Senior catcher Caleb Mangum called them “rough.” Junior outfielder Ryan Pond referred to them as “ruthless.”
But no matter what adjective chosen when describing East Carolina fans, one thing’s for sure. There will be plenty of them in the seats at Doak Field tonight, making their presence known when the Pirates take on State.
“[ECU fans] don’t hold anything back,” Pond said. “They let you know how they feel, and they definitely let us know that they don’t like us.”
Mangum, who grew up in Fuquay-Varina and has been around the Pirate/Wolfpack rivalry all his life, said he has no trouble hearing what ECU fans think about him when he’s behind the plate. He did, however, give credit to State fans for their rowdy demeanors as well.
“Their fans like to get on you pretty often,” Mangum said. “But we’ve got some good fans, too, that can spit it right back at them. So I’m not really worried about it.”
According to coach Elliott Avent, though, this game represents more than just a rivalry game. It’s a tough non-conference game jammed in the middle of an upcoming ACC stretch, which includes three teams ranked in this week’s Baseball America top five.
But Avent said the series has remained because of its importance to the fans and the players.
“With 56 games compacted into such a short period of time, and the conference [games] weighing so great on the outcome of the season, it’s tough to have these midweek games with so much importance,” Avent said. “But one of the reasons we’ve kept this thing alive is that fans enjoy it so much. And it’s great for both teams to come out here and compete. Some of these guys have played against each other a lot and know each other. It’s just turned into a pretty good rivalry.”
On the field, the game has certainly lived up to its billing as well, especially recently. The past four games between the teams have been settled by one run, and two of the four have needed extra innings. The Pack won three of those four, including one earlier this season.
“It’s unbelievable; some of the games we’ve played against each other — how hard we get after it. And it always seems like it comes down to the wire,” Mangum said. “No matter who’s ranked, emotion gets involved so much, and it’s a fun game.”
Well, Wednesday the Pirates (21-8) come in as the ranked team. ECU, ranked No. 22 this week by Baseball America, has won 15 of 17 games, which included a 14-game winning streak. The Pack (22-8), though, has also been on quite a roll lately. The team has won five in a row and 10 of its last 12.
“We kind of got things rolling last weekend [against Boston College] and last week against Greensboro,” Pond said. “So to get a win against [ECU] would give us some momentum to get us going down this conference stretch that’s going to get pretty rough.”
Both teams will send freshmen to the mound. For the Pirates, right-hander Mike Anderson (1-0, 1.50 ERA) will get the start, just his second of the season. And hard-throwing righty Nate Karns (1-0, 1.38 ERA) will make just his fourth start at the collegiate level for State.
As for any apprehension on Avent’s part about sending such an inexperienced pitcher into a hostile environment against a quality lineup, Avent said he had none.”Nate’s a competitor,” Avent said. “He played high school football in Texas, so I don’t think he’s going to get too intimidated by three or four thousand people at a baseball game.”
