BASEBALL TAB -- ECC 3A/4A outlook

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on March 15, 2014 11:12 PM

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Survive the rigors of the challenging Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference and you just might bring home some hardware in June.

The seven-team league is bursting with tradition-rich baseball programs that seem to reload each spring.

Five schools have combined to play for 17 state championships -- and win 12 -- during the past four decades on either the 3-A or 4-A level. Charles B. Aycock and D.H. Conley finished state runner-up in 2012 and 2013, respectively, on the 3-A scene.

The Vikings and Golden Falcons combined to win three consecutive 3-A state crowns from 2005-07.

J.H. Rose seized the 4-A crown in 2008.

Eastern Wayne was the 3-A runner-up in 2009.

"I've always said no matter what conference we were in, it was the best 3-A conference around (but) this is the toughest conference we've been in," Aycock head coach Charles Davis said. "You better be ready to play every time you step on the field in this conference. The number one thing is not to be intimidated no matter who you are playing and I don't think we will be."

League play started March 11.

Davis, Eastern Wayne head coach Jabo Fulghum and first-year Southern Wayne head coach Jackson Massey initially thought that the outcomes among the 3-A schools would determine their placing in the postseason. The Golden Falcons, Warriors and Saints are each guaranteed a postseason berth in the split-classification league.

However, all results count.

That revelation debunks the strategy of saving your No. 1 pitcher for a county game. A consistent bullpen rotation -- says Fulghum, Massey and Davis -- will be critical to their respective team's success.

"If you're either a Tuesday or Friday guy, you better be ready," Fulghum said. "It's going to be very challenging, but also good and competitive. There are going to be some heated battles ... some good baseball played in this conference. You can't keep your head down too long because every opponent coming at you is going to be good.

"I'm looking forward to it."

The teams are no strangers to each other.

Eastern Wayne, Aycock and Southern Wayne played either Rose, New Bern, D.H. Conley or South Central on a home-and-away basis over the past few years. They know the coaches and each team's style of play.

The name on the front of the jersey shouldn't cause any intimidation.

"We can't let the game get too big ... just play our style of baseball and put ourselves in good situations," Massey said. "If we do that, then some wins are going to come out of that. There are no such things as 'off' days in this conference.

"You're going to have to bring your best. These teams you're playing against aren't teams that are going to take you lightly. They have too good of a coaching staff and too many good players to let that happen."

The Golden Falcons cobbled out 18 wins and lost to Jacksonville in opening-round action of the 2013 playoffs. Eastern Wayne logged an 11-13 worksheet that included a shutout defeat against South Central in the postseason.

The Saints did not advance to the playoffs.

Fulghum, Davis and Massey agree that facing competitive teams on a nightly basis should undoubtedly prepare their players for some sort of postseason run.

"Our goal is a home playoff game that first round (and) when you get there, everybody's record is 0-0," Massey said. "It's usually the hottest team that goes further in the playoffs and not necessarily the best team that always wins. If we do our job in the regular season, then we're going to put ourselves in a better situation come playoff time than just being content with being in the playoffs already."