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Passion Buckets Full Of Baseball And Final Four

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

April is here, and my Passion Bucket is overflowing.  For those who’ve never heard of a Passion Bucket, it’s a term that was coined by UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel and made popular on the Dan Patrick Radio Show.  It’s also a term that was used by Cornell basketball player Ryan Wittman prior to last week’s Sweet 16 basketball match-up with Kentucky.

Wittman’s use of the term stirred-up some unwarranted controversy when John Feinstein took it to mean “we’re the smart kids”.   Turned out Wittman’s coach, Steve Donohue,  had just told him to drop the “Passion Bucket” during the presser at Patrick’s request.  Turns out Passion Bucket just stands for how much enthusiasm or excitement you have for something, and mine is overflowing with thoughts of college baseball and the Final Four…and even how they run together…

Brad Stevens

Butler’s in the Final Four.  How cool is that?  Their home floor, Hinkle Fieldhouse, is where the movie Hoosiers was filmed.  The college baseball equal would be Creighton making it to the College World Series.  Wait…that happened in 1991.  Butler’s coach, Brad Stevens, is home grown, just like Brian O’Connor, who pitched at the Series for the Blue Jays in ’91 and who took Virginia to Omaha last year.  Stevens looks so young he gets mistaken for the water boy, but he’s worked his way up the ladder since starting as Butler’s Coordinator of Basketball Operations ten years ago.  By the way, Minnesota Twins reliever Pat Neshek played college ball at Butler.

Tom Izzo is a guy you just have to respect.  He’s taken Michigan State to six Final Fours in 12 years.  His teams grind out possessions and games like a Polish lady with big forearms grinds out Kielbasa.  It got me thinking…what’s Michigan State’s college baseball counterpart?  I’m going with Texas:  Walk, sac bunt, infield hit, 4-3 RBI…Augie Garrido’s great pitching and small ball approach is college baseball’s answer to Izzo’s Spartans.  Augie’s obviously had some success at it too.  And how about Jake Boss, Jr.’s MSU baseball team?  At 16-4,  his Spartans open Big Ten play vs. Iowa this weekend with the best record in the conference.

Speaking of Texas, the Longhorns (18-7) leave their home state for the first time this season when they visit Oklahoma this weekend.  Texas has played road games at Rice and Texas Tech with three neutral site games at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

Arizona State (23-0) and UCLA (21-0) are the only two remaining unbeaten Division One teams in college baseball.

Merrill Kelly

The Sun Devils visit Oregon this weekend in their second Pac 10 series, while UCLA hosts Stanford in it conference opener.  The most amazing thing to me about ASU’s unblemished record is the fact they’ve done it without Josh Spence (10-1, 2.37 ERA in ’09) throwing one pitch so far this year.  The Aussie has been out all year with an arm injury, but his teammates have more than picked-up the slack.  Sophomore Jake Borup pitched all of 8.0 innings last year, but he’s 5-0, while juco transfer Merrill Kelly is tied for the national lead at 6-0.  Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole (6-0, 2.63 ERA) and Trevor Bauer (5-0, 2.33 ERA) have lived-up to their expectations at UCLA.  Both teams have off the charts talent and numbers in the line-up.  Too bad they don’t meet until the end of the month.  Oh, if you want to read a good rant on these teams and the national rankings check out what Chase Titleman has to say at Road2rosenblatt.com!

Who’s been impersonating as the three Conference USA teams that went to at least a Super Regional last year?  Last year’s CWS Cinderella, Southern Mississippi (14-9) , has lost five of its last seven games, including losing two of three last week to UAB.  East Carolina (17-9) just bludgeoned North Carolina Central by a combined 65-12 last weekend, but they just lost a 15-13 slug fest to UNC Wilmington and had losses to Monmouth and High Point.  ECU opens C-USA play this weekend vs. Tulane and then heads to Memphis next week.  Speaking of Memphis, the Tigers took two of three from Rice (14-12) last week for their first ever series win over the Owls, which are falling out of the polls with losses in five of their last eight games.  All three C-USA teams have played tough opponents, all three have hit in spots and consistent pitching has eluded all three as well.

