An Update From AD Jon Gilbert

Pirate Nation:

I hope your 2026 is off to a great start.

Our department is preparing for a busy crossover season, with both basketball programs in the heart of conference play and spring sports getting underway in the coming weeks. It's an exciting time to be a Pirate.

Please check ecupirates.com in the coming days with inclement weather expected to affect dates and times of upcoming events. The annual baseball banquet was rescheduled to February 7. Our women's swimming team has moved its home meet against Georgia Southern to 10 a.m. on Saturday in Minges Natatorium. Great opportunity to come out and support our team before weather approaches the area. Men's basketball will now play at North Texas tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET due to the impending weather in the Dallas area. Tipoff time for our women's basketball game at UAB on Saturday has been moved up to noon.

Women's Basketball Program 10-1 In Last 11 games
Head coach Kim McNeill and the Pirates women's basketball program have won four straight and 10 of the last 11 including an impressive road win at UTSA on Tuesday. The Pirates sit 14-6 overall, 6-1 in the conference, and 10-2 at home.

The Pirates victory over Temple last weekend was Coach McNeill's 100^th win with the Pirates in six-plus seasons. Congrats to Coach McNeill who is working to secure her fourth straight winning season at the helm.

Senior Kennedy Fauntleroy earned American Conference Player of the Week honors after averaging 24 points. The Pirates are at UAB on Saturday and return home on Tuesday, January 27 to play Wichita State at 6 p.m.

Construction Update/Changes For 2026 Baseball Season
Many of you have likely seen the construction going on across the Grady-White Boats Athletic Campus. Work continues on the Isley Indoor Performance Center and Dick and Sarah Bennett Baseball Building, and we are grateful to everybody who supported these projects. The steel structure is now up on the indoor facility, and roof panels are currently being installed.

With construction at Clark-LeClair Stadium continuing throughout the 2026 season, we have had to make several operational adjustments. We look forward to returning to normal operations in 2027 and are excited about the finished project, which will provide head coach Cliff Godwin and our student-athletes with a truly state-of-the-art facility.

One of the areas impacted by construction is parking in the Williams Jungle. The lot is being used as a laydown area for staging, equipment, and materials. A small portion will remain open for individual entry off Charles Blvd. and will include concessions and restrooms. All individuals were notified last month during a call with Pirate Club staff. Parking passes have been temporarily relocated to the Shook Lot off Berkley Road, and ECU Students will now have access to the Lower Minges Lot for tailgating.

Inside the fence, the Jungle will remain open to watch the game. Fans with Jungle tickets can enter in the temporary gate off Charles Blvd. or through Gate 6 (The Long Family) between the Williams Hitting Facility and the football practice fields. Please note Gate 1 will not be accessible this season.

With the primary construction occurring along the third-base line, the Pirates dugout will move to the first-base side for the 2026 season. This is a one-year adjustment.

We are so appreciative of Pirate Nation for selling out baseball season tickets for the fourth consecutive year. We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate the construction schedule throughout the season.

Pirate Club Executive Committee Update
During the December Pirate Club Executive Committee meeting, new leadership and members were elected to begin serving in 2026. Lance Clark (Greenville) was elected President and Sandra Warren (Washington) Vice President. Sean Smith, who did a phenomenal job the last two years leading the committee, will remain involved as Past President. During his tenure, the Pirate Club raised $43 million in support of the Pirates Unite campaign.

We are grateful for the leadership and service the Executive Committee provides to the Pirate Club and ECU Athletics, as this work is critical to supporting our student-athletes, programs, and membership.

The 2026 Executive Committee is led by Lance Clark, Co-Owner of Bill Clark Homes, Executive Vice President Sandra Warren, Owner of Executive Personnel Group, Past President Sean Smith of Charlotte, and President-Emeritus Glenn Hall of Greenville. Current members include Tom Brown (Greenville), Tomeika Blackmon (Greenville), Mickey Foster(Pinehurst), Wes Johnson (Powder Springs, Ga.), Brett Oliverio (Greenville), Randy Cole (Greenville), Dekota Marshall (Jacksonville), Todd Mitchum (Greenville), and Billy Tart (Holly Springs). Meredith Hinton (Greenville) serves as general counsel.

