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UNCW Baseball: Top 10 moments of the last 10 years
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Seahawk Nation 08 Offline
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UNCW Baseball: Top 10 moments of the last 10 years
With the 2016 season just 3 days away, I thought it would be nice to take a look back at UNCW Baseball's great run in the last decade (2005-2015).

I started following the program back in '03, the year I was accepted to go to UNCW. And while Chuck Carree did a piece on the Top stories of the 2000's back in '09, we've added on some more great moments since then. More are sure to come, including perhaps a Super Regional appearance?

Here is my Top 10:


10. Hawks Turn THREE for the Win
Charlottesville, Virginia
June 1, 2013

The Seahawks faced Army in an elimination contest in the 2013 NCAA Regionals, hosted by Virginia. And in the 9th inning, clinging to a 9-5 lead, this happened:





It was a play that appeared on Sportscenter’s Top Plays that night. "I don't think we'll ever see it again," said Coach Scalf after the game.


9. Holt to the Mets in the 1st Round
Orlando, Florida
June 5, 2008

[Image: holt_crop_340x234.jpg?1287956079]

With a mid-90’s fastball and a power slider, righty Brad Holt appeared to be a promising Major League prospect in 2008. The New York Mets agreed, and selected Holt in the Compensatory portion of the 1st round, 33rd overall. The Albemarle, NC native had gone 11-1 and struck out 95 batters in 93.1 innings his junior year at UNCW, and continued his success at Single-A St. Lucie, where he went 3-1 with a 3.57 ERA.

However, after being promoted to AA Binghamton, injury problems and other factors prevented Holt from taking the next step, and he was released in March of 2013. Nevertheless, the fact that Holt shot up the draft board provided validation that the Seahawk program is doing many things right.


8. The Catch
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
May 30, 2015

[Image: ncaalsu5.jpg]

After winning the 2015 CAA title one week earlier, the Seahawks headed back to Baton Rouge, where they had appeared in their very first Regional 12 years prior. After beating Tulane in a 10-1 blowout win, the Seahawks took on host team LSU, and the game was a classic, with pitching and defense defining the game.

With the score tied 0-0, Seahawk Right Fielder Zach Shields made this incredible catch in the 3rd inning:





The play was # 10 on the Sportscenter Top plays countdown that evening. The Seahawks ended up falling 2-0, but were able to advance to the Regional Final.


7. “Rally Hawks” Win 3rd CAA Title
Harrisonburg, Virginia
May 26, 2012

[Image: EZLZJTUNIFLUPWM.20120527003705.jpg]

The Seahawks trailed Delaware 6-0 early but came back to defeat the Blue Hens, 10-8, to secure their third CAA title. Despite the high-scoring affair, it was Justin Livengood’s 2 and 1/3 shutout innings and Kelly Secrest’s 1-2-3 9th that secured the victory and the NCAA Autobid.

It was the first time the Seahawks won a title away from home, as the host for the tournament were the James Madison Dukes. They went on to get knocked out in the Regionals by NC State.


6. Coach Scalf wins # 575
Wilmington, NC
April 10, 2009

[Image: 12438998_10153694862112870_1212735377144...e=56FC9380]

Bill Brooks was Coach Scalf’s mentor, so it was only appropriate that Scalf would eventually pass him in the record books. Mark Scalf had come to Wilmington as a freshman infielder in UNCW’s first year of Division I play, when Brooks, founder of the Baseball program, was the Head Coach and Athletic Director. By 1991, Brooks had requested that Scalf be promoted to the Head Coaching position, where he has been ever since.

In his 18th season, Coach Scalf won number 575 in a victory over William & Mary. As the program continues to improve, one can only speculate how many he will have when all is said and done.


5. “Cardiac Hawks” Win 2nd Title in 3 Years
Wilmington, NC
May 28, 2006

Chris Hatcher was the hero for the Seahawks in the 2006 CAA Title game against VCU, knocking a 2-run triple to win the game 7-6 in dramatic fashion. Just three days earlier, Hatcher had knocked in the game-winning run against James Madison, who had held a 9-2 lead in the contest. The Seahawks had certainly earned the “Cardiac Hawks” moniker with their late-inning heroics.

It was the 2nd title for Coach Scalf in a three year period. And after the season, Hatcher was taken in the 5th round of the MLB Draft by the Florida Marlins. He went on to become the first MLB player in over 70 years to debut as a catcher but later convert to the pitching mound.


4. Seahawks claim 4th CAA title over # 13 Charleston
Charleston, SC
May 23, 2015

[Image: CAAChampionshipPhoto.jpg]

In a thrilling battle with host team Charleston, ranked 13th in the nation at the time, the Seahawks pulled off a 7-6 upset, never trailing in the contest and powered by a 3-5, 2 RBI performance by Corey Dick.

The tournament marked the emergence of starting pitcher Evan Phillips, who twirled a 6.1 inning gem the day before against Charleston to advance the Seahawks to the finals, allowing no earned runs and striking out 8, to earn himself a place on the all-tournament team. He later pitched another gem against LSU in the Regionals.


