East Carolina's strong finish to the regular season -- a 9-1 run that catapulted the Pirates to their first Conference USA regular-season title since 2004 -- has pushed ECU to No. 15 in this week's Baseball America poll and in the top 18 in all five national polls.
It also has put the Pirates in position to make a strong case to be one of the 16 NCAA regional hosts with a strong run in the C-USA Tournament, which starts Wednesday at Hattiesburg, Miss.
East Carolina's RPI (rating percentage index) was 22nd in the NCAA list last week, but it is certain to climb after a 4-0 week that lifted the Pirates to 41-15, one of the best records in the nation.
The Pirates have submitted a bid to be an NCAA regional host, and is an attractive site. Clark-LeClair Stadium has 3,000 permanent seats, excellent media facilities and parking and can hold nearly 6,000 fans when the "jungle" behind the outfield fences is packed.
The Pirates' pitching has solidified over the second half of the season. Sophomore Seth Maness (9-0, 3.99 ERA) has gotten into a groove after some early season inconsistency. Maness has won his past seven starts, including six straight in Conference USA play. One of those was a three-hit complete-game victory in ECU's 4-1 win over then top-ranked Rice, whom the Pirates unseated as C-USA regular-season champions.
Chris Heston is 7-0 with a 3.44 ERA, Brad Mincey 9-4 with a 3.02 ERA and Kevin Brandt 7-1 with a 3.46 ERA. Seth Simmons has a 3-1 record, a team-high eight saves and a 2.81 ERA.
The Pirates have hit the ball all season, and have a team batting average of .344 with 94 homers in 56 games. They are scoring 9 runs per game.
It's a lineup with no holes in it -- every Pirate starter hits above .300, led by Ryan Wood (.391), Trent Whitehead (.377), Stephen Batts (.368) and Brandon Henderson (.351). Six Pirates have reached double figures in homers -- Wood (13), Batts (13), Kyle Roller (13), Devin Harris (12), Dustin Harrington (12) and Henderson (11).
Fourth-year head coach Billy Godwin has put together his best squad, and he has them playing their best baseball at the end of the season. It's a combination that could land the Pirates a regional with continued success at the league tournament.
