No. 13 ECU Closes Regular Season At Home Versus Rice

Games 51-53: Rice at No. 13 East Carolina
Coverage	May 16th: 6:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch May 17th: 6:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch May 18th: 1:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Stream: ESPN+ (Evan Budrovich and Mike Mullis) Radio: 94.3 The Game (Scott Rogers and Dr. Gary Overton)
Location:	Greenville, N.C. \| Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium (5,000)
Official Websites:	East Carolina \| Rice
Game Notes:	East Carolina \| Rice
Statistics:	East Carolina \| Rice
Baseball Central:	Media Center \| Roster \| Schedule/Results \| NCAA Baseball \| College Scoreboard \| Weekly Rankings \| National Stat Leaders
Social Media:	ECUBaseball (Twitter) \| ecu_baseball (Instagram) \| East Carolina Baseball (Facebook)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The end of the regular season is nigh for No. 13 East Carolina as the Pirates host Rice for an American Athletic Conference series inside Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

As always, Scott Rogers and Dr. Gary Overton will handle the radio call locally on 94.3 The Game. All three contests will stream live via ESPN+ with Evan Budrovich and Mike Mullis on the broadcast.

ECU (37-13, 16-8 AAC) sits in first place heading into the final weekend of play, leading UTSA by one game with the Roadrunners set to visit Florida Atlantic. Should the two teams finished tied, UTSA would own the tiebreaker by virtue of its series win over the Pirates in San Antonio back in March.

East Carolina remains tops in The American in batting average (.312), earned run average (3.78) and fielding percentage (.979) while senior first baseman Carter Cunningham paces in the circuit in batting average (.400), slugging percentage (.697), on base percentage (.400), runs scored (65) and OPS (1.191). On the pitching side of things, Trey Yesavage leads the league in ERA (2.13), opposing batting average (.165), strikeouts (132) and victories (10). He is also just 14 strikeouts away from setting the program single-season record.

The Pirates currently sport a 23-4 record inside the friendly confines of Clark-LeClair Stadium and enjoy the support of a home crowd that ranks 14th nationally in both average attendance (4,769) and total attendance (128,775).

Projected Pitching Matchups
Thursday: RHP Trey Yesavage (10-1, 2.13 ERA, 80.1 IP) vs. RHP Parker Smith (4-4, 4.10 ERA, 74.2 IP)
Friday: TBA vs. LHP J.D. McCracken (4-6, 5.32 ERA, 69.1 IP)
Saturday: TBA vs. RHP Tucker Alch (1-3, 2.72 ERA, 39.2 IP)

About Rice
The Owls (22-31, 11-13 AAC) picked up a 16-5 seven inning run-rule win over Texas Southern Tuesday after winning two of three over Florida Atlantic at home last weekend. Rice is in a four-way tie for fifth place with FAU, UAB and Charlotte as the group is one game ahead of South Florida for the final spot in the AAC Tournament. The Owls hit .252 as a team with 87 doubles, 10 triples and 46 home runs as well as 217 walks drawn and 43 stolen bases. Jack Riedel paces the club in home runs (15) and has posted 35 RBI while Ben Dukes is tops in batting average (.326). The Rice pitching staff sports a 5.19 ERA with 457 strikeouts and 262 walks in 473.0 innings of work.

The Rice Series
Rice leads the series with East Carolina by a 24-9 margin. The teams last met in 2016 when the Owls took two of three in a non-conference series at Reckling Park.

Individual Notables
Head Coach Cliff Godwin: Owns 388 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 (27) ... 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 ... Earned the win in the middle game of the Memphis series, limiting the Tigers to one run and striking out four over a season long 6.0-inning outing ... Threw 5.0 innings in relief in the middle game of the South Florida series to grab his fifth win of the year ... Appeared in all three games of the Tulane series, racking up six strikeouts and producing two scoreless outings.
Joey Berini: Has started all 50 games at shortstop ... 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 ... Went 2-for-5 with two runs scored in the Tulane series finale.
Bristol Carter: Has started 40 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 ... Notched a career-high four hits in the middle game of the Memphis series.
Carter Cunningham: Named the AAC Player of the Week Feb. 26 and April 29 ... Leads the American Athletic Conference in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, runs scored and OPS ... Has started 46 games at first base, two in left field and two in center field ... Put together a 19-game hitting streak to start the season ... Paces the club in both multi-hit (23) and multi-RBI (16) efforts ... 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 ... Hit .583 (7-for-12) in the Memphis series with six runs scored, nine RBI, two doubles and three home runs.
Jacob Jenkins-Cowart: Has started all 50 games at right field ... Ranks second on the club in both multi-hit (22) and multi-RBI (15) efforts ... 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 ... Registered two hits, three runs scored and three RBI in the win over Old Dominion ... Posted three hits and four RBI at William & Mary ... Went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI in the Memphis series opener ... Tallied three hits, two runs scored and four RBI in the Tulane series finale.
Ryley Johnson: Named the AAC Player of the Week for the first time in his career April 15 ... Has started 47 games at center field ... Paces the club with 20 stolen bases in 23 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 ... Hit .417 (5-for-12) with six runs scored and four RBI in the Memphis series.
Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman: Tabbed to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List ... Paces the squad with five saves ... Slots second on the team in strikeouts (77) ... Is third on the club in appearances (21) ... Has surrendered just four 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.
Ryan McCrystal: Has made 13 starts at catcher and 25 at designated hitter … Registered two hits (including a home run), a run scored and RBI in the series opener at Liberty … Posted multiple hits in four straight games from March 22-26 … Notched three hits in the series opener at UTSA ... Logged three hits and scored a pair of runs in the middle game of the Memphis series ... Went 3-for-6 with two RBI in the Tulane series finale.
Ethan Norby: Owns a 3-0 record and one save in 15 appearances (eight 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 38 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 ... Drove in five runs, logging a double and home run in the middle game of the Memphis series ... Went 3-for-5 with three RBI in the Tulane series opener.
Justin Wilcoxen: Has started 37 games at catcher and 11 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 ... Posted 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 ... Went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBI, a double and a home run in the Memphis series finale ... Tallied two hits, three runs scored and a pair of RBI in the series-opening win over South Florida.
Dixon Williams: Has started 38 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 ... Hit .615 (8-for-13) with five runs scored in the Memphis series ... Logged home runs in four straight games from April 27 to May 5.
Trey Yesavage: Tabbed to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List ... Selected the NCBWA Dick Howser Trophy National Pitcher of the Week for April ... Named the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week April 8th, 15th and 29th ... Leads the AAC in earned run average, opposing batting average, strikeouts and wins ... Has posted eight 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 ... Came within one out of throwing a no hitter at Memphis, racking up 12 strikeouts in the 14-0 run-rule victory ... Struck out 11 batters against no walks in a seven inning complete-game victory over South Florida.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Danny Beal

Joey Berini

Bristol Carter

Carter Cunningham

Jackson DiLorenzo

Jacob Jenkins-Cowart

Ryley Johnson

Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman

Ryan McCrystal

Ethan Norby

Jacob Starling

Justin Wilcoxen

Dixon Williams

Trey Yesavage

Footer