No. 9 ECU Set To Host Cincinnati In AAC Series

Games 34-36: Cincinnati at No. 9 East Carolina
Coverage	April 14: 6:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch April 15: 4:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch April 16: 1:00 p.m. \| Live Stats \| Watch Stream: ESPN+ (Patrick Johnson and Jay Sonnhalter) Radio: 94.3 The Game (Scooter Rogers and Dr. Gary Overton)
Location:	Greenville, N.C. \| Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium (5,000)
Official Web Sites:	East Carolina \| Cincinnati
Game Notes:	East Carolina \| Cincinnati
Statistics:	East Carolina \| Cincinnati
Baseball Central:	Roster \| Schedule/Results \| NCAA Baseball \| College Scoreboard \| Weekly Rankings \| National Stat Leaders
Social Media:	ECUBaseball \| The American

GREENVILLE, N.C. – No. 9 East Carolina plays the first of two American Athletic Conference series against Cincinnati this weekend, welcoming the Bearcats to Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium April 14-16. The teams will kick off the set Friday at 6 p.m., reconvene Saturday at 4 p.m. and close things out Sunday at 1 p.m.

All three games will stream live on ESPN+ while Scooter Rogers and Dr. Gary Overton will have the radio call on 94.3 The Game.

The Pirates (25-8, 4-2 AAC) enter the weekend tied with Houston and South Florida atop the league standings. ECU defeated Old Dominion in the midweek, scoring a 7-3 victory Tuesday in Greenville. Carter Cunningham and Lane Hoover hit a two-run home run each while Danny Beal put in a spectacular relief performance – posting career highs in innings pitched (5.0) and strikeouts (nine) – to earn his second save of the year.

Justin Wilcoxen has recorded a hit in 15 of his last 16 outings to top the club with a .340 batting average and is one of seven Pirates batting at least .307. Collectively, East Carolina's offense is hitting .298 with 68 doubles, eight triples and 40 home runs as well as 164 walks drawn and 42 stolen bases. Nationally, the Pirates slot 54th in doubles and 56th in batting average.

The ECU weekend rotation has been absolutely dominant as Trey Yesavage, Carter Spivey and Josh Grosz have combined for a 12-1 record, 2.65 earned run average and 151 strikeouts. As a unit, the Pirates sport a 3.61 ERA with 344 strikeouts against 107 walks in 294.1 innings of work. East Carolina is sixth nationally strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.21), 10th in WHIP (1.22), 15th in ERA and 16th in walks allowed per nine innings (3.27). Individually, Yesavage checks in at fifth in the nation in total strikeouts (72) while Grosz is sixth in hits allowed per nine innings (4.73).

The Pirates rank 10th nationally in total attendance (100,357) and 13th in average attendance (4,363), treating those fans to 21 wins against just two losses inside the friendly confines.

Cincinnati (15-19, 3-3 AAC) heads to Greenville with some momentum, earning a 7-5 win over Miami of Ohio Tuesday thanks to Kameron Guidry's three-run walkoff home run in the bottom of the 10th inning. The Bearcats also took two of three at Memphis last weekend.

Ryan Nicholson paces the Cincinnati offense in hits (37), doubles (nine) and home runs (eight) to go along with a .291 batting average. The Bearcats are hitting .230 as a team with 44 doubles, three triples and 37 home runs. The pitching staff owns a 6.28 ERA with 270 strikeouts and 167 walks in 282.1 innings.

Projected Pitching Matchups
Friday: RHP Trey Yesavage (5-0, 2.57 ERA, 49.0 IP) vs. RHP Griffin Hugus (1-0, 6.19 ERA, 16.0 IP)
Saturday: RHP Carter Spivey (3-1, 3.67 ERA, 34.1 IP) vs. RHP Chase Hopewell (1-3, 4.26 ERA, 38.0 IP)
Sunday: RHP Josh Grosz (4-0, 1.97 ERA, 45.2 IP) vs. TBA

The Cincinnati Series
East Carolina leads the series with Cincinnati 33-8-2 and has won six straight meetings as well as 21 of the last 24 encounters. The Pirates captured the season set 5-1 in 2022 before knocking off the Bearcats 15-5 in seven innings at the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship. ECU has defeated Cincinnati nine-straight times in Greenville.

