East Carolina Tabbed 2024 AAC Preseason Favorite

GREENVILLE, N.C. – After capturing its fourth-straight American Athletic Conference regular season title in 2023, East Carolina topped the 2024 Preseason Coaches Poll released by the league Thursday afternoon.

The Pirates have been picked first in the preseason poll six-straight times and seven overall since joining the conference prior to the 2015 campaign. ECU garnered 81 points and the maximum possible nine first place votes while league newcomers Charlotte and UTSA were second and third with 67 and 64 points respectively. South Florida was awarded the only other first-place vote as coaches were not allowed to rank their own teams.

Junior RHP Trey Yesavage, who earned Second Team All-America accolades from four publications and organizations (Baseball America, D1Baseball, NCBWA, Perfect Game) as a sophomore, was named the 2024 AAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year, joining the likes of Evan Kruczynski (2017), Jake Kuchmaner (2020), Carson Whisenhunt (2022) and Carter Spivey (2023).

Yesavage, along with sophomore RHP Zach Root, senior relief pitcher Danny Beal, senior catcher Justin Wilcoxen, senior first baseman Carter Cunningham and junior outfielder Jacob Jenkins-Cowart, were all tabbed to the Preseason All-Conference Team. The league-high six honorees are the most for the program in a single season since East Carolina accepted membership in The American. Yesavage also represents the only unanimous selection to this year's preseason all-conference team.

As a sophomore, Yesavage compiled a 7-1 record and 2.61 earned run average with 105 strikeouts and 23 walks in 76.0 innings of work. He also held opposing hitters to a .193 batting average. In the final national statistical rankings of the year, Yesavage slotted 12th in WHIP (1.00), 17th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.43), 17th in hits allowed per nine innings (6.28) and 22nd in earned run average. He finished the season as the American Conference leader in opposing batting average, hits allowed and runs allowed while ranking second in earned run average.

Yesavage's 105 strikeouts tied for the 10th most in a single season in program history as he tallied double-digit strikeouts five times including a career-high 13 at Houston on March 31. He also turned in six quality starts and allowed more than three earned runs just once. In his final appearance of the year, Yesavage went 5.1 innings and surrendered just one earned run with seven strikeouts in the Pirates' 14-5 win over Oklahoma in their Charlottesville Regional opener.

Root earned 2023 AAC All-Freshman Team accolades after putting together a 3-3 record with a 5.33 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 53.2 innings. He notched multiple strikeouts in 12 contests and limiting opposing hitters to a .254 batting average. Perhaps his finest outing occurred against No. 7 national seed Virginia in the championship game of the NCAA Charlottesville Regional where he allowed just one earned run in 4.2 innings.

Beal was sensational out of the bullpen last season, appearing in a team-high 31 games. He compiled a 6-2 record and 2.70 ERA with 65 strikeouts against just 12 walks in 53.1 innings while also racking up a squad-best three saves and limiting opposing hitters to a .195 batting average. Beal was tabbed to the AAC All-Tournament Team after allowing just one earned run in nine innings with 12 strikeouts and two walks over four appearances.

Wilcoxen developed into the Pirates' everyday catcher in 2023, finishing out the year by earning All-AAC Second Team honors. He hit .318 (71-for-223) with 43 runs scored, 20 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 49 RBI, 120 total bases and 20 walks while upping his batting average to .323 (21-for-65) in league play. Wilcoxen paced the club in batting average and doubles while leading the league in doubles, chances (580) and putouts (523). He also caught a conference second-best 19 runners stealing.

Cunningham, named to the 2023 All-AAC First Team, hit .317 (59-for-186) with 51 runs scored, 12 doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 39 RBI, 97 total bases, 33 walks and five stolen bases. He was also selected to the AAC All-Tournament Team after batting .346 and helping ECU reach the title game. Cunningham would finish the season slotted third among league players in sacrifice flies (six).

Jenkins-Cowart enters his junior season off a sophomore campaign during which he hit .294 (63-for-214) with 33 runs scored, 13 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 45 RBI, 105 total bases, 18 walks and two stolen bases. The 2023 All-AAC First Teamer produced 15 multi hit and 11 multi-RBI efforts and committed just one error in 68 defensive chances for a .985 fielding percentage. Jenkins-Cowart belted his first career grand slam in the series sweep of George Washington before exploding for three home runs and five RBI in the Pirates' 13-9 win over NC State in Greenville.

East Carolina opens the 2024 season Feb. 16-18 with a three-game home set against Rider from Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

2024 American Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. East Carolina (9) – 81 Points
2. Charlotte – 67 Points
3. UTSA – 64 Points
4. Florida Atlantic – 54 Points
5. South Florida (1) – 47 Points
6. Memphis – 35 Points
7. Wichita State – 34 Points
8. Rice – 29 Points
9. Tulane – 25 Points
10. UAB – 14 Points

First place votes in parentheses

Preseason Player of the Year
Teo Banks, Jr., OF, Tulane

Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Trey Yesavage, Jr., East Carolina

Preseason All-Conference Team
P – Trey Yesavage, Jr., East Carolina*
P – Parker Smith, Jr., Rice
P – Jack Cebert, Jr., South Florida
P – Cameron Hansen, Sr., Charlotte
P – Zach Root, So., East Carolina
P – Caden Favors, Sr., Wichita State
RP – Danny Beal, Sr., East Carolina
C – Justin Wilcoxen, Sr., East Carolina
1B – Carter Cunningham, Sr., East Carolina
2B – Bobby Boser, Jr., South Florida
SS – Eric Snow, So., South Florida
3B – Matt King, Jr., UTSA
OF – Teo Banks, Jr., Tulane
OF – Jacob Jenkins-Cowart, Jr., East Carolina
OF – Drew Brutcher, Sr., South Florida
DH – Ben Rozenblum, R-Sr., South Florida

* denotes unanimous selection

Players Mentioned

Danny Beal

Carter Cunningham

Jacob Jenkins-Cowart

Jake Kuchmaner

Zach Root

Carter Spivey

Carson Whisenhunt

Justin Wilcoxen

Trey Yesavage

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