An Update From AD Jon Gilbert

Pirate Nation,

I promise I won't make this letter too long, but we have some important events on the horizon.

Big week ahead for ECU Athletics
It will truly be a Purple Friday in Greenville this week for our athletics department. The Pirate Club will be hosting its first Armada on Friday outside Clark-LeClair Stadium in White Parking Lot (across from the hitting facility) beginning at 4:30 p.m. while the softball team hosts Connecticut at 6 p.m., and our nationally ranked baseball team hosts Tulane at 6:30 p.m. Let's all wear Purple and be loud!

Congrats to Dan Gerlach
We are excited about the appointment of Dan Gerlach as interim chancellor of East Carolina University. I have spoken to Dan several times in the past week and really looking forward to getting to know him and helping him achieve his vision for this great university. As I said from the beginning, athletics must be aligned with campus to be successful, and our campus leaders have been great partners.

Did you get your football season tickets?
We are nine days away from the May 1 deadline for Pirate Club members to be included in the reseating process for football season tickets. Season ticket sales are currently at 6,050 and we are hoping that number really increases over the next week. Call our ticket office at 252-737-4500 and ask about our payment plan because we need you in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in the fall. You can also purchase tickets at ecupirates.com.

Can we set the single game attendance record at baseball?
Head Coach Cliff Godwin and the No. 11 ECU Baseball team sit at 29-10 overall, 11-1 in conference play, heading into this weekend against Tulane. Our baseball attendance has been solid throughout the season from the reserved seats all the way out to The Jungle. Thank you from everyone involved with ECU Athletics!

We have four home games this week beginning tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. against UNCW. The weather looks perfect for weekday baseball. Let's take it up one notch on Friday at Clark-LeClair Stadium. You have already set the single game record for attendance for a conference game in school history with 4,128 on March 23 against Central Florida. The top single game crowd in the history of Clark-LeClair Stadium is 5,581 against North Carolina in 2009 (a 4-0 win by the Pirates). I don't know what you think, but I don't see any reason why we can't clip that number. Tickets range from $4 for youth to $7 for adults. Let's rally around this team and get the ballpark to capacity on Friday night. Students, it's your last opportunity to watch this 2019 team before you head off for the summer. Tell a friend, buy a block of tickets to donate to a charity group that will attend, bring your family, let's make it an unforgettable night and weekend at Clark-LeClair.

Successful Goldspys
Our student-athletes were celebrated in a variety of ways on April 15 at the Goldspys in the new student center. Director of Life Skills Danielle Morrin and members of our Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) developed and produced a tremendous program to honor our student-athletes. You sit in awe at times at what these student-athletes have accomplished knowing how much time they spend in the classroom and on their respective sport. Our student-athletes have completed 5,451.5 hours of community service over the past year.

It's very rare to see all our student-athletes in one place due to academic and athletic schedules. You look around the room and see how many international student-athletes we have and the diversity of our athletic programs. We currently have 36 student-athletes representing 27 different countries – all calling Greenville, NC home.

Special congratulations to Ms. Pirate Courtney Cash (Women's Soccer) and Mr. Pirate Jake Agnos (Baseball).

Annual Armada Tour begins this week
We are looking forward to seeing Pirates across the state with the Pirate Club Armada tour slated for 12 events beginning on Friday in Greenville outside Clark-LeClair Stadium in the White Parking Lot (across from batting cages in right field). These events are a great opportunity to meet our supporters, answer questions and give updates from myself and our coaches on what is taking place within the athletics department. The tour will include trips to Williamston (May 8), Virginia Beach (May 8), Nags Head (May 9), Washington, N.C. (May 13), Raleigh (May 14), Durham (May 15), Fayetteville (May 15), Charlotte (May 16), Morehead City (May 20), Greensboro (May 21) and Wilmington (May 22). I know Mike Houston, Joe Dooley and our coaches are excited to meet all Pirates in attendance.

Facility update
If you have been on campus recently you can't miss the work being done on the TowneBank Tower. Our target completion date is the middle of July. We have more construction planned for the coming months in several different locations. Our weight room inside the Murphy Center will undergo a renovation beginning May 6 with new equipment and graphics. Work will begin on the new football practice turf field in the coming weeks and the utility turf practice field soon later this summer.

TowneBank partners with ECU Athletics
I trust you read about the transformational investment from TowneBank to ECU Athletics on April 10 as the new Southside Towers were officially named the TowneBank Towers. We are so appreciative of TowneBank Chairman Bob Aston and his team for their generous support. We made the official announcement in front of our football team following practice. It's important our student-athletes understand the significance of the event. For us to be competitive on a conference and national level, we must have private support. Pirate Club Executive Director Phillip Wood and his staff work diligently to find partners for our department, and this was definitely a day to remember for our department, campus and community.

Successful Pigskin Pig-Out
Thank you to all the fans who came out for the Pigskin Pig-Out and Purple & Gold Spring Game despite some less than ideal weather. When I accepted my position at ECU last December, I had no idea I would be participating in a Parade of Pigs and be lifting the pigs off a truck. Let's just say I loved every minute of it and already looking forward to 2020.

So many people behind the scenes worked hard to pull off the event and we were forced indoors on Saturday morning due to the weather. In a bit of fate, the rain held off for the entire spring game which was a welcome surprise. We have already begun discussions for next year and how we can enhance the event with the addition of the TowneBank Towers, the return of the carnival and more entertainment near the pig cookers on Friday night. All events evolve and the Pigskin Pig-Out is a staple for the community, and we are committed to it for the future.

Barefoot at the Mall
Coach Mike Houston and I are looking forward to seeing students tomorrow at the Barefoot on the Mall. I have been told it is one of the greatest ECU traditions so I'm excited to see all our students celebrate the last day of classes.

Women's Golf finishes strong
Two women's golfers were named to the 2019 American Athletic All-Conference Team with junior Dorthea Forbrigd and sophomore Kathyrn Carson receiving the honors. The women's team recorded their fourth consecutive Top-4 finish at the conference championship last week.

Track prepares for conference championship
The men's and women's track and field teams concluded their regular season last weekend at the Duke Invitational. Nick Ciaccia set the school record in the 5,000-meter run, crossing the finish line in 15:04.12 to take seventh place in a competitive field. On the women's side, Atlanta Woodall, Courtney Warner, Cedrina Singletary and Mariah Atwater took first place the 4x100 relay with a time of 45.47. The men's and women's teams will participate in the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships May 10-12 at Cessna Stadium on the campus of Wichita State University.

Tennis concludes season
The women's tennis team set a school-record with a 22-3 record and finished undefeated at home with a 9-0 mark. The Pirates won all 22 of those matches in a row, the longest winning streak by any ECU team. On the men's side, ECU concluded its season with a 14-7 mark, the third straight winning record posted by the Pirates.

Go Pirates!

Jon

Players Mentioned

Mariah Atwater

Nick Ciaccia

Cedrina Singletary

Courtney Warner

Atlanta Woodall

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