Makarewicz Named AAC Player of the Week
Junior third baseman Alec Makarewicz was tabbed the AAC Player of the Week for the second time in his career April 10 after helping East Carolina to a 4-0 week that included a midweek win over NC State and a series sweep over league foe UCF. He hit .562 (9-for-16) with six runs scored, eight RBI, two doubles and a triple while posting a 1.391 OPS. In the series opener, Makarewicz recorded his second career four-hit effort with two runs scored and four RBI. He continued his sizzling performance in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a triple and two RBI.

Yesavage Tabbed To Midseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List
Yesavage is one of 45 players nationally to earn a spot on the midseason Golden Spikes Award watch list. He is the sixth Pirate in program history to be named to the midseason list following Jeff Hoffman (2013), Evan Kruczynski (2016), Chris Holba (2018), Jake Agnos (2019) and Connor Norby (2021). ECU has had four players named to the preseason watch list in Kyle Roller (2010), Jeff Hoffman (2014), Bryant Packard (2019) and Alec Burleson (2020), while Corey Kemp is the lone Pirate to be named a semifinalist in 2008.

Individual Notables
Head Coach Cliff Godwin: Owns 329 career wins and is second on the East Carolina career coaching wins list ... Has been part of 13 NCAA Regional and two College World Series teams at the Division I level as an assistant coach and head coach … Guided ECU to six NCAA Regional berths (2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 Greenville Regional host), four Super Regional appearances, three-straight American Athletic Conference regular season titles and three AAC Tournament crowns while posting a 304-151-1 (.665) overall record … Under Godwin's direction, 20 players have earned All-America status, 23 have been NCAA All-Regional selections, 33 have been named all-conference (26 first teamers) and 14 have been drafted by Major League Baseball teams … A four-time AAC Coach-of-the-Year selection (2015, 2019, 2021, 2022), Godwin was inducted into the George Whitfield Hall of Fame in January of 2016 … In 2018, he completed a summer stint on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team staff that posted a 12-3 record that included series wins over Chinese Taipei, Japan and Cuba … As a player, he helped former ECU skipper Keith LeClair's teams post a 169-76 four-year ledger, including 46-plus wins in each of his final three seasons (46-16 in '99, 46-18 in '00 and 47-13 in '01) … ECU won a pair of CAA Tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Regionals every season from 1999 to 2001 … The Pirates were the top seed in their regional all three years, including a No. 7 national seed in 2001 where they advanced to the Super Regional round before being eliminated by Tennessee.