Joe Godri

Villanova (17-4) is off to its best start since head coach Joe Godri arrived in 2002.  The Wildcats have a tough task ahead of them this weekend if they want to keep it going.  Godri’s ‘Cats will be “big game hunting” when they travel to Louisville (21-3) for their second Big East series of the season.  Godri has a tradition of plastering the logo of top-caliber teams his team has beaten on his office wall, and just one win at Louisville this weekend would go a long way.  Wildcats Justin Bencsko (.485) and Matt Szczur (.500) have names that are hard to pronounce, but they’re among the nation’s hitting leaders.  Louisville’s Thomas Royse (5-0, 1.42 ERA) and Neil Holland (4-0, 0.42 ERA, 6 SVs) might be the best pitchers they’ll face this season.

That series and many others start on Thursday this weekend due to Easter coming this Sunday.  Here’s hoping your Easter Baskets and Passion Buckets are full!

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A By The Numbers Look At The Latest Week’s Action

Randy Fontanez (USF photo)

1…Win this season and career shutouts by Fontanez after Friday’s gem.  The Preseason Big East Pitcher of the Year was 0-4 prior to his team’s conference-opener with losses to the likes of Florida and Ohio State and a no-decision in a loss to Oklahoma.

23…Consecutive wins by Arizona State to open the season-a record for the storied program.

2…Runs scored by ASU in the 8th inning to tie Cal in Sunday’s 3-2 win.  Drew Maggi’s two out RBI single in the 9th gave the Sun Devils their 23rd straight win.

13…Strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings by ASU starter Jake Borup in Sunday’s win.  He allowed just two hits, but  settled for a no-decision.

20…Consecutive wins by UCLA to open the season-the longest winning streak in Bruin’s history.

6…Wins with no losses by UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole.  He became the nation’s first 6-game winner with Thursday’s 11-7 win over Cal Poly.  Cole walked a season-high seven batters with seven strikeouts in the outing, which UCLA led 11-0 after four innings.

10…Combined double plays turned in Pacific’s 3-2 win in 11 innings over San Jose State on Sunday.  Each team turned five double plays to tie a single-game  NCAA record set on April 4, 1989 by Georgetown and George Mason.

8…Runs given-up in 5 2/3 IP by Texas pitcher Taylor Jungmann in Friday’s 12-5 loss to Texas Tech.

9…Runs given-up by Jungmann (2-1) in his first 36 1/3 IP this season prior to suffering his first loss.

10…Runs scored in the bottom of the 8th inning by George Mason in Friday’s CAA opener vs. James Madison and send the game to extra innings with the score tied 12-12.

Noe Ramirez (CS Fullerton photo)

9…Runs scored in the 10th inning of that same game by James Madison, which won the game 21-16.

14…Strikeouts by Cal State Fullerton’s Noe Ramirez in Friday’s 3-0 win over Hawaii in his second complete game of the season.

0.40…ERA of Hawaii starter Josh Slats, who was Ramirez’s counterpart in that game-which lasted just 2:18.

18…Game home field winning streak that ended last Tuesday when Elon beat Clemson 15-10 at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

4 of 5…Games Clemson lost last week after opening the season with a 17-2 record.  The Tigers also lost at home to Elon on Wednesday and then dropped 2 of 3 games at Virginia over the weekend.

5…Walks issued by Kansas State pitcher Evan Marshall in Friday’s 14-11 win over visiting Oklahoma State.

7…Runs scored in the 8th inning of that game to give the K-State its third straight win in a Big 12 opener.  (The Wildcats took two of three games in the series.)

2…Walks issued by Marshall (along with 22 strikeouts) in his first 33 2/3 IP this season.

