No. 7 East Carolina Readies For AAC Series At Memphis

Games 41-43: No. 7 East Carolina at Memphis
Coverage	April 25th: 7:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch April 26th: 5:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats April 27th: 2:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Stream: ESPN+ (Jeff Brightwell and Greg Gaston) Radio: 94.3 The Game (Scott Rogers and Dr. Gary Overton)
Location:	Memphis, Tenn. \| FedExPark (2,000)
Official Websites:	East Carolina \| Memphis
Game Notes:	East Carolina \| Memphis
Statistics:	East Carolina \| Memphis
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – No. 7 East Carolina jumps back into American Athletic Conference play this weekend when it visits Memphis for a three-game series at FedExPark. The set begins Friday at 7 p.m., continues Saturday at 5 p.m. and wraps up Sunday at 2 p.m.

As always, Scott Rogers will handle the radio broadcast on 94.3 The Game. Friday and Sunday's games will also stream live via ESPN+ with Jeff Brightwell and Greg Gaston on the call.

The Pirates (32-8, 11-4 AAC) are tied with UTSA at the top of the league standings at 11-4 with the Roadrunners set to face off with Rice at Reckling Park in Houston this weekend. East Carolina is 3-3 on the road in conference action via a series loss at UTSA and a series win at Florida Atlantic. The Pirates are 10-6 on the road overall in 2024.

Jacob Starling made a triumphant return Tuesday night after missing the last 12 games, becoming the first ECU player to hit for the cycle since 2010 in the Pirates' 10-6 win over No. 21 NC State before a record crowd of 6,054 inside Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium. He registered a triple in the bottom of the first, a home run in the third, a single in the fourth and a double in the eighth. Starling also finished the evening with a run scored and four RBI.

Ryley Johnson continued to produce out of the leadoff spot, extending his on base streak to 38 games and his hitting streak to 13 games with a 3-for-4 performance that included three runs scored. Carter Cunningham, Dixon Williams and Justin Wilcoxen all chipped in with two hits while Cunningham scored a trio of runs. Josh Hogue led the visitors with two hits and two RBI.

Ethan Norby (3-0) was stellar in relief, earning the win after allowing just one earned run over 4.1 innings with no walks and two strikeouts. Aaron Groller also notched his first save in the Purple and Gold by covering the final two frames without surrendering a run. He ended up striking out three against no walks.

As the regular season hits the stretch run, the East Carolina offense has begun to heat up as the Pirates have notched double-digit hits in nine-straight games and 11 of the last 12. Cunningham paces the conference in both batting average (.399) and slugging percentage (.665) while slotting second in on base percentage (.482), runs scored (49), hits (63), RBI (45) and total bases (105). Johnson tops the circuit in both runs scored (50) and on base percentage (.500). Additionally, Jacob Jenkins-Cowart leads the league in RBI (46).

On the mound, ECU ranks among the national leaders in several categories, checking in at third in WHIP (1.19), third in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (7.09), fourth in earned run average (3.65) and seventh in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.02). Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman, who was recently named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List, paces the country in ERA (1.00), is fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (15.40) and is 21st in strikeouts (77). Scheduled Friday starter Trey Yesavage has been magnificent all season, currently slotting second nationally in WHIP (0.85), second in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (4.87), third in strikeouts (101), third in victories (eight) and seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (14.90).

Projected Series Pitching Matchups
Friday: RHP Trey Yesavage (8-1, 1.92 ERA, 57.1 IP) vs. RHP David Warren (4-2, 4.33 ERA, 60.1 IP)
Saturday: TBA vs. RHP Seth Garner (2-0, 6.30 ERA, 40.0 IP)
Sunday: TBA vs. TBA

About Memphis
The Tigers (18-23, 6-9 AAC) look to rebound after traveling to Charlotte last weekend and dropping all three games. Memphis also suffered a 6-4 home setback to Mississippi State on Tuesday. Pierre Seals is batting .322 to lead a Tiger offense that is hitting a collective .259 with 82 doubles, three triples and 55 home runs. The Memphis pitching staff sports a 6.38 ERA with 331 strikeouts and 209 walks in 368.0 innings of work.

The Memphis Series
East Carolina leads the all-time series with Memphis by a 46-19 count and has won the last seven meetings with the Tigers. The Pirates swept Memphis last season in Greenville and have won eight of the last nine encounters with the Tigers on the road.

Individual Notables
Head Coach Cliff Godwin: Owns 383 career victories and is second on the East Carolina career coaching wins list ... Has been part of 14 NCAA Regional and two College World Series teams at the Division I level as an assistant coach and head coach … Guided ECU to seven NCAA Regional berths (2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 Greenville Regional host), four Super Regional appearances, four-straight American Athletic Conference regular season titles and three AAC Tournament crowns while posting a 351-170-1 (.673) overall record … Under Godwin's direction, 13 players have earned All-America status, 18 have been NCAA All-Regional selections, 40 have been named all-conference (25 first teamers) and 22 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.