Joey Berini: Has started 28 games at shortstop ... One of seven Pirates hitting .307 or better ... Rapped out an RBI double in the 6-5 home victory over then No. 12 North Carolina (Feb. 24) ... Hit his first career home run in the Pirates' 10-2 win over Liberty (March 11) ... Clubbed his third home run of the season in the 13-9 win over NC State (April 4).
Tyler Bradt: Has struck out 16 batters in 11.1 innings of work ... Was credited with the save in the season opener against George Washington (Feb. 18) after tossing 1.1 scoreless frames and striking out three ... Turned in big two innings late at then No. 12 North Carolina (Feb. 26), allowing just one hit and striking out a pair ... Matched his season high with three strikeouts against Liberty (March 11).
Carter Cunningham: One of seven Pirates hitting .307 or better ... Has started 22 games in the outfield (11/LF, 8/RF, 3/CF) ... Tallied two hits and two runs scored in the series opener against Liberty (March 10) while also hitting his first home run of the season ... Notched a pair of two-hit efforts in the George Mason series ... Collected two hits and scored three runs in the Pirates' 17-7 run-rule win over UCF (April 6) ... Went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in the win over Old Dominion (April 11).
Josh Grosz: Tabbed the AAC Pitcher of the Week March 27 ... Named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll March 6 and 13 ... Fanned five batters in 4.0 innings in the 6-5 win at then No. 12 North Carolina (Feb. 26) ... Struck out 10 batters and did not allow in hit in five scoreless innings against Georgetown (March 5) ... Turned in his second-straight quality start in ECU's 13-1 over Liberty (March 11), tallying a career-high 11 strikeouts in six innings while allowing just one earned run ... Logged a career-long outing against Missouri State (March 19), going 7.2 scoreless innings and striking out five ... Threw the first complete-game shutout for ECU since 2021 in the George Mason series finale.
Lane Hoover: Has started 24 of the Pirates' 33 games in the outfield (21/LF, 3/CF) ... One of seven Pirates hitting .307 or better ... Helped ECU to a home and home sweep of then No. 12 North Carolina, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI in the 6-5 win in Chapel Hill (Feb. 26) ... Recorded a hit and scored two runs in the 17-4 victory over Indiana (March 3) ... Turned a pair of multi-hit efforts in the Missouri State series ... Clubbed his second career home run in the 11-3 victory over George Mason (March 24) ... Went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI in the Pirates' 17-7 run-rule win over UCF (April 6) ... Notched his third career home run in the victory over Old Dominion (April 11).
Jake Hunter: Turned in a strong start at Elon (March 8), striking out six hitters and allowing just one earned run in 3.1 innings ... Grabbed his first win of the season in the 4-3 win over Missouri State (March 18) with three strikeouts in 2.2 scoreless frames ... Tossed a season-long 4.1 innings against NC State (April 4) and secured his second victory of the campaign, striking out five batters against no walks.
Jacob Jenkins-Cowart: One of seven Pirates hitting .307 or better ... Has started 31 of 32 games in the outfield (20/RF, 11/CF) ... Went 5-for-15 with three runs scored and five RBI in the George Washington series ... Clubbed his first career grand slam in the second game of the doubleheader against the Colonials (Feb. 18) ... Recorded a hit and run scored in both wins over then No. 12 North Carolina ... Went 3-for-6 with a run scored and three RBI in the 17-4 victory over Indiana (March 3) ... Was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, three RBI and a two-run home run in the 6-5 victory over William & Mary (March 15) ... Became the first Pirate since Corey Kemp in 2008 to hit three home runs in a contest as he also drove in five runs in East Carolina's victory over NC State (April 4).
Ryley Johnson: Made his first start of the season in right field against then No. 12 North Carolina in Chapel Hill (Feb. 26) ... Has appeared in 31 games with 16 starts ... Clubbed his first home run of the season (two-run HR) in the George Washington series finale (Feb. 19) ... Posted a hit and scored a run against Georgetown (March 5) ... Notched a hit in all three games of the Liberty series.
Willie Lumpkin: Made his East Carolina debut against George Washington (Feb. 18), striking out one batter in 0.2 innings of work ... Provided a big boost out of the bullpen at Campbell (Feb. 21), throwing 2.2 solid innings and recording another strikeout ... Struck out two batters in 1.2 innings in the two wins over then No. 12 North Carolina ... Did not allow a run or hit in 1.1 innings at the LeClair Classic.
Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman: Tallied wins on the mound against then No. 12 North Carolina (Feb. 24) and at Queens (March 7) ... Notched his first career save in the 7-2 win over Liberty (March 10) ... Fanned a career-high five batters at UNCW (March 14) ... Collected a save in the series opener against Missouri State (March 17).
Alec Makarewicz: Has started all 33 games at third base ... Named the AAC Player of the Week April 10 ... Recorded his second home run of the season in the 6-5 win over then No. 12 North Carolina in Chapel Hill (Feb. 26) ... Tallied his first career multi-home run contest and first career four-hit performance in the 10-2 win over Liberty (March 11) ... Notched four hits and drove in four runs in the Pirates' 17-7 run-rule victory over UCF (April 6).
Ryan McCrystal: Tabbed to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll March 27 ... Collected his first hit of the season in his first at bat in the 5-2 win over Queens (March 7) in Kannapolis ... Made his first start of the campaign in the 13-1 win over Liberty (March 11) ... Tallied two hits and drove in two runs against William & Mary (March 15) ... Logged three hits and three RBI in the 5-0 win over George Mason (March 24).
