ECU wraps up regular season with series at USF

by | May 15, 2025

The East Carolina baseball team looks to wrap up its regular season in a positive way with a three-game series at South Florida.

Below is a preview from ECU Sports Information.

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Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information photo)

By ECUPirates.com

TAMPA, Fla. – East Carolina concludes the 2025 regular season this weekend with an American Athletic Conference series at South Florida. The three-game set is scheduled for May 15-17 at the USF Baseball Stadium.

The games are Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m.

Stream: ESPN+
Online: Pirate Radio will have updates on our social media pages. A full report will also be on PR927FM.com.

The Pirates (28-23, 12-12 AAC) have secured their spot for the AAC Baseball Championship tournament and can finish anywhere from third to seventh place depending on results around the league. The top eight teams qualify to participate in the league tourney which takes place May 20-25 at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla.

ECU checks in among the top four in the conference statistically in both earned run average and batting average. The Pirates are third in ERA (5.04) as the pitching staff has struck out 468 batters against 214 walks in 441.0 innings of work. The offense sports a league fourth-best .278 batting average with 74 doubles, four triples, 58 home runs, 221 walks drawn and 59 stolen bases. Braden Burress tops the East Carolina lineup and paces the conference in batting average (.396) while Ethan Norby is 19th nationally in strikeouts (95).

The Pirates are 11-8 away from home this season and have captured a pair of AAC series wins in enemy territory, sweeping Rice in Houston while also taking two of three over UAB in Birmingham.

About South Florida
The Bulls (27-22, 14-10 AAC) are one game ahead of both Florida Atlantic and Tulane for third place on the league table and sit two games ahead of ECU entering the regular season’s final weekend. USF is fifth in the conference in batting average (.274) as well as sixth in ERA (5.40). The Bulls’ pitching staff owns a league-low 359 strikeouts but have walked just 164 batters in 425.1 frames. Marcus Brodil leads South Florida’s lineup with a .341 batting average while Sebastian Greico has produced club-best marks in doubles (12), home runs (14) and RBI (47). The Bulls are 14-12 at home this season.

The South Florida Series
East Carolina leads the all-time series with South Florida by a 32-17 margin and has won 11 of the last 13 meetings dating back to the start of the 2022 campaign. The Pirates won two of three from the Bulls last season in Greenville.

Individual Notables
Head Coach Cliff Godwin: Owns 425 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 started 50 games at catcher … Registered a hit in every game of the North Carolina series … Went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a home run versus Gardner-Webb … Logged three hits in the Coastal Carolina series finale … Drove in three runs in the 19-6 run rule win over William & Mary … Recorded two hits and scored two runs in the Rice series finale … Posted a career five RBI and three hits in the Charlotte series finale.

Alex Bouche: Has started 50 games at shortstop … Clubbed a walk off home run in the George Mason 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 … Collected three hits and two RBI in the series opener at VCU … Notched three hits in the William & Mary series finale … Hit a grand slam in the 10th inning to lift the Pirates to a 10-6 win at UNCW … Went 7-for-13 in the Wichita State series.

Braden Burress: Named to the AAC Weekly Honorable Mention List (April 21) … Leads the team and the conference in batting average (.396) … Paces the Pirates with 21 multiple-hit efforts … Is on a current seven-game hitting streak … Owns 27 starts in left field, nine in right field and four in center field … Went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base in the season opener … Was 5-for-7 with three runs scored in the Coastal Carolina series … Went 2-for-5 with three runs scored in the 11-1 victory at VCU … Logged three hits and four RBI in the 19-6 run rule victory over William & Mary, clubbing a grand slam that marked his first collegiate home run … Recorded four hits, two runs scored and two RBI at Duke … Was 2-for-4 with two doubles in the series opener at Rice … Notched his second four-hit effort of the season in the win over UNCW in Greenville before doing it again in the middle game of the UAB series … Registered six hits in the Wichita State series … Posted three hits in the UTSA series finale.
John Collins: Named to the AAC Weekly Honorable Mention List March 17 … Has started 26 games at designated hitter … Went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and five RBI in the VCU series opener … Drove in four runs in the 12-0 run rule victory over William & Mary … Hit his fifth home run of the season in the Charlotte series finale.

Jack Herring: Has started 23 games – 17 in right field and six 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 … Clubbed his first home run in a Pirate uniform in the 19-6 run rule victory over William & Mary … Came through with a clutch RBI single late in the middle game of the Rice series to send the contest to extra innings … Logged two RBI in the middle game of the Charlotte series … Went 3-for-5 with a run scored and RBI in the UAB series finale … Hit his second home run of the season in the Tulane series finale … Clubbed his third homer of the year as a part of a three-hit effort in the middle game of the UTSA series.
Jake Hunter: Made his first appearance on the mound Opening Weekend after recovery from UCL internal brace surgery stemming from an injury he suffered at Memphis last season … 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 … Collected his first save of the season by covering the final two innings of the Pirates’ 3-1 win over Memphis … Picked up the win on the mound as well as registering his first career at bat, hit and run scored in the middle game of the Rice series … Locked down his second save of the season in the middle game of the UAB series by holding the Blazers scoreless over the final 2.2 innings … Matched his season-long outing in the middle game of the UTSA series, striking out two batters in five frames.

