Going Deep with UNCP - Fifth Entry

After dropping its fifth consecutive Peach Belt Conference series over the weekend, UNCP once power-happy offense has fallen into a mid-season slump. It was the Armstrong Atlantic State Pirates that brought the long ball to Pembroke, crushing eight round trippers in three games.

Braves' senior outfielder Kevin Dietrich is still swinging a hot bat, clubbing two homeruns in a three-game set against AASU to give him a team-leading eight this season to go along with 44 RBIs. His solo blast in the first inning of game three put the Braves on the scoreboard.

UNCP's HR TALLY THROUGH 35 GAMES = 40

UNCP drops fifth straight PBC series

The bullpen is a mess and the middle of the lineup isn't hitting.

Both malfunctions led to the Braves' series loss over the weekend to Armstrong Atlantic State. UNCP, now at 4-10 in the Peach Belt Conference, have an uphill battle toward the postseason. "I don't have a crystal ball to tell me what's going on right now," head coach Paul O'Neil said after Monday's loss.

AASU win game three over UNCP 10-6

Braves split PBC series with AASU

PEMBROKE – After snapping Armstrong Atlantic State’s 18-game winning streak in the opening contest with a 5-4 victory, The University of North Carolina at Pembroke had a chance to sweep a conference doubleheader Saturday at Sammy Cox Field for the first time all season.

Clinging to a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and one out in the nightcap, Braves’ head coach Paul O’Neil met with starting pitcher Brian Willis before a crucial at-bat against Peach Belt slugger, Alex Wyche.

“I just tried to giving Brian a few words of encouragement,” O’Neil said. “Obviously, the guy (Wyche) got a pitch he could drive and didn’t miss.”

The meeting on the mound backfired as Wyche crushed the second pitch he saw over the right field wall for a grand slam, supplying his team with a 5-3 cushion. The Pirates would go on to score a total of eight runs on nine hits in the inning, including a two-run homer from Drew Walker, before winning the second game 8-5.

Wyche is hitting .440 for the Pirates with 40 RBIs.

UNCP (22-12, 4-9 PBC) fell to 0-5 in the second game of Peach Belt doubleheaders with the defeat. The Braves left a total of 22 runners on the basepaths in both games.

“I don’t what is about the second game when we play two,” Braves’ coach Paul O’Neil said. “We allowed a big inning and that hurt us. We made too many mistakes that never seem to show up in the boxscore.”

Despite the setback, the Braves’ tallied 10 hits for the third straight game. Kevin Dietrich had two hits and three RBIs, while belting his seventh homerun of the season with a two-run shot in the second.

Josh Bagley pitched well in relief for UNCP, allowing just two runs in four and 2/3 innings.

Playing in just their second road series of the season after 29 home games, the Pirates (25-9, 5-6 PBC) got a strong pitching performance in game two from Cody Walden. Walden (7-1, 3.47 ERA) gave up five runs in eight innings while striking out eight. He threw 146 total pitches.

“Swinging at bad pitches killed us again,” O’Neil added. “We chose too many balls and too many pitches out of the strikezone.”

The Braves and Pirates combined for eight homeruns on Saturday in a wind-propelled day of deep fly balls. With gusts hitting 25 mph left-to-right, high flies to right field seemed to carry each time toward the warning track.

Jonathan Rivera (3-1, 2.41 ERA) will take the mound for the Braves in today’s third and decisive game at 2 p.m. as UNCP tries to avoid losing its five consecutive Peach Belt Conference series.

Sportstalk with Crawford and Kelley

By Scott Bigelow, Editor of UNCP Today

On March 23 before their live afternoon broadcast, Brad Crawford and Robert Kelley were warming up by tossing the football around outside.

“The first shows were pretty bumpy, and we brought a lot of notes in with us,” Kelley said. “Now that we know what we’re doing now, it’s pretty smooth.”

Getting used to radio – with its “intros” and “outros” – was a steep learning curv for the pair, who are both journalism majors and former sports editors for The Pine Needle.

These guys know sports, and they have a great time talking about it. Today, they will talk about the NCAA basketball tournament, the NFL draft and a section on UNCP sports. Crawford is covering UNCP baseball for his internship with The Robesonian, the daily newspaper in Lumberton.

A sports stringer for The Fayetteville Observer, he also does commentary for live Internet streaming of UNCP football and baseball. Both say the opportunities and experiences they have had as undergraduates are unique and helpful in the job market too.

“It’s an opportunity I wouldn’t have had at UNC or NC State,” Crawford said. “I’ve been able to build relationships with coaches, players and the media.”

Kelley, who is considering a career in radio (“They pay you to sit around and talk about sports?”), agrees that working at WNCP Radio is a unique experience.

“Being at a smaller school allows us to have experiences like this,” Kelley said. “They actually asked us if we would do a show, and we jumped at the chance.