15…Strikeouts in 6 IP by Oklahoma State’s Kevin Chambers, who allowed just one hit with one walk, in Tuesday’s 26-0 win over Alabama A& M.  It was the second game of a doubleheader in Stillwater, OK.

5…Strikeouts by Chambers’ teammate, Brian Denneny, who pitched the last three innings of that game.

13…Combined strikeouts by four OSU pitchers in a 6-5 loss to A&M in game one of that twin bill.

10…Home runs hit by ten different players in Tuesday’s 20-15 win by Morehead State over Indiana.  The teams combined for 35 runs on 43 hits.

8…Pitchers used by Webber International in Thursday’s 9-0 win over Ohio State.

617…Enrollment of Webber International-an NAIA school located in Babson Park, FL.

52,715…Enrollment of Ohio State-a Big Ten school located in Columbus, OH.

Chris Schaeffer (N.C. State photo)

1…Career hit by The Citadel’s Josh Pless.  The freshman’s single to left field gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 win over Appalachian State Saturday afternoon.  He was 0-4 prior to the at-bat.

5…Runs scored by North Carolina State against Miami with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the game at 6-6 & send it to extra innings.  The Wolfpack won 7-6 after a game-winning sac fly by Chris Schaeffer in the 11th inning.

4 1/3…Relief innings pitched in that game by freshman Felix Roque-a Miami native-to earn his first career win.

10…Consecutive hits by East Carolina in Sunday’s 20-1 win over North Carolina Central.

65-7…Combined score of the Pirates‘ three wins over the Eagles.

2 of 3…Games won by Memphis over Rice over the weekend to give the Tigers their first ever series win over the Owls.

11…Strikeouts in 7 IP by Louisville’s Thomas Royse (5-0, 1.42 ERA) in Friday’s Big East Conference opening 1-0 win over UConn.

4…RBIs by Cody Lassley on his game-ending grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Wichita State a

Cody Lassley

5-1 win over Bradley.

0…Runs allowed in his last 11 2/3 IP by TCU’s Paul Gerrish after 5 2/3 scoreless innings in Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Texas State.

16-15…Air Force’s lead in Sunday’s game vs. TCU when play was halted in the 7th inning due to TCU’s travel plans.  The game will be resumed on May 15.  The two teams split the first two games of the Mountain West Conference Series.

7…Straight wins by Georgia Tech after Sunday’s 11-8 win in 10 innings over North Carolina.

5…Runs scored in the 9th inning by the Yellow Jackets to tie the game 8-8 and send it to extra innings.  The scoring was capped on a 2-run home run by Derek Dietrich, who had a career-high five hits in the game.

10…Years since Georgia Tech last swept a series from the Tar Heels, which were swept at home for the first time since 2003.

10…Strikeouts by GT pitcher Deck McGuire in 7 innings in Friday’s 2-1 series-opening win in Chapel Hill.

20-5…School record best start to a season by Western Kentucky after beating Louisiana-Monroe 10-8 on Sunday to cap a weekend sweep.

1…Win over a Division One team by Division II Lake Erie College after Sunday’s 19-4 win over Cleveland State.

11…Strikeouts by Charleston Southern’s Tyler Thornburg in 8 IP in a 1-0 win over VMI.

446…Wins at UC Santa Barbara by head coach Bob Brontsema after an 11-6 win over San Francisco.  The mark is a new school record.

A By The Numbers Look At The Weekend’s Action

Alex Kaminsky (WSU photo)

1…Run allowed in 7 IP by Wright State starter Alex Kaminsky in Friday’s 2-1 win over #1/#2 Virginia.  Kaminsky struckout 7 to earn his first win of the season in a head-to-head dual with UVA sophomore ace Danny Hultzen.

2…Wins in the last two years by the Raiders on a top ranked team’s home field.  WSU beat #1 Georgia last year in Athens.