Austin Irby: Has started 50 games – three at designated hitter and 47 at first base … Leads the club with 10 multiple-RBI efforts … Registered his first collegiate RBI in the season opener before logging a hit in both subsequent 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 … Drove in three runs in the Memphis series finale … Recorded two hits and two RBI in the Rice series finale … Drilled home runs in consecutive at bats in the UAB series finale.
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 … Threw six innings in relief with four strikeouts to pick up the win in the Memphis series finale … Nabbed his third win with a 4.1-inning effort and five strikeouts against Elon … Produced his first collegiate save with a six inning, career-high eight strikeout relief effort in the Charlotte series finale … Allowed just one earned run in a career-long 6.2 innings of relief in the UTSA series finale.
Ethan Norby: Named the AAC Co-Pitcher of the Week and National Pitcher of the Week March 10 after striking out 19 in the Pirates’ 7-0 win over No. 24 Coastal Carolina … Tabbed to the AAC Weekly Honorable Mention List (April 28th and May 5th) … 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 … Notched his third consecutive quality start by throwing a seven-inning shutout against William & Mary … Turned in his fourth-straight quality start by allowing just two earned runs over seven innings with nine strikeouts at Rice … Tossed 6.0 scoreless relief innings with nine strikeouts and no walks to earn the win over Tulane … Went a career-long 7.2 innings to earn the win in the Saturday game at Wichita State, registering seven strikeouts against one walk while allowing just one run.

Brad Pruett: Named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honorable Mention list three times (Feb. 17, March 31 and April 21) … 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 … Tossed 2.2 scoreless frames with three strikeouts in the 19-6 run rule victory over William & Mary … Threw 2.0 scoreless innings with a strikeout against UNCW … Notched his first career win in the Pirates’ 3-1 win over Memphis with a career long 4.2-inning effort, allowing no runs and striking out three … Collected a win and a save in the series at Rice … Made his first start of the year against Florida Atlantic and struck out eight over 5.0 innings pitched … Went a season-long 6.1 innings and allowed just two runs while striking out three to earn the victory in the middle game of the UAB series … Picked up his third save of the season with two perfect innings at Elon.
Braxton Tramel: Suffered an injury April 12 at Charlotte and has missed the last 15 games … Named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honorable Mention list (March 24) … Has started 16 games – 13 in left field, two at designated hitter and one at third base … Slots second on the team in batting average (.375) … Logged two hits in every game of the Memphis series including his first career home run … Notched a pair of hits and drove in a run at Duke … Hit a home run in the final two games of the Florida Atlantic series.

Colby Wallace: Has started all 51 games – four at first base and the other 47 at third base … Has reached base safely in 19-straight games and has registered a hit in the last six … Drilled his first collegiate home run in the third inning of game two of the George Mason doubleheader … 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 … Was 4-for-8 with four runs scored and nine RBI in the William & Mary doubleheader sweep, including a grand slam in the nightcap … Collected his first career save in the series finale with the Tribe, throwing a scoreless inning with a strikeout … Scored three runs and drove in two in the Memphis series finale … Closed out the Rice series by picking up his second save of the campaign, leaving the bases loaded in the 8-5 victory … Logged three hits and three RBI in the Florida Atlantic series opener … Hammered his eighth home run of the season in the Charlotte series finale … Went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and hit his team-best ninth home run of the year in the UAB series opener … Pinned down his second save of the season in the middle game of the Wichita State series by covering the final 1.1 innings.
Dixon Williams: Has started all 51 contests – 48 at second base, two at third base and one at shortstop … Logged two home runs and five RBI during Opening Weekend … Hit his third home run of the year 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 … Clubbed his fourth home run of the campaign in the 11-1 win at VCU … Was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBI in the William & Mary series opener … Scored four runs in the 19-6 run rule victory over the Tribe … Went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in the win over Elon … Logged a pair of hits in each of the first two games of the UAB series … Went 3-for-5 with two three-run home runs and a career-high six RBI in the run rule victory over Tulane.


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 … Turned in 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 … Notched four strikeouts in 2.1 scoreless innings in the 3-1 win over Memphis … Collected his first collegiate win with two strikeouts in an inning of work in the Charlotte series finale … Pitched in all three games of the UTSA series and did not allow a run over 1.2 frames while striking out two against no walks.


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 … Picked up the win in the William & Mary series finale, surrendering just one run over 4.1 innings with a season-high 10 strikeouts … Nabbed his second save of the year with 3.2 scoreless frames and five strikeouts against no walks in the Memphis series opener … Covered the final four innings and struck out four in the win at UNCW … Threw a season-long 5.2 innings with six strikeouts to earn the win in the UAB series opener … Logged seven strikeouts over 5.1 scoreless frames in the Wichita State series opener.

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