East Carolina Pirates
Overall Rank: #29
Conference Rank: #1 American
Following a very disappointing 2017 campaign, in which East Carolina was predicted to be a top team in the country and failed to even make the NCAA Tournament, Coach Cliff Godwin rallied his squad in 2018. Amid very low expectations, the Pirates managed to win 44 games and earn a spot as a regional host. The tournament itself did not go as well with just one against UNC Wilmington before losing to South Carolina and being eliminated by the Seahawks.
2018: 44-18, 14-10
2018 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Cliff Godwin
Key Departed Players:
Dwanya Williams-Sutton, OF, .331 BA, 7 HR, 21 RBI, 18 SB
Drew Hendrickson, OF, .291 BA, 26 RBI
Connor Litton, IF, .285 BA, 9 HR, 38 RBI
Chris Holba, P, 2.99 ERA, 9-1 W/L, 81.1 IP, 60 SO
Key Returning Players:
Bryant Packard, OF/DH, .406 BA, 14 HR, 50 RBI
Brady Lloyd, IF, .322 BA, 25 RBI, 16 SB
Spencer Brickhouse, 1B/DH, .298 BA, 10 HR, 50 RBI
Jake Washer, C, .287 BA, 6 HR, 40 RBI
Trey Benton, P, 3.13 ERA, 4-5 W/L, 69.0 IP, 68 SO
Jake Agnos, P, 4.10 ERA, 4-4 W/L, 63.2 IP, 86 SO
Projection:
ECU has the talent to win the American Athletic Conference and it starts with preseason Player of the Year Bryant Packard. Last year he hit .406 with 14 homeruns and 50 RBI. Spencer Brickhouse added ten homers and another 50 RBIs. Add in catcher Jake Washer and the Pirates have a ton of power at the plate. The pitching staff will miss Chris Holba, who went 9-1 with a 2.99 ERA, but Trey Benton, Jake Agnos, Trey Benton and Tyler Smith are all experienced starters. Benton made nine starts and tallied a very good 3.13 ERA. In 69.0 innings of work, he walked just 13 batters and struck out 68. Agnos has been a weekend starter for two years now and Smith is a dominating force on the mound and is ready to take the next step. Last year as a sophomore he went 7-1 with a 1.78 ERA. This group has the talent to win the conference, but the more important thing for East Carolina will be to finish stronger in the tournament than they did last year.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Baseball Tournament