10…Runs and hits allowed in 2 1/3 innings by Kentucky starter Taylor Rogers in Saturday’s 14-13 win over Monmouth.

0 & 9…Hits allowed & strikeouts recorded in 4 IP by Wildcat reliever Matt Little, who earned the win in that game after allowing just two hits.

10…Hit batters by Monmouth pitchers in the loss to Kentucky to tie an NCAA record.  It’s just the third time a pitching staff has hit 10 batters in a game.

4…Straight hit batters by Monmouth pitchers Andy McDonnell (1) and Stephen Prosapio, who hit Kentucky’s Braden Kapteyn with the bases loaded and the score tied 13-13 to give the Wildcats the winning run.

1…Career home run by 5’9-160 pound Kentucky redshirt junior Neiko Johnson, whose long ball on a 2-2 pitch in the bottom of the 9th inning tied the score at 13 just before the four straight hit batsmen.

103…Runs scored by Georgia State in a 4-game series vs. North Carolina Central.

14…Of the runs scored by Georgia State junior Mark Micowski, who transferred to the school this year after Vermont disbanded baseball last year.  Micowski hit for the cycle in the first four innings of Friday’s 32-3 victory.  He batted .636 with 10 RBIs in the four games.

17…Combined strikeouts by George Washington pitchers Matt Branham and Scott DeCecco in Friday’s 5-1 win over USC Upstate.  The combined effort tied a school record.

210…Career Ks by Branham-whose career high 12 strikeouts in the win made him the 3rd pitcher in GW history to top the 200 K mark.

6…Straight wins by USC Upstate prior to the loss-a record for the Spartans since joining the Division One ranks.

1…Hit allowed by West Virginia’s Jarryd Summers in 8 innings in a 1-0 loss to Western Carolina.  Summers fanned 11 in the loss.  The only hit he allowed was a solo home run by WCU third baseman Tyler Kirkpatrick.

3…Hits allowed by Catamount starter Jason Sullivan-who struckout 8 in 9 shutout innings to improve to 3-0 on the season with the win over the Mountaineers.

Blake Kelso (Houston photo)

9…Strikeouts by Houston’s Michael Goodnight in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Texas at the Houston College Classic.

1…Wild pitch by Longhorn starter Brandon Workman-after a triple by Houston’s Blake Kelso-which allowed the game’s only run to score.

2…Losses by Cal State Fullerton in a 3-game series at Arizona to fall to 4-6 on the season.  The Titans started the year ranked in the top 10 in every poll.

1…Inning pitched by Titan All-American Daniel Renken in Friday’s 8-7 loss to the Wildcats.  Renken was lifted after hitting Wildcat CF Joey Rickard to lead-off the 2nd inning.

3…Walk-off wins by Arizona this season after freshman Seth Mejias-Brean singled home classmate Alex Mejia in the bottom of the 11th inning in that win over the Titans.

8…Strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings by Florida starter Alex Panteliodis in Friday’s 7-1 series-opening win over Miami (FL).

7…Strikeouts in 3 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings pitched by Gator reliever Nick Maronde to earn his first save of the season in that same win over the Hurricanes.

Kevin Chapman

4…Shutout innings pitched by Florida reliever Kevin Chapman in Sunday’s series-clinching 4-2 win over Miami.  Chapman gave-up just one hit with two strikeouts to earn his second save of 2010.

17…Combined strikeouts in 12 innings pitched by Duke starters Eric Pfisterer (10) and Michael Ness (7) who each tossed six shutout innings to help the Blue Devils to a 3-game sweep of Temple.

11…Strikeouts in 6 IP by Florida Gulf Coast ace Chris Sale in a 7-2 win over Wichita State.

2…Home runs hit over the weekend by Middle Tennessee State’s Bryce Brentz.  The outfielder led the nation with 28 HR last year, but he had been shutout through the first two weeks of the season.

