The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Visit Pirates In Matchup Of Contrasting Offensive Styles
4/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 16, 2010
Game Notes 
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GREENVILLE, N.C. -- The UAB baseball team reaches the midpoint of its Conference USA schedule this weekend with a three-game series on the road at 26th-ranked East Carolina.
The Blazers (20-12, 5-4 C-USA) and Pirates (21-12, 3-3 C-USA) open the series Friday at 6 p.m. ET at ECU's Clark-LeClair Stadium. Saturday's game is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET with Sunday's series finale set for 10 a.m. ET.
Fans can follow all the action this weekend through Gametracker live stats and All-Access streaming video at uabsports.com.
UAB is in the middle of a tight race in the conference standings with just two games separating the top seven teams in the league. The Blazers, which just split a midweek, home-and-home series with Troy, are looking to get back on track in conference play after having their streak of six straight weekend series victories snapped last weekend against Marshall.
UAB has demonstrated a knack for manufacturing runs as the Blazers rank first among all C-USA teams in stolen bases (56), sacrifice bunts (23) and walks drawn (174). Three players rank in the top 10 individually in steals, led by Jamal Austin's league-best total of 17. Austin, who is riding a nine-game hitting streak, checks in with a .345 batting average and trails John Frost's .352 mark for the team lead.
In contrast to UAB's small ball style, East Carolina features a power-hitting lineup. The Pirates rank at the top of the league in home runs (48), doubles (86), slugging percentage (.540) and runs scored (293).
East Carolina is hitting .335 as a team, led by Corey Thompson at .385. Zach Wright tops the Pirate lineup with 10 home runs and 37 RBI in just 90 at-bats. After losing two out of three games at Tulane to open its conference slate, East Carolina won two out of three last weekend at Memphis. The Pirates then picked up a 6-3 midweek win Tuesday over Campbell.
UAB will send senior right-hander Mitch Kloskowski (3-2, 4.21 ERA) to the mound in Friday's series opener to square off against East Carolina right-hander Zach Woods (4-1, 3.18 ERA). Kloskowski threw a complete game to beat the Pirates in Birmingham as a sophomore during the 2007 season, the only time the Blazers have taken a series from ECU.
UAB is looking to reverse a trend that has seen East Carolina win the past seven games in the all-time series between the teams. The Blazers have played three series against the Pirates in Greenville since the teams first met in 2002 and own a 1-8 record in those games with the lone victory coming in the 2003 season.