3. The Comeback
Cary, NC
June 1, 2008

When the highly successful 2008 campaign entered the postseason, the Hawks had earned a # 2 seed in the Cary Regional as the top threat to host UNC. However, the Seahawks found themselves facing elimination against 3rd-seeded Elon. They were in deep trouble, trailing 11-4 in the top of the 9th inning. When Shane French flied out with a runner on, the team was down to its last 2 outs.

However, the Seahawks had beaten Elon 18-16 earlier in the season, and no lead was safe. The next 12 Hawk batters produced 11 runs on 8 hits, including a go-ahead 2-run double by French himself, to give the Seahawks a 15-11 lead. It was an astonishing comeback, and in its wake the Seahawks set the school record with 44 wins on the season.


2. The Streak
Wilmington, NC
April 1, 2008

[Image: LJETMHUHVHCWVOT.20080331220926.jpg]

As the calendar turned to April of 2008, the Seahawks found themselves at 21-4 and in the middle of a 20-game winning streak, the longest in all of D-I College Baseball. In the midst of the streak the Hawks had taken down nationally ranked Coastal Carolina twice and earned four CAA series sweeps.

The next victim were the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who came in to the midweek tilt struggling at 12-13. The Seahawks defeated Wake 5-1 behind a pair of RBI’s by Catcher Cody Stanley. In the aftermath, the Hawks found themselves nationally ranked for the first time in school history; they appeared in two major top 25 polls that week.

While the streak ended that weekend in Boston, with the Seahawks splitting a doubleheader with Northeastern, it was a fantastic ride that created some national buzz for a program on the rise.


1. The Dogpile: Hawks Take Down # 1 Tarheels
Chapel Hill, NC
April 23, 2013

Kelly Secrest was recruited by many schools in the state of North Carolina coming out of High School. But the lefty from North Davidson was hoping to get a call from the school he desired to attend: The University of North Carolina. However, that call never came, and Secrest opted to play for Coach Scalf.

Fast forward to April 23, 2013 when the Seahawks traveled to Chapel Hill to take on the top-ranked Heels at Boshamer Stadium. UNC was in the middle of a 14-game winning streak, while UNCW had lost 13 straight to the Tarheels. Now a junior, Secrest, perhaps operating on adrenaline, threw nothing but fastballs (it seemed) in a heroic 5 and 2/3 shutout innings to help the Hawks come back from a 6-0 deficit. Tyler Molinaro’s 2-run homer in the 8th staked the Seahawks with a 9-8 lead that Secrest secured in the 9th.

The Hawks players met Secrest on the mound at the center of a dogpile in celebration of the victory, perhaps the best in school history. And maybe, just maybe, North Carolina felt a twinge of regret for never calling the hard-throwing lefty.
(This post was last modified: 02-16-2016 11:17 AM by Seahawk Nation 08.)
02-16-2016 11:02 AM
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Proff Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball: Top 10 moments of the last 10 years
Nicely done 08.
02-16-2016 12:28 PM
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solohawks Online
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RE: UNCW Baseball: Top 10 moments of the last 10 years
#5 was my favorite. I was there live for the championship and Brooks was electric! Even though they were down the whole stadium knew they were going to rally and win
02-16-2016 12:30 PM
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Seahawk Nation 08 Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball: Top 10 moments of the last 10 years
Bump for 70sHawk.
09-08-2019 10:50 AM
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70shawk Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball: Top 10 moments of the last 10 years
(09-08-2019 10:50 AM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote:  Bump for 70sHawk.

Right back at you, brother!
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09-08-2019 11:38 AM
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billthebighawksfan Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball: Top 10 moments of the last 10 years
Nice work here. I do think that the 2018 Regional ECU comeback a few years ago has to be in this listing and high up that listing. Knocking out the host #1 seed at their place AND arguably your biggest baseball rival at the same time has to rank up there. I would put this in the top 3.

I like the Elon Regional comeback very much as well.

Beating C of C 2x when they were loaded and winning that CAA tourney was huge.

That win streak and year was also memorable.
(This post was last modified: 09-08-2019 01:07 PM by billthebighawksfan.)
09-08-2019 01:07 PM
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Seahawkhoops Offline
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RE: UNCW Baseball: Top 10 moments of the last 10 years
(09-08-2019 01:07 PM)billthebighawksfan Wrote:  Nice work here. I do think that the 2018 Regional ECU comeback a few years ago has to be in this listing and high up that listing. Knocking out the host #1 seed at their place AND arguably your biggest baseball rival at the same time has to rank up there. I would put this in the top 3.

I like the Elon Regional comeback very much as well.

Beating C of C 2x when they were loaded and winning that CAA tourney was huge.

That win streak and year was also memorable.

The list was created in 2016, thus, missing 2018
09-08-2019 01:20 PM
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