Prime time for Diamond Pirates to get on a roll

After a 7-3 start--which included a 3-3 mark against UVA (17-3, 5-1) and South Carolina (16-4, 3-0), ECU proceeded to lose three straight on the West Coast before taking the last of three games against Pepperdine. Its struggles continued last week when the Pirates' pitching failed them in a 13-12 loss at High Point and a 11-9 series opening defeat to Monmouth.

However, the Diamond Bucs responded like a champion with 11-4 and 16-2 victories that will hopefully spark a much-needed win streak as the mid-point of the season quickly approaches.

After scoring no more than three runs in any of its four games--which were certainly against better pitching--in Southern California, the ECU bats produced a .369 average, 17 home runs and 56 runs in five games last week.

The week saw junior rightfielder Devin Harris' bat come to life. Harris was hitting just .239 after Tuesday's game against Gardner Webb, but is currently hitting .323 after hitting .524 with five home runs, four doubles and 12 RBI for the week.

The Pirates' pitching left much to be desired for much of the week, but finished strong with Seth Maness and Mike Wright delivering solid starts versus Monmouth.

The week will begin with East Carolina being presented an opportunity to avenge last week's loss to High Point. After its re-match with the Panthers, the Pirates will play four "should-win" games when it faces NC A&T (6-10) on Wednesday before welcoming winless NC Central (0-18) for three this weekend. The Eagles are hitting just .231 as a team and have an ERA of over 16. They've already given up 24 or more runs seven times this season.

While it's way too early to press the panic button, the Pirates really need to be 16-8 after this week as they attempt to build their resume' where they can host at season's end.