By Staff
By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
GREENVILLE — While Super Bowl XLII may rule the day Sunday, baseball won’t take a beat seat in Greenville. The East Carolina Pirates will hold their first official day of practice Sunday afternoon at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
The players are feeling optimistic about the upcoming season, which gets started Feb. 20 with a three-game home series against Monmouth.
Senior co-captain Stephen Batts, a Conference USA Preseason First Team selection, is ready to hit the field.
While the Pirates will have to replace the likes of catcher Corey Kemp, outfielder Harrison Eldridge and pitchers T.J. Hose and Justin Bristow, Godwin feels strongly about this year’s club.
ECU has 16 pitchers on its roster, but just two are seniors — Bailey Daniels (1-0, 6.92 ERA) and Chocowinity’s Britton Cole (0-0, 0.00 ERA in three appearances). However, sophomores Seth Maness (9-2, 3.57 ERA), Sthil Sowers (4-4, 4.66 ERA), Seth Simmons (2-0, 4.76 ERA) and Brad Mincey (3-3, 5.30 ERA) all saw significant time on the hill last year.
Maness, an All-American who earned numerous postseason and preseason accolades, is the most decorated player in ECU baseball history.
Maness will be the Friday night starter, followed by junior college transfer Chris Heston and Sowers. Mike Anderson is currently penciled in as the fourth starter while freshmen Mike Wright and Patrick Somers could battle for the fifth spot.
Anderson, a co-captain, is ready to get started.
Freshmen Kevin Brandt and Mark Wilder could also see some action.
Ryan Wood, a 6-5, 186-pound senior, and Simmons are battling for the closer’s position.
The team may have some young players, but Godwin listed “experience” as one of the team’s strengths.
The Pirates won’t have Kemp behind the plate to catch ECU’s talented group of pitches. However, Godwin believes his team has depth at that position with junior college transfer Jared Avchen, sophomore Bobby Fowler and freshman Zach Wright.
The infield will look much the same as it did last year. Co-captain Brandon Henderson (11 homers, 52 RBIs, .347) will start at first base, Wood (13 HRs, 51 RBIs, .306) at second, Dustin Harrington (4 HRs, 42 RBIs, .320) at short and Schieber (2 HRs, 18 RBIs, .319) at third.
Kyle Roller (12 HRs, 50 RBIs, .299), a designated hitter who can also play first base, adds a big stick to the lineup.
Godwin said freshman Corey Thompson, a third baseman, will likely see the field early and often in his career.
The outfield will likely have Batts (10 HRs, 45 RBIs, .333) in left, Trent Ashcraft (.220) in center and either former Washington Pam Pack standout Trent Whitehead (3 HRs, 15 RBIs, .273) or Devin Harris (.167) in right.
Ashcraft will likely be the leadoff hitter for the Pirates. He’ll be followed by Wood, Batts, Roller and Henderson in the meat of the batting order.
Though Ashcraft is replacing a fan favorite in Eldridge in center field and as the leadoff batter, the fifth-year senior doesn’t feel any added pressure.
The Pirates will be entertaining some tough competition this season. The likes of UCLA, Oklahoma State, North Carolina and N.C. State will all pay a visit. Meanwhile, ECU will battle perennial conference powers Rice and Tulane, among others.
ECU ROSTER
PITCHERS
Mike Anderson (So)
Shawn Armstrong (Fr.)
Kevin Brandt (Fr.)
Britton Cole (Sr.)
Bailey Daniels (Sr.)
Chris Heston (Jr.)
Lance Honeycutt (Fr.)
Seth Maness (So.)
Brad Mincey (So.)
Joe O’Malley (So.)
Seth Simmons (So.)
Patrick Somers (Fr.)
Mark Wilder (Fr.)
Zach Woods (Jr.)
Mike Wright (Fr.)
CATCHERS
Jared Avchen (Jr.)
Bobby Fowler (So.)
Zach Wright (Fr.)
INFIELDERS
Brett Bowers (Fr.)
Cameron Freeman (So.)
Dustin Harrington (So.)
Brandon Henderson (Sr.)
Kyle Roller (Jr.)
Drew Schieber (Sr.)
Broc Sutton (Jr.)
Corey Thompson (Fr.)
Ryan Wood (Sr.)
OUTFIELDERS
Trent Ashcraft (Sr.)
Stephen Batts (Sr.)
Philip Clark (Fr.)
Devin Harris (So.)
Austin Homan (So.)
Jonathan Ratledge (Jr.)
Trent Whitehead (So.)