New members for 2026 are:

Michael Orr (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) – Managing Partner, Orr | Cook
Chip Davis (Greenville) – Vice President, East Carolina Chrysler Dodge Jeep Lincoln
Gray Blount (Greenville) –President, Home Builders Supply
Dawn Manning (Greenville) – Athletics Director, Pitt Community College
Eric Long (Elon) – Vice President, Delta Contracting
Tracey Allen (Greenville) – Partner, Sullivan, Shearin & Company

We are looking forward to working with this outstanding group as we continue to move ECU Athletics and the Pirate Club forward.

Men's Basketball Team On The Road This Week
The men's basketball team hit the road this week for a pair games. We worked closely with North Texas officials on moving Saturday's scheduled game to Friday afternoon due to a winter storm approaching the Dallas area. Our team will be back in Greenville Friday evening.

While the results this season have not met our expectations, please know that Coach Schwartz, his staff, and our players are working tirelessly to improve. I understand the frustration, and I share it. At the same time, I'm also confident we have a group that is going to compete until the very end. I'm asking our fans to continue to support these young men as we work through this challenging season.

Your support matters, and it makes a difference. Appreciate you standing with us.

Earn Double Priority Points By January 23
Don't forget about Pirate Club Pledge Day on Friday, January 23. Anyone who has made a pledge from Jan. 1 to Jan. 23 will earn double priority points on what is paid to your 2026 membership. You can pay in full or start a monthly draft for up to 12 months. Give the Pirate Club a call at (252) 737-4540.

Record-Setting Fall Semester!
Congratulations to our student-athletes on a record-setting fall semester, earning a department-best 3.37 grade point average (GPA) for the 2025 fall semester. Every team posted a 3.0 GPA or higher, marking 18 consecutive semesters with a department GPA above 3.0. and our student-athletes have averaged a 3.0 or higher GPA for 18 consecutive semesters.

A total of 332 of our 416 student-athletes earned a 3.0 GPA or higher in the fall, with 47 named to the Chancellor's List with a perfect 4.0.

This success is really a reflection of the commitment shown by our student-athletes, coaches and the tireless effort of our academic support staff led by Stephanie White, Senior Associate AD/Student-Athlete Academic Services. Her outstanding team includes Jennifer Bonner (Associate Director of Student-Athlete Academic Services), Brian O'Hara (Associate Director of Student-Athlete Academic Services), Lindsay Arnold (Academic Coordinator), Austin Jones (Academic Coordinator), Katherine Klimchock (Academic Coordinator), Fallon Morella (Academic Coordinator), Madison Strickland (Academic Coordinator), Reilly Jo Swanson (Academic Coordinator), Faison Campbell (Learning Specialist), and Johnyce Hillard (Administrative Assistant).

We are proud to celebrate these academic achievements and look forward to a strong spring semester.

Honors Continue To Come In For Kelly Ufodiama
We are fortunate to have one of the country's top track and field performers in Pirates sophomore Kelly Ufodiama. Ufodiama, who owns the eight fastest 60 meters performances in school history, set a new ECU program record at the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet in Louisville with a time of 7.14. She currently leads the nation in the 60-meter dash for the 2026 indoor season.

She was recently named American Athletic Conference Track Athlete of the Week for her performance in the indoor season-opener. In 2025, the Round Rock, Texas native won American Athletic Conference Most Valuable Performer, Freshman of the Year and Most Outstanding Performance in both indoor and outdoor.

Academic Honors For Women's Swimming And Diving Team
Congratulations to our women's swimming and diving team for earning Scholar All-America Team honors from the College Swimming and Diving Association of America. Our student-athletes earned a 3.45 cumulative GPA for the fall semester.

Come Watch The Pirates!
Click on the links below to view updated spring schedules for our sport programs:
Baseball, Softball, Men's Golf, Women's Golf, Women's Lacrosse, Women's Swimming, Women's Tennis, Track

2026 is going to be an exciting year for the Pirates - look forward to seeing you on campus soon.

Go Pirates!

Jon

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