An Update From AD Jon Gilbert

Pirate Nation:

It's an exciting time on our campus with our fall sports competing, including three remaining home football games

Our athletics department staff is working hard to create a unique student-focused gameday experience for our Thursday night Paint it Black football game against South Florida on Oct. 28. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.

I have written before about our passionate ECU students and their growing attendance at our home football games this year. The students have stepped up to the challenge and now we want to reach new heights by setting a single-game student attendance record on Thursday. The current student attendance record is 11,395 in 2016 at the season-opener. There's no doubt we can make this happen! More information on student incentives will be released today on all ECU Athletics and ECU Football social media channels and through email.

Let's continue to unite and pack Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium for our final three home games. You can purchase tickets by utilizing ECU's Online Ticket Center or by contacting the ECU Athletic Ticket Office at (252) 737-4500.

Pirates shine at cross country event hosted by the Overton's
A special thank you to longtime ECU Athletics and Pirate Club supporters Becky and Parker Overton who hosted the Pirate Invitational at Lake Kristi in Grimesland last Friday. The Overtons have worked diligently to prepare their property for the event the last 20-plus years. In addition to the Overton's work, numerous athletic department staffers including men's and women's cross country head coach Josey Weaver spend countless hours organizing the event.

The Pirates won the women's title led by Abby Yourkavitch's 6K time of 21:41, while the men finished second. Next up for the Pirates is the American Athletic Conference Championships on Oct. 29 in Lakeland, Fla.

Busy weekend on campus
While the Pirates football team will be on the road at Houston Saturday, we have numerous programs in action beginning tonight.

The Pirates soccer team hosts UCF tonight at 7 p.m. at Johnson Stadium before concluding the regular season at home against Memphis on Sunday at noon. Admission is free for all fans. The Pirates, 3-0-2 over the last five matches, enter the weekend in third place in the AAC standings with the top six advancing to the AAC Tournament. Freshman midfielder Haley McWhirter earned her third consecutive AAC Rookie-of-the-Week honor after scoring a goal and notching an assist in the Pirates 2-2 draw with Tulsa last Sunday. Senior Tori Higgs earned AAC Honor Roll recognition for her goal and assist against Tulsa.
After back-to-back road matches, the volleyball team returns to Minges Coliseum for a pair of contests this weekend. The Pirates will host Tulane in the 'Dig Pink' game on Friday at 6 p.m. followed by a tilt with Houston at noon Sunday. Wear your pink and come out and support the Pirates.
The ECU baseball team, led by head coach Cliff Godwin, will be in action Sunday in Clark-LeClair Stadium as it plays Liberty at 1 p.m. as part of its fall schedule. Admission is free with open seating throughout the stadium.
First-year softball head coach Shane Winkler and the Pirates will host NC State on Saturday at noon as they wrap up their fall exhibition schedule. Fans are invited to attend both games.

Si Seymour to join ESPN+ team; Michael Perry to take over radio duties
The radio broadcast team for East Carolina men's basketball games will have a new and familiar face in 2021-22. Michael Perry, who served as an assistant coach at ECU for 11 seasons, joins Jeff Charles as the analyst on the LEARFIELD Pirate Sports Network broadcasts this season. Prior to joining the ECU staff, Perry spent 10 years as a coach at Georgia State - including the last five as head coach.

Longtime radio announcer Si Seymour will transition to the TV side and will be the analyst for all 15 games on ESPN+ after serving as our radio analyst for the past 23 years. A native of Elizabeth City, Seymour served as head basketball coach at Craven Community College in New Bern for 17 years and was a four-time Region X Coach-of-the-Year selection. Seymour resides in New Bern with wife Vanita.

Congrats to longtime employee
Congratulations and best wishes to longtime ECU Athletics employee Jody Jones who is leaving the department after more than 20 years. Jody has been a reliable, dedicated and loyal employee since starting at ECU in 1994 as a student assistant in the sports information office. During his time with the Pirates, Jody has worked with 19 different sport programs. We wish Jody, his wife Diana, and their family the very best.

Pirates to compete in ITA Carolina Regional Championships
The ECU women's tennis team will participate in the ITA Carolina Regional Championships beginning today in Winston-Salem. Four Pirates will compete in the event - Alisa Diercksen, Martina Muzzolon, Anne Lou Champion and Ines Bachir.

Men's and Women's Golf programs wrap up fall campaign
Both the men's and women's golf teams are gearing up to compete in their final tournaments of the fall. The Pirates men's golf team will participate in the Grandover Collegiate in Greensboro on Saturday and Sunday, while the women will take part in the Palmetto Intercollegiate at Turtle Point Golf Course in Kiawah Island.

Swimming competes on the road
Head coach Matthew Jabs will lead the Pirates women's swimming team at the Richmond (Va.) Duals on Saturday and Sunday. The two-day event will be broadcast on ESPN+.

If you have any other questions regarding Pirate Athletics or need any assistance, please feel free to contact a member of our staff or visit our website at www.ecupirates.com. You can also visit www.ecupirateclub.com for more information or call (252) 737-4540 to help support our student-athletes.

See you on campus!

Go Pirates!

Jon

Players Mentioned

Ines Bachir

Anne Lou Champion

Alisa Diercksen

Martina Muzzolon

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