2008-2009 SCHEDULE
02/20/09 vs. Monmouth GREENVILLE, N.C. 3:00 p.m. ET
02/21/09 vs. Monmouth GREENVILLE, N.C. 2:00 p.m. ET
02/22/09 vs. Monmouth GREENVILLE, N.C. 1:00 p.m. ET
02/26/09 vs. Oklahoma State GREENVILLE, N.C. 5:00 p.m. ET
Keith LeClair Classic
02/27/09 vs. St. John’s GREENVILLE, N.C. 5:00 p.m. ET
02/28/09 vs. Oklahoma State GREENVILLE, N.C. 3:00 p.m. ET
03/01/09 vs. College of Charleston GREENVILLE, N.C. 2:00 p.m. ET
03/03/09 vs. Old Dominion GREENVILLE, N.C. 4:00 p.m. ET
03/06/09 Le Moyne Statesboro, Ga. 3:00 p.m. ET
03/07/09 vs. Indiana Statesboro, Ga. 6:00 p.m. ET
03/08/09 at Georgia Southern Statesboro, Ga. 3:00 p.m. ET
03/10/09 vs. UNC Asheville GREENVILLE, N.C. 5:00 p.m. ET
03/11/09 vs. UNC Asheville GREENVILLE, N.C. 3:00 p.m. ET
03/13/09 vs. UCLA GREENVILLE, N.C. 5:00 p.m. ET
03/14/09 vs. UCLA GREENVILLE, N.C. 2:00 p.m. ET
03/15/09 vs. UCLA GREENVILLE, N.C. 12:00 p.m. ET
03/18/09 vs. Norfolk State GREENVILLE, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ET
03/20/09 vs. UCF * GREENVILLE, N.C. 7:00 p.m. ET
03/21/09 vs. UCF * GREENVILLE, N.C. 3:00 p.m. ET
03/22/09 vs. UCF * GREENVILLE, N.C. 11:00 a.m. ET
03/24/09 at Campbell Buies Creek, N.C. 7:00 p.m. ET
03/25/09 vs. UNC-Wilmington GREENVILLE, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ET
03/27/09 at Marshall * Charleston, WVa. 6:00 p.m. ET
03/28/09 at Marshall * Charleston, WVa. 6:00 p.m. ET
03/29/09 at Marshall * Charleston, WVa. 1:00 p.m. ET
03/31/09 vs. Elon GREENVILLE, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ET
04/01/09 at N.C. State Raleigh, N.C. 6:30 p.m. ET
04/03/09 at UAB * Birmingham, Ala. 8:00 p.m. ET
04/04/09 at UAB * Birmingham, Ala. 3:00 p.m. ET
04/05/09 at UAB * Birmingham, Ala. 12:00 p.m. ET
04/07/09 at North Carolina Chapel Hill, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ET
04/08/09 at UNC-Wilmington Wilmington, N.C. 7:00 p.m. ET
04/10/09 vs. Rice * GREENVILLE, N.C. 7:00 p.m. ET
04/11/09 vs. Rice * GREENVILLE, N.C. 3:00 p.m. ET
04/12/09 vs. Rice * GREENVILLE, N.C. 11:00 a.m. ET
04/14/09 vs. Campbell GREENVILLE, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ET
04/15/09 vs. N.C. State GREENVILLE, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ET
04/17/09 at Tulane * New Orleans, La. 7:00 p.m. ET
04/18/09 at Tulane * New Orleans, La. 3:00 p.m. ET
04/19/09 at Tulane * New Orleans, La. 2:00 p.m. ET
04/21/09 vs. Elon GREENVILLE, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ET
04/22/09 vs. North Carolina GREENVILLE, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ET
04/24/09 vs. Southern Miss * GREENVILLE, N.C. 7:00 p.m. ET
04/25/09 vs. Southern Miss * GREENVILLE, N.C. 3:00 p.m. ET
04/26/09 vs. Southern Miss * GREENVILLE, N.C. 11:00 p.m. ET
04/28/09 at Elon Burlington, N.C. 7:00 p.m. ET
05/01/09 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette GREENVILLE, N.C. 7:00 p.m. ET
05/02/09 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette GREENVILLE, N.C. 3:00 p.m. ET
05/03/09 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette GREENVILLE, N.C. 12:00 p.m. ET
05/08/09 at Houston * Houston, Texas 7:30 p.m. ET
05/09/09 at Houston * Houston, Texas 7:30 p.m. ET
05/10/09 at Houston * Houston, Texas 2:00 p.m. ET
05/12/09 at UNC-Wilmington Wilmington, N.C. 7:00 p.m. ET
05/14/09 vs. Memphis * GREENVILLE, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ET
05/15/09 vs. Memphis * GREENVILLE, N.C. 6:00 p.m. ET
05/16/09 vs. Memphis * GREENVILLE, N.C. 12:00 p.m. ET