The East Carolina baseball team heads to Richmond, Va., for two games against Virginia Commonwealth on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Pirates (7-8) are looking to bounce back after dropping two of three against Coastal Carolina, which came into the weekend ranked No. 24 at the time. ECU took Friday’s game thanks to the 19-strikeout performance by Ethan Norby.
Below is a preview from East Carolina Sports Information. Videos and photos are from Pirate Radio.
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Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information photo)
East Carolina ventures up to Richmond for two midweek contests against host VCU at The Diamond. The Pirates and Rams match up Tuesday at 6 p.m. as well as Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Both games will stream live via ESPN+.
ECU (7-8) was just a few clutch hits away from taking a series over No. 24 Coastal Carolina over the weekend, knocking off the Chanticleers 7-0 Friday before falling 9-1 Saturday and 4-3 in 10 innings Sunday. The story inside Clark-LeClair Stadium and nationally was the performance of sophomore LHP Ethan Norby who earned American Athletic Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week honors following a 19-strikeout effort in Friday’s affair.
The 19 strikeouts, just one off the program single-game record, are the most by any pitcher in NCAA Division I this year. Combined with Ethan Young’s three strikeouts over the final 1.2 frames of the night, the duo matched the ECU single-game record and compiled the most by any Division I pitching staff in a contest thus far in 2025.
Remarkably, Norby retired the first nine Chanticleer batters of the game via the strikeout and did not allow a Coastal Carolina base runner until the top of the seventh inning.
The Pirates have taken on a gauntlet of opponents through 15 games, slotting 13th nationally in strength of schedule having played the likes of nationally ranked foes North Carolina and Coastal Carolina as well as perennial NCAA Regional clubs Indiana State and Virginia Tech. Entering the week, East Carolina is 61st in the NCAA RPI ranking, good for third among AAC clubs.
ECU seeks its first true road victory of the season this week, currently carrying losses to Campbell and North Carolina away from Greenville.
About VCU
The Rams (4-10) won two of three from Princeton over the weekend, capping the series victory with an 11-0 victory Sunday. VCU is batting .217 as a team with 13 doubles and 10 home runs as well as 43 walks drawn and 14 stolen bases. Jacob Lee tops the offensive unit statistically with a .288 batting average and team highs in home runs (three) and RBI (13). The Rams’ pitching staff sports a 6.11 earned run average with 108 strikeouts and 73 walks in 116.1 innings of work. Sean Thompson, a 2018 VCU graduate, is in his first season as head coach at the institution.
The VCU Series
East Carolina leads the all-time series with VCU by a 35-32 margin. The teams met just last June when the Pirates defeated the Rams 10-7 in an elimination game at the NCAA Greenville Regional. The most recent regular season encounter saw ECU win two of three in a non-conference series March 25-27, 2022, at Clark-LeClair Stadium. The Pirates’ last appearance in Richmond resulted in a 3-0 setback on Feb. 25, 2014.
Individual Notables
Head Coach Cliff Godwin: Owns 404 career victories and is second on the East Carolina career coaching wins list … Has been part of 15 NCAA Regional and two College World Series teams at the Division I level as an assistant coach and head coach … Guided ECU to eight NCAA Regional berths (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2024 Greenville Regional host), four Super Regional appearances, five-straight American Athletic Conference regular season titles and three AAC Tournament crowns while posting a 399-188-1 (.679) overall record … Under Godwin’s direction, 14 players have earned All-America status while 25 have been named to NCAA All-Regional Teams. Additionally, 46 student-athletes have garnered all-conference status (27 first-team selections) and 28 players have been drafted by Major League Baseball teams. … A five-time AAC Coach-of-the-Year selection (2015, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024), Godwin was inducted into the George Whitfield Hall of Fame in January of 2016 … In 2018, he completed a summer stint on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team staff that posted a 12-3 record that included series wins over Chinese Taipei, Japan and Cuba … As a player, he helped former ECU skipper Keith LeClair’s teams post a 169-76 four-year ledger, including 46-plus wins in each of his final three seasons (46-16 in ’99, 46-18 in ’00 and 47-13 in ’01) … ECU won a pair of CAA Tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Regionals every season from 1999 to 2001 … The Pirates were the top seed in their regional all three years, including a No. 7 national seed in 2001 where they advanced to the Super Regional round versus Tennessee.
Walker Barron: Has reached base safely in 14 of 15 games … Has started all 15 games at catcher … Clubbed his first home run of the campaign in Chapel Hill … Registered a hit in every game of the North Carolina series … Recorded a season-high two RBI in games against North Carolina and Indiana State … Went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a home run versus Gardner-Webb … Logged three hits in the Coastal Carolina series finale.
Alex Bouche: Has started all 15 games at shortstop … Hit .333 (3-for-12) during Opening Weekend with a run scored and an RBI … Clubbed a walk off home run in the series rubber game … Went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a double and a home run in Chapel Hill … Logged two hits and a pair of RBI in the win over Virginia Tech … Scored two runs in the win over Gardner-Webb.
Kenan Bowman: Has started eight games – three in right field and five in left … Registered his first collegiate hit in the George Mason series finale … Registered one of ECU’s two hits at Campbell … Went 2-for-2 with an RBI in Chapel Hill.