1…Loss this season by Washington State after falling 4-1 in Sunday’s finale of a 4-game series with Utah.  The Cougars had started 9-0 for their best opening to a season since 1988.

Steve Fernandez

138…Pitches thrown by Santa Clara starter Alex Rivers in a 4-0 win over San Jose State.  Rivers scattered seven hits with five strikeouts for his third career complete game.

5…RBIs by St. Louis redshirt freshman Steve Fernandez to help St. Louis down Ohio State 10-9 on Saturday.

109…Pitches thrown by West Virginia’s Chris Enourato, who struckout 9 in seven innings of relief to help the Moutaineers to an 11-8 win over Illinois.  Enourato retired 16 of the first 17 batters he faced.

3…Wins by WVU (with seven losses) this season.  Enourato has earned two of the wins and a save in his five relief outings.

16…RBIs in five games by New Mexico State’s Wade Reynoso.  He batted .522 (12-23) with 3 home runs and 11 runs scored as well in wins over New Mexico and St. Joseph’s.

Non-Conference Games Vs. ECU And NC State Highlight Slate

Campbell Head Coach Greg Goff

these teams having won a combined 516 contests during the 2009 season.

Complete 2010 Campbell Schedule (PDF)

“We have put together another demanding, but exciting schedule for the 2010 season highlighted with in-state opponents NC State, East Carolina, and UNC-Wilmington,” head coach Greg Goff said. “Our goal with this schedule was to build on the momentum of our record-setting home attendance from last season, and being able to have 33 home games was definitely a bonus. This allows our fans a good opportunity to come out and have a great time watching our team compete against some first-rate opponents.”

Asheville and NC State highlight first week

Campbell opens the 2010 slate at home against UNC Asheville with a single contest on February 19th followed by a doubleheader on February 20th. The Bulldogs, under new head coach Tom Smith, are looking to be provide a tough challenge for the first weekend of the season. After the home weekend against UNC Asheville, the Fighting Camels hit the road for the short trip to Raleigh to face off against in-state ACC foe, North Carolina State.

Last season Campbell swept the home and home two-game series with the Wolfpack, marking the first time in school history they were able to accomplish that feat.  The Fighting Camels will finish the month of February with a home and home matchup against North Carolina A&T. The first contest will take place in Greensboro on February 26th and the doubleheader at Taylor Field to follow on the 27th.

Nine game home stretch kicks off March for Fighting Camels

The month of March starts off with a two-week home stand for Coach Goff’s squad, as they square off against Xavier University, UNC Wilmington, Savannah State, and LaSalle University. Campbell will start off the month facing the defending Atlantic 10 champion and 2009 NCAA Regional participant Xavier University on March 2, followed by a contest against in-state rival and 2008 NCAA Regional Participant UNC Wilmington on the 3rd.

The Fighting Camels will be renewing one of their long standing rivalries with the Seahawks, having split their last home and home series in 2008, with UNC Wilmington taking the contest at Taylor Field 6-4, and Campbell knocking off the #22-ranked Seahawks 8-6 in Wilmington.

The 9-game home stand will conclude with a three-game weekend series against Savannah State, and a mid-week clash with the LaSalle Explorers on March 9 and 10.  Campbell has won 3 of the last 4 games against these two teams, including a two game sweep of Savannah State last year, and a two game split against the Explorers in 2006.

Mercer to start off 2010 Atlantic Sun slate

Campbell will head on the road to Macon, Ga. for the first conference series of the young 2010 season against the Mercer Bears. Last year the series against Mercer was cancelled due to four days set of heavy rain in Buies Creek. In 2008, Campbell also opened conference play with the Bears, winning game one and then dropping the following two.  But, the Fighting Camels got even that year by eliminating Mercer from the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament with an 11-3 victory in Deland.