Coker's walkoff gives UNCP win

UNCP (20-10, 3-7 PBC) split a Peach Belt Conference doubleheader with North Georgia on Saturday by scores of 7-5 and 2-1 (10 innings). Jason Coker won the first game for the Braves with a two-run walkoff homerun after Seth Kivett's RBI single to right a batter earlier tied the game at five.

The Braves managed just four hits in the second game as the Saints evened the series at one apiece with a single run in the top of the 10th off Braves closer Ryan Kirkman. Coach Paul O'Neil had this to say about Saturday's action: "Our team lacks intensity in the second game of doubleheaders. For whatever reason, I guys never want to win game two. We need to come out with more intensity, but we're just not hungry enough yet to be successful in the Peach Belt Conference.

Braves split doubleheader

Jordan Pegram leads the Braves

PEMBROKE – Jordan Pegram’s 33-inch Demarini bat speaks louder than his words.

Never one to brag after a multi-hit game or gawk at a flashy snare at shortstop, Pegram’s presence at the plate has been a welcomed addition to The University of North Carolina at Pembroke starting lineup.

Starting all 28 games for the Braves, Pegram helped his team jump out to their best 21-game start in school history (16-5) and currently has UNCP (19-9, 2-6 PBC) fighting for a spot near the middle of the treacherous Peach Belt Conference.

“I thank God for the opportunity to play at a program like this,” Pegram said. “He gave me the skills necessary to play baseball in college.

Pegram is hitting .398 with 12 multi-hit games and 22 RBIs. He has contributed three of UNCP’s conference-leading 31 homeruns. Contact is a strongpoint as opposing pitchers have retired Pegram via strikeout just 11 times in 121 plate appearances.

“He’s definitely one of our most valuable players,” head coach Paul O’Neil said. “He has quality, productive at-bats. He drives in runs and knows how to move runners over to help our team.”

Tagged as a newcomer to watch by O’Neil in the preseason, the junior transfer from Greensboro, N.C., leads the Braves in nearly every offensive category at the season’s halfway point including hits, doubles and runs scored.

His 45 total hits puts him into a three-way tie for third in the Peach Belt Conference while his 10 doubles trails only North Georgia’s Andre Airich for the top spot.

Pegram’s approach in the batter’s box is simple. See it and hit it.

“I just try to line up the pitch and go up the middle,” Pegram said. “Each situation is different, every at-bat. The most important thing is putting the ball in play to advance the runner.”

O’Neil notes Pegram’s best asset might be his defense, as the 5-11 shortstop has committed just six errors and holds a .955 fielding percentage. He has helped turn 19 double plays.

“He’s been extremely consistent in the field,” O’Neil said. “What he’s done defensively this season has been phenomenal.”

Pegram picked UNCP over a list of schools in the early signing period because of the baseball program’s tradition and a chance to play in the Peach Belt Conference.

“The Peach Belt is arguably the most competitive conference in Division-II baseball,” Pegram said. “You see tough, good pitching with everyone throwing in the mid-80s with a lot of breaking balls. You have to perform at your best everyday.”

Despite great success in the first two months, flirting with a .400 batting average is a bit of a shock to Pegram, who says he is still getting adjusted to the cleanup spot.

“I normally hit in the three hole and I see more fastballs,” Pegram said, referring to past games as a player at Belmont Abbey and Guilford Tech. “But I just want to help my team win. Wherever Coach O’Neil wants me, I’m excited to hit.”

Saddled with a low-key demeanor, Pegram does manage a smile when recalling this season’s at-bats against his the Wingate Bulldogs. In two games versus Wingate, Pegram is 7-for-9 with two homeruns, five RBIs and five runs scored.

“I see the ball really well against their pitchers for some reason,” Pegram said. “I had two homers against Wingate my freshman year at Belmont (Abbey) too. I’d be an All-American if we played those guys everyday.”

Off the diamond, Pegram relishes in another sport; basketball and lots of it. According to Braves’ starting pitcher Josh Bagley, choosing Pegram as his roommate when he arrived on campus last fall was a no-brainer.

“We’re the only Duke fans in our apartment so we had to stick together,” Bagley said. “We’re hoping our guys can do damage in the NCAA’s this year.”

Pegram's power leads UNCP

Going Deep with UNCP - Fourth Entry

Tuesday's 15-6 win over Wingate, UNCP's 12th consecutive victory over the Bulldogs, included long balls from seniors Kevin Dietrich and Edmund Locklear.

Locklear's first homerun of the season, an eighth inning bomb to right off a Wingate reliever, was out of the park off the bat. Dietrich's three-run blast in the seventh gave his team an 11-0 lead. The senior from Charlotte drove in five runs to give him a team-leading 36 this season. Dietrich and Seth Kivett are tied for the team-lead in round trippers with six.

Coach Paul O'Neil stressed the importance of Locklear's regained confidence after Tuesday's game. "It's great to see Locklear square up pitches," O'Neil said. "If we want to be good as a team, Ed has to come through for us."

UNCP HR TALLY THROUGH 27 GAMES - 31