News Nuggets, 03.02.04
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...

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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

ECU football campaign starts in Morgantown, ends in Charlotte

East Carolina's 2004 football schedule features 11 solid opponents and — relative to various published reports over recent months — contains no surprises.

ECU's fall gridiron gauntlet starts with a pair of prime non-conference games, ends with a non-league battle at an NFL stadium and features a string of eight straight Conference USA matchups in beween.

The schedule was released Monday — which, incidentally, was the first day of spring practice for the Pirates — by the ECU Media Relations Office.

The Pirates open at West Virginia of the Big East on Sept. 4 and host Wake Forest of the Atlantic Coast Conference the following Saturday before diving into a C-USA slate that includes games with Cincinnati, Tulane, Army and Memphis in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium along with road trips to Louisville, Southern Mississippi, Houston and South Florida.

ECU will close the regular season with a Nov. 27 head-on collision at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte — the home of the NFL's Carolina Panthers — against N.C. State of the ACC.

Games have yet to be designated for Homecoming and Parents' Day Weekend and potential television dates for ECU have not been finalized. Kickoff times are also pending.

Here is the schedule, which the ECU announcement indicated is subject to change:

Jones nabs weekly hitting honor

East Carolina outfielder Ryan Jones, who used his bat last week to help East Carolina extend its unbeaten record to 12-0 and sweep its own Keith LeClair Invitational Tournament, has been named Conference USA's Hitter of the Week.

Jones led the Pirates to a 5-0 record last week by batting .444 (8-for-18), including three doubles, two home runs and five runs batted in. He also scored three runs, reached base on walks twice and hit safely in each of the five games.

Jones' productivity at the plate was particularly strategic in a pair of wins over nationally-ranked Clemson in the Leclair Invitational, as he went 3-for-6 with two doubles, two walks and two RBI's against the Tigers.

After tying Conference USA and Memphis records for single-game strikeouts with 17, Tiger junior Derek Hankins has earned the C-USA Pitcher of the Week award in addtion to being named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball.

HITTER OF THE WEEK
RYAN JONES, EAST CAROLINA

Senior, OF, Gibsonia, Pa.
Jones helped the Pirates to a 5-0 week, including a pair of victories over No. 11 Clemson, by batting .444 (8-for-18). He hit safely in each game, hitting three doubles and two home runs, while driving in five. Jones reached base twice on walks and also scored three runs. In the two wins over Clemson, he was 3-for-6 with two doubles, two walks and two RBI.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
DEREK HANKINS, MEMPHIS
Junior, RHP, Altamont, Ill.

In just his second career Division I start, Hankins tied school and conference records for strikeouts in a game with 17 against Murray State on Feb. 28. In seven innings pitched, he struck out 17 of the 25 batters that he faced, allowing one run on two hits (both in the first inning) and walking two. Hankins struck out the side in the third, fifth and sixth innings and fanned seven straight during one stretch.

Kent State elevates Martin to head coach

Kent State offensive coordinator Doug Martin, who transformed what had been an anemic KSU offense into a formidable force last year, is being promoted to head football coach.

Martin's offense scored 30 or more points in each of the final six games last season, when the Golden Flashes went 5-7.

Before coming to Kent State, Martin was an assistant coach for 11 years at East Carolina. He coached the Pirates quarterbacks for four years before taking over the offense for the duration of his stint on the staff of former ECU coach Steve Logan.

Martin replaces Dean Pees, who took a job last week as linebackers coach for the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots after six seasons at the Mid-American Conference school.

Baseball America & Collegiate Baseball Polls

The top 25 teams in the Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball polls with records through Feb. 29 and previous rankings. The Baseball America poll is voted on by the publication's staff. The Collegiate Baseball poll, which includes each team's point total, is voted on by coaches, sports writers and sports information directors:

[Conference USA teams — present and future — and Carolinas teams in bold.]

AP Basketball Poll

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' men's college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Feb. 29, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:

[Conference USA teams — present and future — and Carolinas teams in bold.]

Rank/Team/Record/Points/Previous
 1. Stanford (67) 25-0 1,795 1
 2. Saint Joseph's (5) 26-0 1,722 2
 3. Duke 24-3 1,603 5
 4. Gonzaga 25-2 1,596 4
 5. Mississippi State 23-2 1,466 7
 6. Pittsburgh 25-3 1,370 3
 7. Connecticut 23-5 1,333 8
 8. Oklahoma State 22-3 1,318 6
 9. Kentucky 21-4 1,296 9
10. Texas 21-4 1,193 10
11. Wake Forest 19-6 1,073 11
12. Providence 20-5 933 13
13. Cincinnati 20-5 821 15
14. North Carolina 17-8 770 12
15. Southern Illinois 24-2 736 16
16. N.C. State 18-7 611 14
17. Wisconsin 19-6 556 22
18. Illinois 20-5 520 23
19. Georgia Tech 20-8 429 18
20. Memphis 20-5 382 19
21. Kansas 18-7 371 20
22. Arizona 18-8 355 17
23. Utah State 24-2 244 24
24. Syracuse 19-6 238 _
25. Louisville 18-7 237 21

Others receiving votes: Michigan State 150, Seton Hall 51, Air Force 49, Charlotte 26, Florida 25, Western Michigan 22, UTEP 17, Kent State 16, South Carolina 15, Dayton 14, Boston U. 8, Nevada 8, Boston College 6, Texas Tech 4, Washington 4, East Tennessee State 3, Manhattan 3, Vanderbilt 3, Alabama 2, DePaul 2, LSU 1, Missouri 1, UAB 1, Virginia Commonwealth 1.

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News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007