The series between the Fighting Camels and Mercer has always been competitive as the series split is 27-26 in favor of Campbell. The Bears finished the 2009 slate with a 23-23 record and will be bringing back a load of talent from that squad and promises to be a frontrunner in the Atlantic Sun.

Following the trip to Macon, Campbell will return to the friendly confines of Taylor Field to face off against Maryland-Eastern Shore in a two game set starting on March 16th.  The last time these two teams faced off against each other was in 2000 and Campbell holds a 3-0 series lead over the Eagles.

Campbell will then face its second Atlantic Sun opponent in Kennesaw State starting on March 19th. Last season the two split the conference series 1-1 as the third game was cancelled due to inclement weather. The Owls hold the series lead 3-6 over the Fighting Camels.

Campbell will conclude a 7-game home stand with North Carolina State coming to Buies Creek on March 23rd. They will then conclude the month of March with a three-game conference series against the Ospreys of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, and return home to play Norfolk State on March 30, with Campbell returning the trip to Norfolk on May 11th.

April Presents Good Challenges for the Fighting Camels

Campbell will back to Florida over the first weekend of April, this time to Deland to face off against Atlantic Sun traditional power Stetson University. The Hatters have made regional appearances in 4 of the last 8 years, and will be an ASUN favorite once again in 2010. The Camels will then head down to Wilmington, N.C. for the completion of the home and home series with the Seahawks.

Taylor Field will play host to two of the last three weekends in April as the Camels will host the two-time  defending Atlantic Sun regular season champs Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, on April 9 and 10, and the East Tennessee State on April 23 and 24.  Campbell will hit the road to Spartanburg, SC to face Atlantic Sun foe USC Upstate on April 16 and 17.

April will also feature the annual two-game home and home series with 2009 NCAA Super Regional participant East Carolina Pirates.  On April 13 the Fighting Camels will travel to Greenville where they were victorious last season 12-8 against the # 17 ranked Pirates.  ECU will return the trip the next week, April 20, for a rematch of a thrilling 10-9 ECU victory at Taylor Field in 2009.

Camels Hit the Stretch Run in May

The Fighting Camels will begin May by playing a weekend series against in-state foe North Carolina Central University with the Friday game (April 30th) being played at Taylor Field and the following two being played in Durham at the legendary Durham Athletic Park on May 1. The DAP was showcased during the filming of the iconic baseball film Bull Durham, and now serves as the home field for the NCCU Eagles.

The non-conference slate for May will feature 4 games against Longwood University, beginning with a home weekend series on May 7-8, and a trip to Farmville, Va. on May 18th.

The conference schedule will feature the traditional May opponents for Campbell as they visit Nashville for a showdown with the Bruins from Belmont University on May 14 and 15, and host the Bisons from Lipscomb University on the final weekend of the regular season, May 20 and 21.  In 2009, the Fighting Camels went 3-3 against these respective conference opponents, taking 2 or 3 from the Bruins at Taylor Field, and dropping 2 of 3 to the Bisons in Nashville.

The Atlantic Sun Championship will take place in Nashville, Tennessee, May 26-29, 2010. The top six seeds will advance to the conference tournament out of a possible ten teams, with the winner of the tournament earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament.

(Release)

Blue Devils Release Challenging Slate

Duke Head Coach Sean McNally

North Carolina and Virginia, NCAA Super Regional qualifiers Clemson and Florida State and NCAA Regional teams Baylor, Georgia, Boston College, Miami and Georgia Tech.

Complete 2010 Duke Schedule (PDF)

Five of those series will take place at home in Durham, N.C., with four being played at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, home to the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The home sets against North Carolina, Miami, Clemson and Virginia will all be played at the DBAP, while the three-game showdown against Florida State will be at Jack Coombs Field on the West Campus of Duke University.

The Blue Devil baseball program recently announced an agreement with the Durham Bulls to play 18 home games in 2010 at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which is one of the top minor league facilities in the country and will now serve as one of the top-tier venues in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Along with the aforementioned conference series at the DBAP, Duke will also host Fordham and Temple for a pair of three-game sets at the park.

