The Seahawk

Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: The Seahawk

It all started on Leap Day -- Feb. 29. That's when the UNCW baseball team rallied from a seven-run defecit to top Fordham, 8-7. Since then, the Seahawks (17-4) have took their own leap forward, winning 16 games in a row.

"You never see an extended streak coming, you begin to see guys to put things together and begin to believe and in each other," said UNCW coach Mark Scalf. "A lot of that started in the comeback win."

Scalf has been a part of a hot start -- when the Seahawks started 21-4 in 1995 -- but never such a streak.

As the wins keep mounting, the streak doesn't get any heavier on the backs of the team.

"I don't think there's any pressure, every streak is going to end sooner or later," he said. "When it does, the bottom line is that you crank it up the next day and try to start another one, you don't play any differently."

Pulling it together in cruch time, Scalf said, has been the difference for this year's bunch.

"Last year's club was a little younger and we got off to a little bit of a rocky start. We hung around .500 all year, we never could really get on a roll," he said. "We missed a few things last year, like the confidence factor and the trust factor. That's why we struggled some in close ball games."

After going 4-11 last year in one-run ballgames, the Seahawks have gone 3-0 this season with one-run margins.

"So far this year, knock on wood, we've bene pretty good in close games," he said.

The one-run margins have been few and far between this season, as the Seahawks have averaged nine runs per game since the beginning of the streak, while allowing just over four runs per outing.

Pitching, another thorn in the side of last year's club, is now a strength.

Brad Holt is 4-1 with a 3.04 ERA, with 27 strikeouts in 26 innings. Opponents are hitting a cool .210 against him. Sophomore starter Seth Frankoff is a perfect 4-0, carrying an ERA of 3.15 and has allowed just nine walks.

In the bullpen, freshman Cameron Roth has still yet to allow an earned run in his career with the Seahawks. He's tossed 17 innings in 11 appearances, giving up seven hits and striking out 15.

Despite the outstanding performance of the pitching staff, the Seahawks haven't had to rely too heavily on the hurlers. The offense is cranking out enough runs to make life easy on the mound.

Led by Mark Carver and Daniel Hargrave with eight apiece, the Seahawks have already connected for 38 homers. The offensive outburst has the team batting average hovering over .300, with Carver leading the way at .391.

Continued...

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