Pirates host ODU Wednesday afternoon

by | Feb 26, 2025

The ECU baseball team will look to end a four-game slide on Wednesday when it hosts Old Dominion.

The Pirates are 2-5 after a loss on Feb. 18 to Campbell and the three losses to No. 5 North Carolina last Saturday-Monday. Old Dominion comes in at 2-4. After Wednesday’s game, the Pirates are host in the Keith LeClair Classic, which starts Friday.

Below is a preview from ECU Sports Information. Follow Pirate Radio on X and Facebook for updates from the game, slated to start at 3 p.m. on Wednesday. Videos and photos from Monday’s game with UNC are also included below.

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By ECUPirates.com

East Carolina looks to get back in the win column Wednesday afternoon when it welcomes Old Dominion to Greenville for a non-conference contest inside Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.

The game will stream live via ESPN+. Live updates will also be posted on Pirate Radio’s Facebook and X social media pages (see links to both above)

Projected Pitching Matchup
RHP Jaden Winter (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.0 IP) vs. RHP Frankie Wright (0-0, 99.0 ERA, 0.0 IP)

The Pirates (2-5) most recently fell three times to now No. 5 North Carolina in a weather affected Saturday-Monday traveling series that saw the teams face off in Durham, Chapel Hill and Greenville respectively. ECU’s young roster continued to gain valuable experience over the weekend while showing its potential as 11 freshmen experienced action against the nationally ranked Tar Heels.

East Carolina is hitting .206 through seven games with eight doubles and eight home runs. The Pirate pitching staff sports a 4.72 earned run average with 63 strikeouts and 41 walks in 61.0 innings of work, holding opposing hitters to a .210 batting average. RHP Ethan Young has been excellent over his last two appearances, limiting Campbell and North Carolina to just two hits while striking out nine batters in 6.1 frames. Freshman centerfielder Alex Peltier paces the offense with a .280 batting average after logging a 3-for-5, two-double effort in Monday’s series finale. Redshirt junior RHP Jaden Winter makes his season debut following a 2024 season during which he collected 31 strikeouts in 26.0 innings.

About Old Dominion
The Monarchs (2-4), who open the 2025 campaign on an 18-game road swing while their home facility Bud Matheny Ballpark undergoes renovations, won two of three at American Athletic Conference member Charlotte last weekend, defeating the 49ers 4-2 and 7-6 after dropping the series opener 10-9 in 11 innings. OId Dominion is batting .234 as a team with nine doubles and five home runs, complementing a pitching unit that owns a 5.30 ERA with 69 strikeouts and 35 walks in 52.2 innings. Efrain Morales tops the club statistically with a .346 batting average, five runs scored and four doubles.

The Old Dominion Series
Old Dominion holds a slight 36-35 lead in the all-time series with East Carolina. The teams split a pair of meetings in 2024 with each side emerging victorious on its home field. The Pirates have won six of the last 10 encounters with the Monarchs as well as three of the last four.

Pirates Tabbed AAC Preseason Favorites
After capturing its fifth-straight American Athletic Conference regular season title in 2024, East Carolina has once again topped the 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll. The Pirates have been picked first in the preseason poll seven-straight times and eight overall since joining the conference prior to the 2015 campaign. ECU collected 80 points and eight out of 10 first place votes while Wichita State and Tulane were second and third with 72 and 63 points respectively. The Shockers were awarded the other two first-place votes. Senior outfielder Ryley Johnson and sophomore LHP Ethan Norby were tabbed to the Preseason All-AAC Team. Johnson is the reigning American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year while Norby was selected a Freshman All-American by both Baseball America and Perfect Game last season.

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 399 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 all seven games of the season 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.
Alex Bouche: Has started all seven games of the season 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 Sunday in Chapel Hill.

Kenan Bowman: Has started all seven games of the season … Owns two starts in right field and the other 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 Sunday in Chapel Hill.
Braden Burress: Made two starts in left field during the George Mason series … Went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base in the season opener.

John Collins: Is 2-for-2 in pinch hit opportunities, recording a single and a home run in the North 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 of games this season – 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 … Faced four batters in one inning of work in the George Mason series finale.
Austin Irby: Has started all seven games of the season … Owns three starts as the designated hitter and four 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 five of the last six games.
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.
Michael Kalinich: Started all three games of the North Carolina series at designated hitter … Collected three hits, two runs scored and an RBI versus the Tar Heels.

Nick Moran: Made his Pirate debut on the mound in the George Mason series finale, facing two batters over 0.1 inning … Started the road contest at Campbell.
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.

Alex Peltier: Has started all seven games of the season 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.
Brad Pruett: Ranks eighth nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (18.00) and is 20th in strikeouts (18) … 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.

Braxton Tramel: Made his first collegiate start at third base in the season opener and played in all three games during the George Mason series.
Roger Vergara: Logged his first hit in a Pirate uniform via a bunt single in the North Carolina series finale.
Colby Wallace: Has started all seven games this season … Owns three starts at first base and the other four at third base … Drilled his first collegiate home run in the third inning of game two of Friday’s doubleheader versus George Mason.

Ian White Jr.: Has not allowed a run in four appearances spanning 2.1 innings … Registered a strikeout in both games in which he pitched versus George Mason.
Dixon Williams: Has started all seven games this season … Owns five starts at second base and two at third base … Logged two home runs and five RBI during Opening Weekend.
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.
Ethan Young: 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.
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.

Looking Ahead: East Carolina remains at home for the weekend, entertaining Kent State, Indiana State and Virginia Tech for the 22nd annual Keith LeClair Classic. The Sycamores and Hokies kick off the tournament Friday (Feb. 28) at 12:00 p.m. before the Pirates and Golden Flashes face off at 4:30.

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