Braden Burress: Has made three starts in left field … Went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base in the season opener … Laced a two-run double to right center in the latter innings of the win over Virginia Tech … Was 5-for-7 with three runs scored in the Coastal Carolina series.
Jackson DiLorenzo: Collected two wins on the mound during the George Mason series, tossing 1.2 innings over two appearances … Tossed a clean inning with one strikeout in the North Carolina series finale.
Jack Herring: Has started six games – five at right field and one at designated hitter … Recorded a hit in both games he played during the George Mason series … Collected a hit and RBI in the Coastal Carolina series finale.
Jake Hunter: Made his first appearance on the mound since recovering from UCL internal brace surgery stemming from an injury he suffered at Memphis last season … Has twirled a 2.45 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 11.0 innings of work … Earned his first win of the campaign with five strong innings in the win over Gardner-Webb, striking out seven batters and allowing just two earned runs.
Austin Irby: Has started all 15 games – three at designated hitter and 12 at first base … Registered his first collegiate RBI in the season opener before logging a hit in both subsequent games … Logged one of ECU’s two hits at Campbell … Has notched a hit in six of his last seven games … Clubbed his first career home run versus Old Dominion … Provided the game ending three-run home run in the run rule victory over Indiana State … Hit home runs in consecutive at bats to account for four RBI in the win over Gardner-Webb.
Sean Jenkins: Made his collegiate start on the mound in the George Mason series finale, allowing just one earned run with two strikeouts over 5.2 strong innings of work … Was excellent in the win over Indiana State, tossing six innings while giving up just one earned run with six strikeouts and no walks.
Michael Kalinich: Has started seven games at designated hitter … Collected three hits, two runs scored and an RBI versus North Carolina.
Ethan Norby: Named the AAC Co-Pitcher of the Week March 10 after striking out 19 in the Pirates’ 7-0 win over No. 24 Coastal Carolina … Made his first start of the season in the George Mason series opener, scattering five hits and allowing three earned runs with six strikeouts and no walks in a 5.1-inning effort … Threw 4.2 innings in the series opener against North Carolina, scattering four hits while striking out six and walking just one … Struck out nine over 6.2 innings against Kent State … Fanned the first nine Coastal Carolina batters in the series opener and did not allow a base runner until the seventh inning.
Alex Peltier: Has started all 15 games in center field … Collected his first collegiate hit and run scored in game two of the George Mason doubleheader before going 2-for-3 with the game-tying solo home run in the series finale … Went 3-for-5 with a run scored and two doubles in the Monday contest against North Carolina … Went 3-for-4 with two runs scored versus Kent State.
Brad Pruett: Named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honorable Mention list (Feb. 17) … Made his Pirate debut in game two of the Friday doubleheader versus George Mason, striking out nine over 3.1 innings while allowing just two hits … Logged five strikeouts in two innings at Campbell … Picked up his first save in the win over Virginia Tech, notching six strikeouts in 3.1 frames.
Colby Wallace: Has started all 15 games – three at first base and the other 12 at third base … Drilled his first collegiate home run in the third inning of game two of the George Mason doubleheader … Went 2-for-3 in the win over Old Dominion … Registered two hits and a pair of RBI versus Kent State … Went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and six RBI in the Pirates’ 7-0 win over No. 24 Coastal Carolina and clubbed East Carolina’s first grand slam since the 2023 season.
Dixon Williams: Has reached base safely in 11-straight games … Has started all 15 contests – 13 at second base and two at third base … Logged two home runs and five RBI during Opening Weekend … Hit his team-leading third home run against Old Dominion – a monster 420-foot tank in the eighth inning … Went 7-for-10 with six runs scored and two RBI during the LeClair Classic.
Lance Williams: Made his collegiate pitching debut in the season opener … Surrendered just one hit and earned run while striking out four over 3.0 innings of work … Tallied two more strikeouts in one inning pitched at Campbell … Made his first career start against Virginia Tech, tossing 2.1 scoreless frames … Put together a solid start in the Coastal Carolina series finale, pitching 4.0 scoreless innings with five strikeouts against one walk.
Ethan Young: Named to the AAC Weekly Honorable Mention List on March 3rd … Made his Pirate pitching debut in the season opener, tossing 0.2 innings while allowing three runs on two hits … Turned in a strong effort at Campbell, allowing just one hit while striking out four and walking none in three innings … Was excellent in the North Carolina series opener, limiting the Tar Heels to just one hit while striking out five in 3.1 frames … Logged his first save in a Pirate uniform in the win over Old Dominion, striking out three and allowing just one hit over 3.1 innings … Credited with the win in ECU’s victory over Virginia Tech, allowing just one run with six strikeouts in 3.1 frames … Closed out the Pirates’ 7-0 win over No. 24 Coastal Carolina with three strikeouts in 1.2 scoreless innings.
Bradley Zayac: Made his first collegiate start and appearance in game two of the George Mason doubleheader … Allowed two runs on a lone hit with a strikeout and two walks in 3.1 innings of work against the Patriots.
Looking Ahead: East Carolina plays host to William & Mary this weekend (March 14-16) for its final non-conference series before Memphis heads to Greenville March 21-23 for both teams’ opening American Athletic Conference set.