Pirates Continue To Garner Preseason Accolades

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina junior RHP Trey Yesavage and senior infielder Jacob Starling were recognized with preseason All-America honors by a pair of organizations early this week.

Baseball America tabbed Yesavage to its Preseason All-America Second Team Monday while the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association named Yesavage to its Preseason All-America First Team and Starling to the Third Team on Tuesdsay.

Yesavage enters the campaign having collected additional preseason All-America first team laurels by D1Baseball and Perfect Game while also earning American Athletic Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year honors and unanimous All-AAC Preseason Team accolades.

Starling was selected to the 2023 All-AAC Second Team as well as the American Conference Baseball Championship All-Tournament Team and NCAA Charlottesville Regional Team.

At the conclusion of the 2023 campaign, Yesavage collected a quartet of Second Team All-America honors from Baseball America, D1Baseball, Perfect Game and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. As a sophomore, he 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 NCAA Charlottesville Regional opener.

Starling led East Carolina in runs scored (60), hits (75) and walks drawn (44) a season ago while pacing the American Athletic Conference and ranking 97th nationally in walks drawn. He also finished third in the league in runs scored as well as first in total plate appearances (299) and second in at bats (241).

The Pirates' everyday second baseman batted .310 (26-for-84) in AAC play with 22 runs scored, four doubles, four home runs, 15 RBI, 14 walks drawn and five stolen bases. He went 8-for-25 (.320) in the conference tournament before posting a .278 batting average (5-for-18) in the NCAA Charlottesville Regional. Starling also topped the squad with 27 multi-hit games while also turning in 14 multi-RBI efforts - including a six-RBI explosion in ECU's 17-4 victory over Indiana at the Keith LeClair Classic.

Just 10 days remain until the Pirates open the 2024 season with a three-game home series (Feb. 16-18) versus 2023 NCAA Conway Regional participant Rider from Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

2024 Baseball America Preseason All-America Second Team
C – Caleb Lomavita, California
1B – Blake Burke, Tennessee
2B – Travis Bazzana, Oregon State
3B – Cam Smith, Florida State
SS – Anthony Silva, TCU
OF – Seaver King, Wake Forest
OF – Cam Cannarella, Clemson
OF – Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M
SP – Brody Brecht, Iowa
SP – Jonathan Santucci, Duke
SP – Trey Yesavage, East Carolina
SP – Thatcher Hurd, LSU
RP – Brandon Neely, Florida
UTL – Braden Montgomery, Texas A&M

2024 NCBWA Preseason All-America First Team
C – Kevin Bazzel, Texas Tech
1B – Nick Kurtz, Wake Forest
2B – Travis Bazzana, Oregon State
SS – JJ Wetherholt, West Virginia
3B – Tommy White, LSU
OF – Charlie Condon, Georgia
OF – Braden Montgomery, Texas A&M
OF – Ethan Petry, South Carolina
OF – Nolan Schubert, Oklahoma State
DH – Derek Bender, Coastal Carolina
UTL – Jac Caglianone, Florida
SP – Drew Beam, Tennessee
SP – Brody Brecht, Iowa
SP – Josh Hartle, Wake Forest
SP – Dominic Niman, Kentucky
SP – Trey Yesavage, East Carolina
RP – Brandon Neely, Florida
RP – Tyson Neighbors, Kansas State
RP – Fran Oschell III, Duke
RP – James Tallon, Duke

2024 NCBWA Preseason All-America Third Team
C – Cole Messina, South Carolina
C – Jacob Cozart, NC State
1B – Gavin Kash, Texas Tech
1B – Sam Kulasingam, Air Force
2B – Christian Moore, Tennessee
2B – Jacob Starling, East Carolina
SS – Jake Rainess, Houston
SS – Anthony Silva, TCU
3B – Brandon Eike, VCU
3B – Jay Thomason, Air Force
OF – Daalen Adderly, Loyola Marymount
OF – Treyson Hughes, Ole Miss
OF – Seaver King, Wake Forest
OF – Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M
OF – Shane Lewis, Troy
OF – Cam Maldonado, Northeastern
DH – Ryan Cesarini, Saint Joseph's
DH – Jack Hay, Alabama State
UTL – Cole Mathis, College of Charleston
SP – Matt Ager, UC Santa Barbara
SP – Aiven Cabral, Northeastern
SP – Andrew Healy, Duke
SP – Lebarron Johnson, Jr., Texas
SP – Michael Massey, Wake Forest
SP – Mason Molina, Arkansas
RP – Ben Abeldt, TCU
RP – Micah Ashman, Utah
RP – Chris Lolito, Jacksonville
RP – Noah Manning, Troy
RP – Mason Moore, Kentucky

Players Mentioned

Jacob Starling

Trey Yesavage

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