NC State @ East Carolina | Tues, Apr 14 @ 6:00pm | ESPN+ | Stats
This was supposed to be the bounce-back year for East Carolina. The Pirates’ five season run of regular season conference titles came to an end in 2025, with ECU posting a losing conference record for just the second time in the previous 14 seasons. They did get hot in the AAC tournament, though, capturing the title and making an NCAA Regional for the 7th consecutive postseason, bowing out in the Regional final to eventual national runner-up Coastal Carolina.
But 2026 was supposed to be when the Pirates
went back to running away with the conference regular season title. Only it’s not really working out that way.
Don’t get me wrong, ECU (22-14-1, 7-5 T-3rd American, RPI #36) is having a fine year and is still in play for an at-large NCAA Regional bid should they fail to capture the league’s automatic bid. The Pirates have wins over Coastal Carolina, Duke, and North Carolina (as well as a tie versus the Tar Heels). It’s just that injuries continue to pile up, especially on the pitching side.
First, 6’7 FR RHP Colby Weber (1-0, 4.58 ERA, 19.2 IP, 9.2 BB%, 21.8 K%), who earned a weekend starting gig to start the season, went down with an injury in his 5th start of the year. The next weekend, another 6’7 RHP starter, SR West Virginia transfer Gavin Van Kempen (1-1, 1.84 ERA, 29.1 IP, 7.7 BB%, 38.5 K%), left in the 3rd inning of his start. Both guys are out for the season. That leaves preseason All-American JR LHP Ethan Norby (3-1, 4.50 ERA, 46.0 IP, 7.6 BB%, 29.1 K%) as the only remaining member of the Pirates season opening weekend rotation, but even he has struggled compared to last year. ECU moved him from the Friday to Saturday role this past weekend in hopes of eating some innings in the middle of the series to rest the bullpen arms.
That bullpen is bolstered by stud swingman SO RHP Sean Jenkins (2-1, 6 SV, 2.70 ERA, 36.2 IP, 6.5 BB%, 32.7 K%), who is putting together an All-American level campaign, but having to move two relievers into the weekend rotation and dealing with some nagging injuries to other experienced arms has left the ECU bullpen to doing a lot of mixing-and-matching to find outs.
NC State should expect to face rJR LHP Ryan Towers (3-1, 6.05 ERA, 19.1 IP, 9.6 BB%, 14.5 K%), the former Loyola Marymount transfer who last week tossed 5.2 hitless innings in a win against Duke.
Even with all the injuries, ECU’s pitching staff ranks 34th nationally in strikeout rate (25.0%), 39th in walk rate (9.2%), and 50th in opposing batting average (.246). The question is whether that level of success can sustain down the closing stretch of the season while relying on arms who started the year further down the pecking order.
East Carolina’s lineup has been productive, but lacking for a calling card, with a collective .301/.400/.460, 73 2B, 35 HR, 10.4 BB%, 12.3 K%, 30-40 SB. There hasn’t been much power or speed, but the Pirates handle the bat well, leading all of D1 in strikeout rate. Oddly, they also rank just 223rd in walk rate, showing their propensity to attack early in the count. ECU doesn’t hit for much power, and they don’t steal bases like you’re used to seeing from a Cliff Godwin group.
If Rett Johnson isn’t the best leadoff hitter in the state, then the title belongs to SO 2B/LF Braden Burress (.350/.454/.497, 8 2B, 3 HR, 14.3 BB%, 8.0 K%, 9-10 SB). Former D2 transfer SR RF/DH Jack Herring (.349/.475/.579, 11 2B, 6 HR, 19.0 BB%, 12.7 K%, 1-2 SB) is putting together a breakout campaign in his final collegiate season while rSO LF/RF Davin Whitaker (.351/.441/.546, 6 2B, 3 HR, 11.7 BB%, 15.0 K%, 4-4 SB) is doing the same in his first season as a starter. FR CF Grady Lenahan (.310/.411/.566, 8 2B, 7 HR, 6.7 BB%, 10.4 K%, 9-10 SB) has been everything ECU could have expected.
The defense has also been solid, especially with JR Matt Lashley (.326/.430/.438, 4 2B, 2 HR, 11.0 BB%, 9.2 K%, 0-0 SB) taking over the reigns at shortstop and JR C Walker Barron (.296/.388/.429, 7 2B, 2 HR, 10.2 BB%, 11.0 K%, 0-0 SB) solidifying things behind the plate, having thrown out 11-of-34 (32.4%) of attempted base stealers.
The gloom of this preview probably seems excessive when you look at the above numbers and factor that the Pirates are just one game back of first place in the American. The pieces are there, but this team will be hamstrung by their starting pitching depth thanks to injuries. Experience is on ECU’s side, with 8 of the 11 healthy pitchers who have tossed double-digit innings on the year being at least in their third year of college – and one of the three youngins might be their best arm (Jenkins).
So while this isn’t going to be the regional host that people in Greenville expected in the preseason – unless the Pirates go scorched earth from here – this is still a solid team and a tough out. Some things don’t change.
