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Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate
Notebook No. 237
Friday, April 8, 2005
By Denny O'Brien |
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Mazey doing his best work
yet
©2005 Bonesville.net
This won't be remembered as the greatest
year in East Carolina's proud baseball history. Though just over halfway
through the season, there already are too many losses to earn that
distinction.
But despite what some may consider a disappointing
season so far from the school's most
successful athletics program, this may go down as Randy Mazey's best effort
to date.
That's my analysis given the cruel hand the Pirates coach has been
dealt this season.
The losses ECU suffered from the Major League draft were enough to make any
program backslide in the rankings. You would be hard pressed to find Texas
or Stanford losing six bats and 71 home runs without having their season
outlook toned down a few notches.
And that doesn't begin to mention the toll injuries can have on a program
that already is somewhat depleted by its own lofty standards.
"Our guys compete," Mazey said following
the Pirates loss to N.C. State last week. "We're just hampered right now by
pitching.
"We went into this game having only five guys available, and you see the
result. You get in trouble early and the starter can't go beyond three
innings, and that's what happened."
It's also what happens when your starting rotation spent the fall and winter
preparing for a bullpen role.
To succeed in baseball at any level, pitching must be a team's deepest unit.
In college, that means a solid staff consisting of at least four dependable
starters who consistently can work into the later innings before
relinquishing the mound to a bullpen of steady relievers.
Beyond that, it is ideal to have at least two arms that can start on a
moment's notice, especially when you factor in the postseason grind. Add to
that a reliable set-up man and an intimidating closer and you have a coach
whose residence is nirvana.
Mazey doesn't have that luxury. He lost more arms this season than are
assembled weekly at a Lay-Z-Boy factory.
The losses of Shane Mathews, Brody Taylor, Carter Harrell, and Jeff
Ostrander would be a crippling blow to almost any program, let alone one
that already was without almost all of its offensive arsenal from the year
before. That largely is why the case can be made that Mazey has done his best coaching to date, despite
a modest 18-13 record.
With a shortage of arms, Mazey has had to be creative with his assignments.
Pitchers have been on pitch counts for mid-week games and the weekend
rotation has been restructured more times than Michael Jackson's nose.
Any sign that a pitcher is off and Mazey is quick to pull the trigger. His
decision to yank P.J. Connelly in the first inning Sunday against Southern
Miss is arguably the reason the Pirates took two of three from their
talented rivals.
But pitching is only half the story. Offensively the Pirates are constructed
in a completely different fashion than their powerhouse lineup in 2004, with singles and
doubles now more the rule.
It's almost as if the inauguration of Clarke-LeClair Stadium introduced
unreachable dimensions, along with a stiff wind blowing steadily in from
centerfield. The more valid argument is a batting order that —
top-to-bottom — lacks experience and still is adapting to college pitching.
"You need experience," Mazey said in 2003. "You don’t see young, talented
teams in Omaha. You see older, more experienced teams that have been there."
You certainly don't see
MASH units, which is a more accurate description of
East Carolina.
Yet, if the Pirates take two of three this weekend from Louisville, consider
them in the thick of the postseason hunt. They have enough quality wins, an
attractive RPI, and the strength of schedule to make a legitimate case for
an NCAA Tournament bid.
A .500 or better conference record should be enough given ECU's résumé. And
though it likely won't happen, it should earn Mazey some consideration as
the league's top coach.
This by no means is the most intimidating bunch assembled on an East
Carolina diamond. Not even by the distance of a Ryan Norwood homerun.
But this is a group that has kept its season afloat by overcoming extreme
amounts of adversity with the hustle and determination that exceeds its
record. That is a direct reflection of the coach.
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02/23/2007 01:59:47 AM |
