(Courtesy of UNC Media Relations)
One of the most intriguing Super Regionals takes place between Conference USA member East Carolina and ACC member North Carolina. East Carolina enters with a 46-18 record while North Carolina has a 45-16 record.
The East Carolina Pirates have a tremendous offense with a .341 team batting average. The top hitting on the squad is Ryan Wood who has a .388 average while hitting 13 homers and 55 RBI. He has also stolen 14 bases in 16 attempts. Trent Whitehead is second on the squad with a .384 average with seven homers and 46 RBI. Kyle Roller leads the team with 16 homers and 74 RBI while hitting at a .335 clip.
The Pirates pitching staff has a team ERA of 4.29 as they are led by starting pitchers Kevin Brandt and Seth Maness. Brandt enters this weekend with a 9-1 record with a 3.52 ERA in 27 appearances including five starts. He is expected to start in Game 2 on Sunday. Seth Maness is expected to get the ball in Game 1 on Saturday as he sports a 9-2 record with a 4.22 ERA in 17 appearances including 15 starts. Seth Simmons has served as the closer this season with nine saves with a 3-1 record in 31 appearances.
The Tar Heels on the other hand have a team batting average of .307. Dustin Ackley leads the UNC offense in all three Triple Crown categories with his .417 average, 21 homers, and 66 RBI. Kyle Seager is second on the squad with a .379 average with 55 RBI.
The strongest part of the UNC team over the last few years has been the pitching staff and this year is no different. Alex White will be starting Game 1 for UNC as he is 7-4 with a 4.42 ERA but hasn’t pitched well over his last three starts. The number 2 guy for UNC is Adam Warren who is 8-2 with a 3.19 ERA and Matt Harvey (7-2, 5.35 ERA) is expected to get the ball on Monday in the “If Necessary” game.
Pitching Matchups
Saturday: ECU Seth Maness RHP 9-2, 4.41 ERA vs UNC Alex White RHP 7-4, 4.42 ERA
Sunday: ECU Kevin Brandt LHP 9-1, 3.52 ERA vs UNC Adam Warren RHP 8-2, 3.19 ERA
Monday: ECU TBA vs UNC Matt Harvey RHP 7-2, 5.35 ERA