Josh Moylan: One of seven Pirates hitting .307 or better ... Tabbed the AAC Player of the Week March 13 ... Named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll March 6 ... Has started 30 of the Pirates' 33 games at first base ... Tallied a double and drove in a run in the 6-5 win over then No. 12 North Carolina in Greenville (Feb. 24) ... Clubbed his first career grand slam in the 11-2 victory over Georgetown (March 5) ... Went 6-for-12 with five runs scored and seven RBI in the Liberty series ... Logged his second career four-hit effort in the Missouri State series finale (March 19) ... Drove in three runs in the Pirates' 17-7 run-rule victory over UCF (April 6).
Luke Nowak: Named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll Feb. 27 ... Has started 29 of ECU's 33 games (24/DH, 5/RF) ... Exploded statistically at Campbell (Feb. 21), going 3-for-5 with a RBI and three stolen bases ... Has swiped a squad-best 12 bases ... Recorded a hit and RBI in both wins over then No. 12 North Carolina ... Tied a school record by drawing five walks in the 13-1 win over Liberty (March 11) ... Notched five hits in the UCF series ... Went 2-for-3 with a double in the victory over Old Dominion (April 11).
Zach Root: Tabbed to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll Feb. 20 ... Owns a 2-1 record and 20 strikeouts in 22.1 innings ... Picked up his first collegiate victory in game one of the George Washington doubleheader (Feb. 18), tossing 3.2 scoreless with five strikeouts against just one walk ... Notched his first collegiate save in the 6-5 home victory over then No. 12 North Carolina (Feb. 24) ... Made his first collegiate start at Duke (Feb. 28), tossing three scoreless frames with three strikeouts ... Earned the win at Elon (March 8) by throwing five scoreless with three strikeouts ... Collected his third victory of the season in the Pirates' 7-3 win over Old Dominion, tossing three scoreless innings to start the game.
Garrett Saylor: Named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award Watch List ... Made his season debut in game one of the George Washington doubleheader (Feb. 18), tossing 1.1 scoreless innings ... Turned in 0.2 scoreless frames with a strikeout at Campbell (Feb. 21) ... Recorded a strikeout in the 6-5 home win over then No. 12 North Carolina (Feb. 24) ... Delivered a strong start at Queens (March 7), striking out four batters in five innings ... Enjoyed a career-long outing in the win over William & Mary (March 15), going 5.1 innings and striking out seven ... Collected seven strikeouts versus Campbell (March 22).
Carter Spivey: Named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll April 10 ... Notched his first save of the campaign at then No. 12 North Carolina (Feb. 26), working out of a sizable jam in the ninth inning ... Picked up his first win of the season in a 10-2 Pirate victory over Liberty (March 11), allowing just one earned run and striking out four in six innings ... Turned in a quality start of 6.0 innings while striking out six in the Pirates' 11-5 victory over UCF that clinched the series.
Jacob Starling: Has started all 33 games at second base ... Hit .500 (5-for-10) with two runs scored and three RBI in the George Washington series ... Delivered both game-winning RBI in the victories over then No. 12 North Carolina via a pair of two-run doubles in the late innings ... Exploded for six RBI in the 17-4 win over Indiana (March 3) ... Went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a home run at Elon (March 8) ... Drew six walks in the Liberty series ... Provided the walkoff single in ECU's 4-3 victory over Missouri State (March 18) that clinched the series ... Notched a pair of two-hit performances in the George Mason series ... Celebrated his birthday April 4 by hitting a home run in ECU's 13-9 win over NC State (April 4).
Justin Wilcoxen: Leads the squad with a .340 batting average ... One of six Pirates hitting .301 or better ... Named the AAC Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Feb. 20 ... Has started 21 games at catcher ... Hit a whopping .714 (10-for-14) with nine runs scored, three doubles, two home runs and eight RBI in the George Washington series ... Tallied at least three hits in every contest against the Colonials ... Drove in three runs in the 17-4 win over Indiana (March 3) ... Went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in the series finale versus George Mason (March 26) ... Drilled the game-winning RBI single to left field in East Carolina's 3-2, 12-inning victory over UCF (April 7) that clinched the series sweep.
Trey Yesavage: Selected to the midseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List ... Tabbed the AAC Pitcher of the Week for the first time in his career on March 20 ... Named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll Feb. 27 ... Has struck out 67 batters against 10 walks in 43.1 innings of work ... Was stellar in a quality start against then No. 12 North Carolina (Feb. 24), allowing just one run on three hits with eight strikeouts in the 6-5 victory ... Produced another quality start against Indiana (March 3), surrendering one run on four hits with a career-high 11 strikeouts in the Pirates' 17-4 win ... Turned in his third-straight quality start in the 7-2 win over Liberty (March 10), fanning six batters in six innings while yielding just two earned runs ... Put together his fourth consecutive quality start in the 3-0 victory over Missouri State (March 17), going a career-long 7.1 innings and striking out a career high-matching 11 hitters ... Fanned 11 batters for the third time this season in the 11-3 win over George Mason (March 24) - his fifth-straight quality start (7.0 IP, 3 ER) ... Collected a career-high 13 strikeouts at Houston (March 31).

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Players Mentioned

Danny Beal

Joey Berini

Tyler Bradt

Carter Cunningham

Josh Grosz

Lane Hoover

Jake Hunter

Jacob Jenkins-Cowart

Ryley Johnson

Willie Lumpkin

Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman

Alec Makarewicz

Ryan McCrystal

Josh Moylan

Luke Nowak

Zach Root

Garrett Saylor

Carter Spivey

Jacob Starling

Justin Wilcoxen

Trey Yesavage

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