East Carolina Advances to NCAA Super Regional

Greg Bunn

Conference USA Pitcher of the Year Greg Bunn turned in a masterful performance to lead East Carolina to its first NCAA Super Regional appearance since 2001, as the Pirates defeated UNC Wilmington, 7-0, at the Kinston Regional on Monday afternoon. It marks the first time that C-USA has advanced two teams to the Super Regionals in the same season.

Bunn threw eight innings of two-hit ball, striking out a career-high-tying 11 without walking a batter. Ryan Norwood's third-inning RBI single would prove to be all of the support that ECU would need in the shutout victory.

''Sitting around, waiting to pitch, you get antsy,'' said Bunn, who would have pitched earlier if East Carolina had lost one of its two earlier games in the regional. ''But I was ready to throw whenever they needed me.''

East Carolina will play at South Carolina in a best-of-three series that begins on Saturday in Columbia. Game two in Sunday and game three (if necessary) would be on Monday.

''There wouldn't be any better place for me to celebrate my trip to Omaha than on that field right there because I've got a history of those people not liking me a whole lot and I've got a history of not liking them a whole lot,'' said Pirates coach Randy Mazey, who played and began his coaching career at Clemson, one of South Carolina's main rivals.

''It's going to be exciting. It's a great college baseball atmosphere,'' Mazey said.

UNC-Wilmington (40-23) hit the field less than 12 hours after it defeated Tennessee 4-3. Rain delayed the start of UNC-W and ECU for more than two hours Sunday, and the Seahawks had to play the Volunteers less than an hour after the loss to the Pirates.

UNC-W scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Vols, but couldn't muster anything against Bunn and the rested Pirates on Monday.

''I felt like we were prepared and would be physically but I think it caught up with us from a mental standpoint,'' said Seahawks coach Mark Scalf, whose team was eliminated from the postseason. ''Mentally, it was a grind for us today.''

East Carolina jumped on UNC-Wilmington early. Ryan Norwood had an RBI single in the third and Billy Richardson scorched a two-out, two-run double into center field in the fourth inning to make it 3-0 ECU.

The Pirates then broke it open with four runs in the sixth. John Poppert led off with a solo home run and Jake Smith had a pinch-hit two-run double in the frame.

''I'm going to leave this tournament right now thinking that we're pretty hot the whole way one through nine and I feel good about really every guy that steps to the plate right now, which is a pretty good feeling,'' Mazey said.

Bunn (10-0) retired the first 10 batters that he faced. The Conference USA pitcher of the year threw 79 pitches, 62 for strikes. He was named the regional's most outstanding player.

''I only got about two hours of sleep last night, waiting for this game,'' said Bunn, who was selected by the Montreal Expos in the fifth round of Monday's baseball draft. ''But I came out, I thought I would be tight but it just felt right.''

Mazey let Bunn warm up in the ninth before he went out to the mound to remove from him the game. Bunn doffed his cap as he ran off the field to a standing ovation from the capacity crowd.

''He went above and beyond anything I've ever seen him do,'' Mazey said. ''From the first pitch of the game to the last he had command of all of his pitches, even the changeup today.''

2004 All-NCAA Kinston Regional Team
C: John Poppert, East Carolina
1B:Ryan Norwood, East Carolina
2B:Lee McLean, East Carolina
3B: Mark Minicozzi, East Carolina
SS: Aaron Smith, UNC Wilmington
OF: Ryan Jones, East Carolina
OF: Drew Costanzo, East Carolina
OF: Tim Preston, UNC Wilmington
DH: Matt Poulk, UNC Wilmington
P: Greg Bunn, East Carolina
P: Luke Hochevar,Tennessee

Most Outstanding Player: Greg Bunn, East Carolina