Brian Moran Still Pitching In The 2009 College World Series For The UNC Tar Heels
Junior relief pitcher Brian Moran (North Carolina) became the third former Glens Falls Golden Eagle player drafted, with three of his former 2007 teammates selected in the later rounds.
Warming up in the bullpen for a possible appearance against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the 2009 College World Series, UNC pitching coach Scott Forbes handed Moran his cell phone. On the other line were the Cincinnati Reds, who were preparing to select Moran with the 239th pick in the eight round and were wondering whether he would opt to sign a deal with the Reds organization.
Before Moran could answer their questions, Moran’s teammates heard his name called by the Seattle Mariners, who drafted Moran with the 203rd pick in the seventh round.
Moran, who led all Tar Heels in the bullpen with 35 appearances and over 65 innings this season, pitched incredible for North Carolina in 2009, posting a team-best 2.20 ERA, compiling a 7-1 win-loss record, allowing just 16 earned runs on 45 hits, combining for two shutouts and four saves with 90 strikeouts and four walks. Opposing hitters hit well below the Mendoza-line this season, batting just .192 against the 6′3″ southpaw.
As a member of the 2007 Glens Falls Golden Eagles team that tied an NYCBL record with 34 wins, Moran started seven games, appearing in three others and posting a 5-3 win-loss record during the regular season, and led the team with four complete games and 65 total innings-pitched. His 1.52 ERA and 49 strikeouts were good for second best on one of the NYCBL best pitching staff numbers-wise in 2007.
Perfect in his two starts during the Golden Eagles 2007 playoff push, Moran led the Glens Falls pitching staff with a 1.10 ERA, over 16 innings pitched, and his 11 strikeouts put him one behind the team leader during the playoffs. After losing game one against the Little Falls Minors (now the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs), Moran pitched eight shutout innings, allowing just four hits with six strikeouts, and helped tie the series at 1-1.
Glens Falls advanced past the Minors and played the Saratoga Phillies in the second round. Once again, Golden Eagles Head Coach John Mayotte called on Moran to start game two against the Phillies with Glens Falls trailing the series 1-0. Moran won, pitching eight and one-thirds innings, striking out five, walking none, and surrendering two runs on four hits.
Whether Moran signs deal with the Mariners farm system, he won’t let his most recent relief appearance for the Tar Heels in the 2009 College World Series bring him down. On Sunday afternoon, with the game against tied 1-1 in the top of the 10th, Moran entered the game hoping to induce a double play ball to get his team out of the inning so they could win with a walk-off in the bottom frame. After a Carolina fielding error and a single loaded up the bases for the Sun Devils, Moran coughed up just his third homerun of the 2009 season that allowed Arizona State to defeat the Tar Heels 5-2.
The loss, the first for the Tar Heels in the postseason, forces UNC to play an elimination game on Tuesday night. UNC will play the loser of the Southern Miss vs. Texas game.
ormer 2007 Golden Eagles third baseman, Kevin Mahoney (Canisius), who had been named 2009 MAAC Baseball Preseason Player of the Year, leads the team in homeruns (20), RBI (49), total bases (136), doubles (16), hits (58), runs scored (58), walks (36), stolen bases (15), and ranks third on the team in batting average (.331).