An Update From AD Jon Gilbert

Pirate Nation:

Happy New Year!

It is a busy time on campus right now with school back in session, both basketball teams in conference play, women's tennis and indoor track & field beginning competition and many of our spring programs gearing up for their seasons.

Congratulations are in order for the Pirates women's swimming and diving team led by head coach Matt Jabs. The program is off to a 9-0 start in dual meets following a sweep of Old Dominion and William & Mary.

Following a long holiday break, the Pirates track & field team had a successful opening to the indoor season last weekend at the Hokie Invitational in Blacksburg, Va. Senior Royal Burris lowered his program record in the 300m with a mark of 33.79 seconds to finish first and senior Melicia Mouzzon took home the 60m title with an ECU record time of 7.29 seconds. Syndi McMillan, a senior from Pleasant Gardens, captured the 60m hurdles victory.

The Pirates women's tennis team began the spring portion of their schedule last Friday at VCU, the first of 18 matches before the conference tournament.

What an unbelievable performance from women's basketball senior Danae McNeal on Saturday in a home win against SMU. She scored a career-high 35 points including a perfect 15 of 15 from the free throw line.

We are hoping to finalize the date of our 2024 football spring game this week along with the festivities that will occur during the weekend. I know fans are looking forward to meeting the team and welcoming all our new faces. Speaking of fans, we really appreciate the support you have shown our basketball programs. The Pirates rank second in the AAC in attendance for women's games and fourth on the men's side. Our students have been incredible, and I know we will need them down the stretch.

I wanted to hit on a few topics in this space and update you on some upcoming dates.

Future Football Schedules
There is not a day that passes without working on our future football non-conference schedule. I know it is a hot topic among our fan base. It is a puzzle that has become more complicated with conference realignment and how the new 12 team playoff system is changing, beginning this year. I am pleased with how our schedule is shaping up and we are having daily conversations about adding future non-conference games.

Over the next seven years, we have games scheduled against NC State (home and away), Coastal Carolina (home and away), BYU (home), Appalachian State (twice at home), West Virginia (home), South Carolina (away), Wake Forest (home and away) and Liberty (away). BYU was scheduled to be on this year's home schedule, but contractually, the game was moved back a year when they accepted the invitation to join the Big 12. You can view the full future football schedules here.

I was asked recently what my philosophy is when it comes to putting together the non-conference football schedule. Ideally, we would play four non-conference games that include an opponent from a power five conference, a home and away game against a group of five program and one FCS home game. You want to allow your program to have success and build momentum heading into conference play. It does not always work out in this manner, but that is the goal.

We are interested in ECU playing in-state teams. That interest must be mutual for a contract to come to fruition and the game a reality. We want to have challenging opponents such as us traveling to play the 2023 eventual national champions in Michigan for the season-opener this year. More and more of the power conferences are going away from the traditional home and home series. Schedules are constantly changing as leagues are evaluating how many conference games they are going to play each season.

We will continue to evaluate and seek out these type of opportunities for the future.

Less Than A Month Away From Opening Day
We are less than a month away from opening day for Pirates baseball and softball. The softball team under head coach Shane Winkler will open the season with six games in Charleston, SC and return to Greenville for their home opener on Feb. 13 against North Dakota State.

It should be another exciting season for head coach Cliff Godwin and his group who were picked first in the 2024 AAC preseason poll, as chosen by the league's head coaches. We are trending toward a third consecutive season of baseball season tickets being sold out which is a credit to our fan base and the success of the program. The Pirates open the season with a three-game series against Rider at Clark-LeClair Stadium on Friday, Feb. 16.

New Facility Additions For The Spring
As part of the Pirates Unite Campaign baseball building expansion project, new LED lights are being installed at Clark-LeClair Stadium prior to the season-opening series. The lights will improve visibility and lower maintenance costs. It will be a terrific addition to the already festive atmosphere. This is the first of a series of lighting projects that will extend to the Max R. Joyner Family Stadium and Johnson Stadium in the future. The video boards were replaced at Johnson Stadium and Max R. Joyner Family Stadium. Fans will have a much clearer picture for all graphics, statistics, and advertisements.

Another new addition for baseball season will be one TV-visible LED on the backstop. Our multi-media rights partner, PlayFly, purchased the board for the TV broadcast to generate new revenues for ECU Athletics.

Earn Double Priority Points By January 23
Don't forget about the inaugural Pirate Club Pledge Day tomorrow. Anyone who has made a pledge from Jan. 1 to Jan. 23 will earn double priority points on what is paid to your 2024 membership. You can pay in full or start a monthly draft for up to 12 months. There will be prizes and giveaways throughout the day via the Pirate Club social media channels. Give the Pirate Club a call at (252) 737-4540.

Pirate Club Membership Drive
We continue to seek new Pirate Club members to help increase our IMPACT FUND which assist with our annual scholarship bill. The Pirate Club is launching an initiative, Arrrgh You a Pirate? with the goal to see a steady increase in 2024 membership. We need your assistance and investment more than ever and we need all Pirates to be members.

Your investment in the IMPACT FUND provides financial support and necessary resources for our student-athletes to compete at the highest levels while earning a degree from East Carolina University. The support from Pirate Club donors is felt by our student-athletes in the classroom, in competition and in our community.

I encourage each of you to join the Pirate Club at any level. You can visit ecupirateclub.com for more information or call (252) 737-4540.

Brittany Dipper Begins First Season Leading Lacrosse Program
We are looking forward to the first season for Brittany Dipper as our head coach of the lacrosse program. Brittany was hired in July and has done an outstanding job of building a staff and establishing her expectations within the program.

Brittany was a standout student-athlete, playing four seasons at Maryland where she helped Terrapins to four straight Final Four appearances and the 2010 NCAA Championship. She has spent time as an assistant coach at Virginia, Boston University, Elon and Stetson.

The Pirates open the season on Saturday, February 10 against Queens at Johnson Stadium.

Golf Programs Gearing Up For Spring
Both the men's and women's golf teams are going through qualifying under the watch of head coach Kevin Williams as they prepare for the spring season. The women open the spring portion at the Paradise Invitational in Boca Raton, Fl., beginning Feb. 5. The men get underway on Feb. 19 at the Wexford Intercollegiate in Hilton Head, SC.

Mark your calendars for several golf events ECU will host in the spring. The Ironwood Invitational, hosted by ECU's women's team, will be held at Ironwood Country Club from April 1-2. The ECU Intercollegiate men's tournament will be March 18-19 at Brook Valley Country Club in Greenville and the Pirates men will co-host the Cutter Creek Intercollegiate with Elon from March 29-31 at Cutter Creek Country Club in Snow Hill.

As always, we're continuing to work hard to provide the best experience possible for our student-athletes, fans, and supporters. You make a difference!

Hope to see you on campus.

Go Pirates!

Jon

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