An Update From AD Jon Gilbert

Pirate Nation:

There's no better place to be this weekend than the Grady-White Boats Athletic Campus with baseball, softball and lacrosse all in action at home for the first time in 2022.

Head coach Amanda Moore and the Pirate lacrosse team, who opened the season with a 13-4 win at Radford last Saturday, will host Winthrop on Friday at 5 p.m. in Johnson Stadium before Presbyterian visits Greenville at 2 p.m. on Sunday

The Pirate softball team opened its first season under head coach Shane Winkler last weekend in Conway, S.C. Colgate, Rutgers and Wagner will visit Max R. Joyner Family Stadium this weekend for the Pirate Clash. ECU is scheduled to play five games over the three days, beginning Friday at 3 p.m. vs. Colgate.

Admission is free for both lacrosse and softball with parking available in the Belk Lot.

It's no secret how Pirate fans feel about their nationally-ranked baseball team with season tickets selling out for the first time in school history. The Pirates host Bryant for a three-game series beginning Friday at 4 p.m. and continuing Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).

Single-game tickets are on sale now through the ECU Online Ticket Center or by calling (252) 737-4500. Please don't hesitate to contact our staff for assistance.

2022 football schedule to be released
The 2022 football schedule will be released this week with conference dates and game designations.

With the way our schedule falls, our expectation is to open the season with four consecutive games at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. NC State visits Greenville on Sept. 3 followed by Old Dominion on Sept. 10 and Campbell on Sept. 17. Our conference slate will begin on Sept. 24 at home.

We are excited about the opportunity to spend the first month of the season at home but also understand that five of our final eight games will take place on the road. One of those road games will be at BYU on Oct. 29. It's a very competitive schedule with seven home games and conference foes Memphis, UCF, Houston and Navy visiting Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

Season tickets are trending well, but we are a long way from where we need to be. If you haven't purchased your season tickets, give the ticket office a call and get locked in for the season. We have various payment plans available and need a full house when the Wolfpack visit to open the 2022 season.

Construction underway on new weight room
You will notice construction going on when you visit campus over the coming months. The footings and foundation for the new weight room behind Clark-LeClair Stadium are being installed and the steel for the building should be delivered in April. This is an exciting project that will benefit all Pirate student-athletes. The project will be completed by January.

Attention ECU students
Our home events have been filled with ECU students in the fall and we want that to continue with our spring sports. Baseball is the only ticketed sport in the spring, and a section in the right field Jungle is designated for students.

In addition, we have added a new benefit for Student Pirate Club members. Parking in the Field Side Lot will be designated for Student Pirate Club members. Individuals or student group must reserve parking week-to-week by emailing SPC@ECU.EDU.

Students must have a valid ECU 1CARD to receive their free student ticket to baseball games and pickup can be done in person beginning two hours prior to each game at the Clark-LeClair Box Office. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Conference championship underway for swimming
You can follow the ECU women's swimming and diving team on ESPN+ this week at the 2022 AAC Championships in Dallas. The four-day event began today, and 21 total women's champions will be crowned.

Junior Caitlin Reynera enters the week with the third-fastest time in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.52) and 200 breaststroke (2:16.28). Junior Polina Rukosuev has the third-best time in the 1650 free (16:40.87).

Congratulations are also in order for the team earning Scholar All-America Team honors by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) for the Fall of 2021. The recognition marked the 25^th semester the women's program has been recognized by the CSCAA dating back to the Spring of 2007.

Thompson earns conference honor
Congratulations to women's basketball junior Taniyah Thompson for earning her second AAC Player-of-the-Week award this season. Taniyah led the Pirates to back-to-back wins with 29 points against Wichita State before pouring in 26 points against Memphis. The Pirates are on the road this week with games at Houston (tonight) and Cincinnati on Saturday.

Florida swing
The men's basketball team will head to Florida today for a pair of games before returning Sunday. We will battle South Florida on Thursday, a makeup game from earlier in the year. Instead of returning to Greenville for a day, the team will stay in the Sunshine State for a couple days before the trip concludes with a visit to UCF on Sunday.

Two more home games remain for the Pirates with a rematch against South Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. and Senior Day against Tulsa on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 4 p.m.

Women's tennis off to 2-2 start
Head coach Kirstin Burgess and the Pirates women's tennis team are undefeated at home and 2-2 on the season after taking down UNCG last Sunday. The Pirates, who play at UNCW and Coastal Carolina this weekend, swept the doubles matchup against the Spartans. Ines Bachir, Alisha Hussain and Isabella Rivera Ortiz earned wins in the singles portion.

Women's golf team finishes second
Head coach CC Buford and the Pirates women's golf team opened the spring season with a second place finish this week at the Sea Best Intercollegiate in Jacksonville, Fla.

Junior Oda Sofie Kilsti continued her impressive season with a third-place finish, her third Top 5 standing of the season. Oda fired a five-under 67 in the second round, the lowest score of the tournament. Freshman Riley Hamilton tied for 20^th in the event.

The Pirates will stay on the road and compete this weekend in the Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational at the Great Waters Golf Course in Greensboro, Ga.

Track and Field program gearing up for AAC Indoor Championships
It was a successful weekend for the Pirates track and field program at the Kenneth Giles Invitational in Virginia Beach as the team took home 10 event titles.

Winners on the men's side included: Royal Burris (6.79, 60-Meter Dash), Terence Booth, Jr. (8.03, 60-Meter High Hurdles), RJ Russell (1:03.32, 500-Meter Run), Starrett Vesper (4.90m, Pole Vault) and Niejel Wilkins (15.24m, Triple Jump).

On the women's side, top place finishers included: Lindsay Yentz (5:03.10, Mile), Alyssa Combs (10:42.49, 3,000-Meter Run), Abby Yourkavitch (17:17.16, 5,000-Meter Run), Lena Calkins and Rileigh Cardin (3.50m, Pole Vault) and Brooke Stith (12.80m, Triple Jump).

We will participate in the American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships Feb. 25-26 in Birmingham, Ala.

Thank you for your continued support of ECU Athletics.

Go Pirates –

Jon

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