An Update From AD Jon Gilbert

Pirate Nation:

I want to take a moment and brag on our incredible student-athletes and coaches. We are finishing the overlap season with our winter sports ending and spring sports are in action.

Quite frankly, Pirate fans have a lot to be excited about as we near the midpoint of March.

Let us start with our women's basketball program who won three games in as many days last week to capture the American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and punch a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Sophomore Synia Johnson was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The Pirates received a No. 13 seed and will open the NCAA Tournament against Texas in Austin, Texas on Saturday, March 18. It marks the third NCAA appearance (1982, 2007) and first in 16 seasons for the Pirates.

Head coach Kim McNeill has built a program in the last four years that thrives on toughness, discipline, defense and 40 minutes of relentless pressure. The Pirates enter the NCAA Tournament with a 23-9 mark, the most wins since 2009-10 and the second-most wins in program history. McNeill, the AAC Coach of the Year, joins former coaches Emily Manwaring and Sharon Baldwin-Tener as the only coaches with 23 or more wins in a season.

There has been a lot of discussion about the Pirates being picked 11th in the preseason. I choose to focus on the actual work put in by the staff and players to complete an incredible turnaround.

The Pirates have won 12 more games than a year ago and seven more conference games.
After finishing 10^th last season in the conference, the Pirates fought their way to a third-place conference finish this season which included a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
The Pirates won 10 games away from the friendly confines of Minges Coliseum in 2022-23 after two wins last season. To finish 6-6 on the road in the conference is a huge accomplishment. Winning conference road games are an arduous task, and it involves a mental toughness that the Pirates have shown all season.

Senior Danae McNeal was named First-Team All-Conference, Defensive Player of the Year and received the Most Improved Player Award. The Swansea, S.C. native leads the Pirates in scoring with 18 points a game and led the conference in both scoring and steals.

Freshman Amiya Joyner, a Farmville native, earned the conference Freshman of the Year award and third-team All-Conference honors. Amiya tied the AAC record with eight Freshman of the Week honors including four straight to conclude the regular season.

Six Straight Wins For No. 12 ECU Baseball
The 12th-ranked Pirates baseball team completed a 5-0 week on Saturday with series sweep of Liberty at Clark-LeClair Stadium. Head coach Cliff Godwin and the Pirates are off to a 12-3 start including a 9-1 mark at home with four straight series wins and own a six-game current winning streak.

The Pirates will have another five games this week that starts with a visit to Wilmington on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. start. The Pirate Club will be holding a pregame social at Carolina Ale House on 317 College Road in Wilmington from 4:15-5:30 p.m. If you are in the area, plan to stop by to see our Pirate Club staff and Pirate fans.

William & Mary visits Greenville on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Missouri State will be at Clark-LeClair Stadium for a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m.

Sizzling Start For Pirates Softball
Following a 2-1 weekend at the Purple-Gold Invitational, the Pirates softball team is off to an 18-6 start. This is the best start to a season for the Pirates since 2011.

Head coach Shane Winkler and the Pirates are 9-2 away from home and will host Notre Dame on Thursday at Max R. Joyner Family Stadium with a 5 p.m. scheduled first pitch. The first 100 fans will receive an ECU T-shirt. Cleveland State, Ohio State and Presbyterian are visiting Greenville this weekend for the Jolly Roger Invite beginning Friday. All softball games are free admission.

16 Wins And An AAC Tournament Win For Men's Basketball
First-year head coach Michael Schwartz led the men's basketball program to the most wins in the last 10 seasons despite only five players returning from a year ago. We battled some injuries throughout the season, but I am really encouraged by how the young men came together. The future is bright for this program, and I know Coach Schwartz and his staff are excited for the player development that will take place in the offseason.

A couple of highlights from the season:

16 wins in 2022-23 were the most since 2013-14 and marked the fourth-most wins in the last 26 seasons.
Registered first American Athletic Conference Tournament win since 2016-17 season.
First time since 2016-17 to beat five different conference opponents in a season.
Six regular season AAC conference wins tied for the most in school history.
Freshman forward Ezra Ausar was unanimously named to the American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team and graduate center Ludgy Debaut received the AAC Sportsmanship Award.

Lacrosse Keeps Rolling
If you have an opportunity, please come out and watch our lacrosse team in action. The Pirates under head coach Amanda Moore are off to the best start in school history with a 7-1 record including five straight wins. The only loss came against Navy who are receiving votes in national polls.

The Pirates won at Elon 16-11 on Sunday, scoring 16 goals on 17 shots. The Pirates return home to face nationally ranked Duke on Wednesday, March 22 at 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Frances Kimel (Caroline) was named Midfielder of the Week by the conference last week while Brynn Knight and Leah Bestany earned Weekly Honor Roll recognitions. Kimel, who had three goals and three assists in the team's win over Furman before adding a pair of goals and four assists against Wofford. Kimel currently leads the AAC in assists and ranks third in goals.

We are so appreciative of the support we receive from Pirate Nation. It truly makes a difference for our coaches and student-athletes. This is a journey, and it is important we celebrate the successes of our sport programs.

Please continue to support our student-athletes through the Pirate Club as your generosity is directly responsible for our success.

Hope to see you on campus soon.

Go Pirates!

Jon

Players Mentioned

Ezra Ausar

Leah Bestany

Ludgy Debaut

Synia Johnson

Amiya Joyner

Frances Kimel

Brynn Knight

Danae McNeal

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