Pirates head back to Fayetteville to face Gardner-Webb

by | Mar 4, 2025

The East Carolina baseball team is heading back to Fayetteville to play host to Gardner-Webb.

The two teams square off at 6 p.m. at Segra Stadium, home of the Fayetteville Woodpeckers minor league baseball team.

Below is a full preview from ECU Sports Information. Videos and photos are provided by Pirate Radio.

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Above photo by ECU Sports Information

By ECUPirates.com

Having won three of its last four games, East Carolina looks to keep the momentum going into a new week, starting with a Tuesday non-conference contest against Gardner-Webb at Fayetteville’s Segra Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the Pirates will serve as the designated home team.

The game will not be streamed for viewing on TV or online.

ECU (5-6) shook off a tough loss to Kent State Friday with consecutive victories over Indiana State and Virginia Tech to clinch a share of the program’s 14th LeClair Classic title. The Pirates run ruled the Sycamores 13-1 in seven innings Saturday before knocking off a high-powered Hokie side 6-1 Sunday. The win over Virginia Tech represented perhaps East Carolina’s most complete effort of the campaign as it limited a Hokies side that entered the day batting .351 as a team to just five hits while rapping out eight of its own.

Dixon Williams enjoyed a breakthrough weekend, hitting .700 (7-for-10) with six runs scored to boost his batting average to .342, while John Collins checks in at .364 with four hits and five RBI in six games played. Ethan Young, Sean Jenkins and Ethan Norby combined for two quality starts on the mound for a pitching staff that twirled a 3.24 earned run average with 32 strikeouts in 25.0 innings. As a unit this season, the Pirates own a 3.98 ERA with 102 strikeouts against 56 walks in 95.0 frames of work. Brad Pruett slots sixth nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (17.51) and 28th in total strikeouts (24).

Projected Pitching Matchup
RHP Bradley Zayac (0-1, 7.71 ERA, 4.2 IP) vs. RHP Will Franklin (0-0, 3.18 ERA, 5.2 IP)

About Gardner-Webb
The Runnin’ Bulldogs (6-7) lost two of three to host Appalachian State over the weekend after dropping a 14-4 decision at South Carolina in the midweek. Gardner-Webb is hitting .279 as a team with 22 doubles, four triples and 15 home runs while the pitching staff sports a 7.53 ERA with 126 strikeouts and 77 walks in 104.0 innings. Dale Francis, Jr., who leads the squad in batting average (.409), hits (18), RBI (27) and home runs (seven), clubbed five home runs in the series against the Mountaineers, tallying 16 RBI and a 1.733 slugging percentage. Francis saved his best for Saturday afternoon, tallying four home runs and 11 RBI as Gardner-Webb defeated App State, 16-14. With Saturday’s performance, Francis represents just the 14th player in NCAA Division I baseball history to hit four home runs in a single game.

The Gardner-Webb Series
East Carolina leads the all-time series with Gardner-Webb by a 4-0 count though the institutions have not met on the diamond since 2013 – a 9-7 Pirate victory in 10 innings at John Henry Moss Stadium in Boiling Springs.

40 Somethings
East Carolina won 46 games in 2024, marking its sixth-straight campaign of eclipsing the 40-victory plateau. The Pirates own the second longest active streak nationally, trailing only Southern Miss (eight).

Winning With Regularity
ECU has claimed the last five AAC regular season titles. Wright State (Horizon League) is the only program in the country with a longer streak while Connecticut (Big East) and Fairfield (Metro) sit on four-straight conference regular season championships.

RPI Examination
ECU owns the third-best average RPI in the nation over the last five years, finishing seventh in 2019, 13th in 2021, eighth in 2022, 26th in 2023 and 22nd in 2024. The Pirates’ average mark of 14.8 ranks behind just Florida (10.6) and Oklahoma State (14.4).

Individual Notables
Head Coach Cliff Godwin: Owns 402 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: Owns a team best seven-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in all 11 games … Has started all 11 games at catcher … Hit .333 (2-for-6) with two runs scored and two walks during Opening Weekend … Clubbed his first home run of the campaign Sunday 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.
Alex Bouche: Has started all 11 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.

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.
John Collins: Started all three of the LeClair Classic games at designated hitter … Drove in three runs in the run-rule win over Indiana State.

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.
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 1.50 ERA with five strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.

Austin Irby: Has started all 11 games – three at designated hitter and eight 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.
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 four games at designated hitter … Collected three hits, two runs scored and an RBI versus the Tar Heels.

Ethan Norby: 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.
Alex Peltier: Has started all 11 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: Ranks sixth nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (17.51) and is 28th in strikeouts (24) … 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.

Roger Vergara: Has made two starts in left field … Logged his first hit in a Pirate uniform via a bunt single in the North Carolina series finale.
Colby Wallace: Has started all 11 games – three at first base and the other eight 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.
Ian White Jr.: Has not allowed a run in five appearances spanning 3.2 innings … Registered a strikeout in both games in which he pitched versus George Mason.
Dixon Williams: Owns a team best seven-game hitting streak … Has started all 11 games – nine 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.
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.

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.

Up Next: East Carolina returns to Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium this weekend (March 7-9) for a non-conference series against No. 24 Coastal Carolina.

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