McMullan wasn't one of them.

Following the Pirates' 4-0 win over Houston in the championship game, the Pirates' assistant seemed pretty low-key about the victory, acting as if he expected the somewhat unexpected outcome.

"That's why these kids come here," McMullan said.  "That's what our program is about.

"We focus on getting better every day.  We talk about postseason play.  That's hopefully why these kids came to East Carolina.  You can ask everyone of them, and I'm sure they'll tell you the same thing — they want to go to Omaha.  That's what we preach when we sell our program."

That mentality didn't exist in Greenville prior to LeClair's arrival, according to McMullan, but has been a hallmark of the program since LeClair took over five years ago.

"He's (LeClair) the guy that started this program," McMullan said.  "He put the word out on the street that we wanted to go to Omaha.

"I think that has attracted people here.  We've started to make believers out of people.  As coaches, that's what our expectations are.  We expect to win."

Football: Sporting News Blues

Almost synonymous with the end of the college baseball season is the distribution of the preseason football rags.  Both the Sporting News and Athlon annual outlooks hit newsstands last week.

Each predicted middle-of-the-pack Conference USA finishes for the Pirates, noting many key holes to fill in the face of other up-and-coming programs within the league. That thinking shouldn't be considered a stretch from a couple of outside onlookers, though TSN seemed to play a bit fast and loose with its analysis of C-USA.

In ranking the units, the Pirates' offensive line, the same group that boasts an Outland Trophy candidate (Brian Rimpf) as well as a handful of behemoths on the short list for All-C-USA, was ninth-best according to TSN, as was the offensive backfield, which features two sub-4.4 runners.

On the other hand, the receiving corps, which has been plagued by dropped balls and injuries since last season, was rated the league's best .  The secondary, easily ECU's most suspect unit, ranked third according to TSN.

Kinda makes you wonder just how much stock to put in those preseason mags.  The short answer... not much.

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02/23/2007 01:46:09 AM
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