Duke’s schedule boasts 11 teams that won at least 30 games in 2009 and four that finished with at least 40 wins. Duke’s 2010 opponents combined for a 654-575 (.531) record last year. Of Duke’s 56 games scheduled for 2010, 25 will be played against 2009 NCAA Tournament participants.

Rounding out Duke’s ACC schedule will be road trips to Boston College, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and NC State. Exempt from the Blue Devils’ ACC slate this year is Maryland, which will be replaced on the 2010 slate by Florida State, who Duke has not played since 2006.

Duke will still use Jack Coombs Field, its home stadium since 1931 on the West Campus of Duke University, as a practice facility and home field. Along with the home series against Florida State, Duke will host non-conference foes Quinnipiac, High Point, William and Mary, Davidson, UNC Greensboro, North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central at Jack Coombs Field. The Blue Devils will also make road trips to non-conference opponents Wofford and Liberty.

Duke’s 2010 season opens on Feb. 19, 2010, in Waco, Texas, as part of the QTI Apparel Opening Weekend Classic, hosted by Baylor where Duke will face both Baylor and Georgia. The season finale takes place on May 22 at NC State, just before the start of the ACC Tournament on May 26-30 in Greensboro, N.C.

(Release)

Pirates Play Six Teams That Appeared In 2009 NCAA Regionals

ECU Head Coach Billy Godwin

The 2010 slate features 17 games against teams that earned a bid to the 2009 NCAA Regionals; 32 against teams with 30-plus wins; five that topped the 40-plus win plateau; two that made trips to the College World Series and five that finished ranked in the Top 25 polls, including three in the Top 10.

ECU will open play on Friday, Feb. 19 against College World Series participant Virginia in a three-game tilt and will stay home for their next four games, a midweek match-up against former Colonial Athletic Association foe Old Dominion (Feb. 23) and three games against 2009 Greenville Regional participant South Carolina (Feb. 26-28).

Conference USA play opens April 2 for the Pirates when they welcome league foe Tulane to town for a three-game series. Other C-USA schools making the trek to Greenville in 2010 include UAB (Apr. 16-18), Marshall (Apr. 30-May 2) and Houston (May 20-22).

League road trips include Memphis (Apr. 9-11), Super Regional participant Rice (Apr. 23-25), College World Series participant Southern Miss (May 7-9) and UCF (May 14-16).

ECU’s home non-conference schedule is highlighted by the annual Keith LeClair Classic that pits the Pirates against Illinois (Mar. 5), West Virginia (Mar. 6) and Western Carolina (Mar. 7). Also scheduled for weekend series in Greenville are NCAA Regional participant Monmouth (Mar. 19-21) and North Carolina Central (Mar. 26-28), which serves as the Pirates’ C-USA open weekend.

The first of 20 games away from Clark-LeClair Stadium occurs when the Pirates travel to High Point (Mar. 2), which is followed by a west-coast trip to face Cal State Northridge (Mar. 10) and Pepperdine (Mar. 11-13) during their spring break.

Along with NCAA Regional participant Elon (Mar. 30 and May 11), ECU will have home-and-home series against UNC Wilmington (Mar. 31 and Apr. 27) and Campbell (Apr. 13 and 20), while also playing High Point (Mar. 23), Gardner Webb (Mar. 16), N.C. State (Apr. 21) and James Madison (May 18).

”We have put together another outstanding schedule,” said Godwin. ”Our players look forward to playing on a national stage and our conference and non-conference schedules give them the opportunity to compete with some of the top teams in the country.”

The Pirates, who have made 10 NCAA Regional appearances in the last 11 seasons, claimed the 2009 Conference USA regular season and 2009 Greenville Regional titles before advancing to their third NCAA Super Regional on the way to a 46-20 overall record.

(Press Release)