Danny Beal: Leads the team in appearances (22) ... Tossed 3.2 scoreless innings and surrendered just one hit while racking up four strikeouts in the Liberty series, collecting his first win and second save of the campaign Saturday and Sunday respectively ... Earned the win in the series finale versus Columbia by tossing 2.1 scoreless relief innings ... Collected his third save of the season in the 14-10 victory at UTSA ... Credited with the win at NC State with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief ... Allowed just one earned run in three innings in the William & Mary contest.
Joey Berini: Has started all 40 games at shortstop ... Drove in a run in the 7-0 win over Rider (Feb. 17) ... Registered three RBI in the series opener against Columbia ... Clubbed his first home run of the season in the series finale at UTSA ... Legged out his second career triple and registered a pair of hits in the 7-4 win over UNCW ... Logged two hits in the series finale at Florida Atlantic ... Hit .545 (6-for-11) with five runs scored, seven RBI and two home runs in the Wichita State series.
Bristol Carter: Has started 31 games in left field and one in center ... Provided the walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth in ECU's 10-9 win over then No. 15 North Carolina that clinched the series in front of a record Clark-LeClair Stadium crowd of 6,017 ... Went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, a triple and an RBI in the series opener at Liberty ... Notched two hits, two runs scored and two RBI in the series opener against Columbia ... Went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the 14-10 victory at UTSA ... Logged two hits and drove in two runs in the Florida Atlantic series finale ... Posted a career-high three RBI in the win over Elon ... Produced a pair of multi-hit performances in the Charlotte series ... Clubbed a two-run home run in the top of the 13th at William & Mary as part of a three-hit performance.
Carter Cunningham: Named the AAC Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Feb. 26 ... Hit safely in the first 19 games of the season ... Leads the American Athletic Conference in batting average and slugging percentage ... Has started 36 games at first base and three in left field ... Put together a 19-game hitting streak to start the season ... Paces the club with 14 multi-RBI performances and slots second in in multi-hit efforts (18) ... Tallied a career-high four hits in the 7-4 win over then No. 15 North Carolina in Fayetteville ... Went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, four RBI and two home runs versus Southeastern Louisiana ... Collected a career-high five RBI in the series opener at Liberty ... Recorded two hits and scored three runs in the victory at UNCW ... Exploded for three hits, three runs scored and two RBI at NC State ... Turned in a three-hit performance in the Florida Atlantic series finale ... Matched career-high marks in at bats (7) and hits (4) in the contest at William & Mary ... Logged two hits and three runs scored in the home win over No. 21 NC State.
Jake Hunter: Collected his first win of the season on the mound in East Carolina's 7-0 victory over Rider, tossing five scoreless innings and allowing just one hit while striking out six batters ... Tossed 5.1 solid frames in a no decision against then No. 15 North Carolina, surrendering just one run on one hit with six strikeouts ... Picked up his first save of the season with two scoreless innings against UAB ... Threw 4.1 hitless innings to secure the win in the Florida Atlantic series finale ... Registered five strikeouts in 1.2 innings at William & Mary.
Jacob Jenkins-Cowart: Has started all 40 games at right field ... Leads the club in multi-hit performances (19) and is second in multi-RBI efforts (12) ... Named the AAC Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Feb. 19 ... Hit .500 (6-for-12) with six runs scored, five RBI, three doubles, two home runs and a pair of stolen bases in the Rider series ... Posted at least two hits in every game of the series with then No. 15 North Carolina, rapping out three hits and driving in two runs in Sunday's 10-9 walkoff victory ... Went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, three RBI and a home run at Old Dominion ... Logged three hits and drove in three runs against Southeastern Louisiana ... Notched two hits and drew two walks in the 12-4 win at NC State ... Drove in three runs in the Florida Atlantic series opener ... Registered two hits, three runs scored and three RBI in the win over Old Dominion ... Posted three hits and four RBI at William & Mary.
Ryley Johnson: Named the AAC Player of the Week for the first time in his career April 15 ... Has started 38 games at center field and has hit leadoff in all but two contests ... Has reached base safely in every game this season and owns a 13-game hitting streak ... Paces the club with 17 stolen bases in 20 attempts ... Tallied a pair of multi-hit efforts in the series with then No. 15 North Carolina ... Clubbed a pair of home runs and stole three bases in the Columbia series ... Scored three runs in the Florida Atlantic series opener ... Went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the 5-1 win over Charlotte ... Posted three hits and scored four runs at William & Mary ... Hit .600 (6-for-10) with three runs scored and four RBI in the Wichita State series ... Notched three hits and scored four runs in the home win over No. 21 NC State ... Leads the AAC in triples, on base percentage and runs scored.
Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman: Tabbed to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List ... Leads the nation with a 1.00 earned run average ... Paces the squad with five saves ... Slots second on the team in strikeouts (77) ... Is second on the club in appearances (20) ... Has surrendered just three earned runs in his last 36.2 innings of work ... Notched a seven strikeouts in three innings at Campbell before tallying seven more in four scoreless innings versus Purdue ... Logged 3.1 scoreless frames in the Liberty series, racking up seven strikeouts against one walk and earning his first save of the campaign in the weekend finale ... Recorded five strikeouts in two innings at UNCW ... Picked up the win in relief at UTSA via 2.2 scoreless innings ... Threw three scoreless innings with four strikeouts to notch the victory in the 7-4 win over UNCW ... Tallied a win and a save in the UAB series ... Allowed just one earned run and registered seven strikeouts over five innings to record two saves in the Florida Atlantic series ... Collected a career-high eight strikeouts in a four-inning save versus Charlotte ... Struck out six over three innings at William & Mary while allowing just an unearned run.
Ethan Norby: Is holding opposing hitters to a .215 batting average over 28.2 innings pitched and 12 appearances (five starts) ... Struck out six and did not allow a hit in 4.0 scoreless and hitless innings in the UAB series finale ... Became the first Pirate pitcher to register double-digit strikeouts in a relief appearance since Jake Agnos tallied 11 in a 5-4 victory over Western Carolina March 3, 2017 ... Collected his first collegiate save in the Wichita State series opener by striking out four over the final 1.1 innings ... Allowed just one earned run in 4.1 innings of relief to earn the win over No. 21 NC State.
Zach Root: Tabbed to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watchlist ... Named the AAC Pitcher of the Week for the first time in his career on Feb. 26 ... Collected his first win of the season on the mound in East Carolina's 7-0 victory over Rider, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings and notching seven strikeouts ... Was masterful in the middle contest of the series with then No. 15 North Carolina, throwing a career-best seven scoreless innings while matching his career high in strikeouts (seven) against no walks ... Turned in another quality start against Cal State Fullerton, surrendering just one run over seven innings while striking out a career-high 10 batters against one walk ... Tossed six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in a win over Columbia ... Limited Charlotte to one run in five innings of work to claim his fifth win of the season against no losses.
Jacob Starling: Has started 28 games at second base ... Hit for the cycle in the 10-6 win over No. 21 NC State and finished the game with four RBI ... Posted three hits, five runs scored, three RBI and two home runs in the Rider series ... Drove in a run and drew two walks at Campbell ... Notched a career-high four hits in the 7-4 win over then No. 15 North Carolina in Fayetteville ... Logged three RBI in the series finale at Liberty ... Went 2-for-3 with two runs scored at UNCW ... Registered two hits, two RBI and two runs scored in the win at NC State.
Justin Wilcoxen: Has started 30 games at catcher and eight at designated hitter ... Notched a pair of hits and drove in a run at Campbell ... Tallied two hits and an RBI in the 7-4 win over then No. 15 North Carolina in Fayetteville ... Registered three hits, three runs scored, two RBI and two home runs versus Southeastern Louisiana - his first career multi-home run effort ... Tied his career high with four hits at UNCW ... Logged three hits and four RBI in the Columbia series finale ... Notched a pair of hits and scored two runs in the win at NC State ... Turned in his second career multi-home run effort in the 11-7 win over Wichita State ... Notched two hits, including a home run, in the home win over No. 21 NC State.
Dixon Williams: Has started 28 games at third base and 11 at second base ... Hit .375 (3-for-8) during the Rider series while scoring three runs and compiling four RBI ... Has drawn a team-best nine walks ... Drove in a pair of runs in the season-opening 16-2 victory ... Notched two hits and scored two runs at Campbell ... Clubbed his first career home run against Purdue ... Tallied a career-high three RBI in the 8-0 win over Columbia ... Went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the win at NC State ... Went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and three RBI in the run-rule win over Charlotte ... Tallied two hits and a pair of RBI in the home win over No. 21 NC State.
Trey Yesavage: Tabbed to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List ... Named the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week April 8th and 15th ... Leads the league in strikeouts and opposing batting average and slots 10th nationally in earned run average ... Has posted six double-digit strikeout efforts this campaign ... Was dominant in the series opener at then No. 15 North Carolina, giving up just one earned run and striking out 11 batters against one walk in six innings pitched ... Went a career-long eight scoreless innings in the win over Purdue, fanning 11 hitters and scattering two hits ... Struck out nine over six innings while allowing just one run in the series opener at Liberty ... Struck out 10 batters and allowed just one earned run in six innings versus Columbia ... Tossed seven scoreless frames and struck out 11 in the series opener at Florida Atlantic ... Combined with Jackson DiLorenzo to throw a no hitter in the run-rule victory over Charlotte, striking out 12 batters over six innings ... Notched a career-high 15 strikeouts in the series-opening win over Wichita State.

Looking Ahead: East Carolina returns home May 3-5 for an American Athletic Conference series versus South Florida.

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Players Mentioned

Danny Beal

Joey Berini

Bristol Carter

Carter Cunningham

Jackson DiLorenzo

Aaron Groller

Jake Hunter

Jacob Jenkins-Cowart

Ryley Johnson

Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman

Ethan Norby

Jacob Starling

Justin Wilcoxen

Dixon Williams

Trey Yesavage

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