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ECU Picked Third in C-USA Preseason
Baseball Poll
From ECU Sports Information
Click here to visit
ECUPirates.com.
Pirate Pitching Duo Tabbed All-Conference
GREENVILLE — East Carolina University's baseball team, preparing for its
inaugural season of competition in Conference USA, has been tabbed for third
place in the 12-team league in the 2002 C-USA Preseason Baseball Coaches
Poll. The poll, along with the preseason all-conference team, was unveiled
by the conference office on Tuesday.
 Two
Pirate pitchers, junior left-hander Sam Narron and senior right-hander Will
Brinson, were listed on the preseason all-conference team.
The Pirates, who have won eight conference titles while competing as a
member of the Colonial Athletic Association for the past 16 years, are
picked to finish behind Tulane, the defending C-USA champ and College World
Series participant in 2001, and Houston, which, like ECU, has made three
straight NCAA Tournament appearances. South Florida is tabbed for fourth,
followed by Memphis, Charlotte, TCU, Southern Miss, Louisville, Cincinnati,
UAB, and Saint Louis.
East Carolina tied a school record for wins last season in going 47-13
overall, plus rolled to the regular season CAA crown with a 19-2 conference
record. The Pirates have gained No. 1 regional seeds in each of the past
three NCAA Tournaments. Eight of the 10 C-USA series that the Pirates will
play in the coming season will be first-ever meetings with the respective
opponents.
Narron and Brinson will anchor a strong Pirate pitching staff that
returns every hurler from its 2001 postseason roster. Narron tied the school
record for wins last season with his 12-1 record and compiled a sparkling
2.67 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 101 innings. Brinson was a third-team
All-America pick as a sophomore reliever when he went 3-1 with a 3.12 ERA
and made eight saves. He is expected to transition into a starting pitcher
in 2002.
The Pirates are ranked No. 29 in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll.
Tulane sophomore outfielder/pitcher Michael Aubrey was named as the C-USA
Preseason Player of the Year and Charlotte junior right-hander John Maine
was tabbed Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
East Carolina opens its 2002 season at home on Feb. 15 against Delaware
in the first contest of a three-game weekend series.
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2002 PRESEASON BASEBALL COACHES POLL
(as selected by Conference USA's head coaches)
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. Tulane
2. Houston
3. East Carolina
4. South Florida
5. Memphis
6. Charlotte
7. Texas Christian
8. Southern Miss
9. Louisville
10. Cincinnati
11. UAB
12. Saint Louis
PRESEASON
ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Michael Aubrey, Tulane (Sophomore, Outfielder/Pitcher)
PITCHER OF THE YEAR:
John Maine, Charlotte (Junior, Righthander)
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM:
P John Maine Jr. Charlotte
P Sam Narron Jr. East Carolina
P Brad Sullivan So. Houston
RP Will Brinson Sr. East Carolina
C Chris Hamblen Jr. Cincinnati
IF Hyung Cho So. Houston
IF Anthony Giarratano So. Tulane
IF Adam Haley Jr. Louisville
IF James Jurries Sr. Tulane
IF Myron Leslie So. South Florida
OF Michael Bourn So. Houston
OF Jeff Cook Jr. Southern Miss
OF Jon Kaplan Jr. Tulane
UT Michael Aubrey So. Tulane |
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02/23/2007 01:36:17 PM
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