ECU Baseball Opens 2026 Season Hosting Xavier

Friday, February 13

Greenville, N.C.

4:00 P.M.

East Carolina University

Xavier

February 12, 2026 | Baseball

Games 1-3: Xavier at East Carolina
Coverage	Feb. 13th: 4:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Feb. 14th: 12:30 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Feb. 14th: First Pitch set 45 minutes after game one concludes \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Stream: ESPN+ (Patrick Johnson and Mike Mullis) Radio: 94.3 The Game (Dylan Johnson and Dr. Gary Overton)
Location:	Greenville, N.C. \| Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium
Official Websites:	East Carolina \| Xavier
Game Notes:	East Carolina \| Xavier
Statistics:	East Carolina \| Xavier
Baseball Central:	NCAA Baseball \| College Scoreboard \| Weekly Rankings \| National Stat Leaders
Social Media:	ECUBaseball (Twitter) \| ecu_baseball (Instagram) \| East Carolina Baseball (Facebook)

GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina sets their sights on the 2026 season, starting their campaign on opening weekend with a three-game homestand against Big East opponent Xavier at Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
The Pirates have not had the pleasure of competing against a Big East opponent since 2023, when Georgetown made the trip to Greenville for a formidable midweek. ECU came out victorious, 11-2, over the Bulldogs.

Projected Opening Weekend Pitching Matchups
Game 1: LHP Ethan Norby vs. RHP Ryan Peich
Game 2: RHP Gavin Van Kempen vs. RHP Jack Nobe
Game 3: RHP Colby Weber vs. RHP Jack DeTienne

East Carolina begins its 12th season under the direction of Head Coach Cliff Godwin when it hosts Xavier for a three-game series inside Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium. The Pirates finished the 2025 season with a 35-27 overall record and a 13-14 American Conference record, finishing fourth in the regular season. ECU exploded in the postseason, going undefeated in the conference tournament to claim the American Conference Tournament Championship and a berth in the NCAA Regionals. East Carolina welcomes 21 newcomers to the 2026 roster, joining 20 returning players from the 2025 squad.

Entering his 12th season at the helm of East Carolina baseball, Cliff Godwin has cemented his place as the winningest head coach in program history. On May 22, Godwin earned his 428th career victory at ECU, surpassing former head coach Gary Overton, who led the Pirates for 13 seasons from 1985–97. Through the 2025 season, Godwin owns a career record of 432-214-1, highlighted by guiding the Pirates to their fourth conference tournament championship in 2025 and securing the program's 34th NCAA Regional appearance. Under Godwin's leadership, ECU has now posted eight consecutive seasons with either a regular-season conference title or a conference tournament championship.

Left-hander Ethan Norby returns as one of 23 veterans back for the Pirates and is expected to anchor the weekend rotation once again. The Kernersville native logged 90 innings across 14 starts last season, compiling an 8-5 record while striking out 119 batters (tied for the third-most in a single season in program history) and issuing just 22 walks. Norby delivered one of his most dominant outings against No. 24 Coastal Carolina, firing 7.1 shutout innings while striking out a career-high 19 and allowing just three hits. He continued his standout campaign into the postseason, earning the win in the NCAA Conway Regional as he helped lead the Pirates to their first-ever victory over No. 17 Florida. In that performance, Norby struck out 10 to secure his first career win against an SEC opponent.

Two of the top underclassmen returning for the Pirates are sophomore standouts Braden Burress and Austin Irby, both of whom earned Freshman All-America honors following the 2025 season. Burress quickly established himself as a fixture in the lineup despite a brief stint sidelined by injury. He led the team as a freshman in both batting average (.389) and hits (82), while also driving in 33 runs and scoring a team-high 55. Burress posted an outstanding .488 on-base percentage and added 18 stolen bases, showcasing his ability to impact the game in multiple facets. Irby also made an immediate impact, locking down first base as a freshman and emerging as one of the Pirates' most dependable defenders. He was one of just three players to appear in every game, recording 406 putouts and finishing the season with a .988 fielding percentage. At the plate, Irby hit .303 with 63 hits, including 12 home runs, while driving in 50 runs and drawing 35 walks.

Notable newcomer Gavin Van Kempen is getting the Saturday start for the Pirates after playing an exceptional role in the 2025 season for West Virginia. Van Kempen entered the 2025 season as an NCBWA Preseason All-America Third Team and had an exceptional year, making 14 appearances, including 13 starts, and posting a 2–0 record with a 6.13 ERA and 37 strikeouts across 39.2 innings. Van Kempen turned in several strong outings, highlighted by a season-high six strikeouts over 4.0 innings at Jacksonville on Feb. 15 to earn the win.

Grady Lenahan is another name to keep an eye out for. An incoming freshman from Bristow, Virginia, was ranked No. 8 on the 2026 Impact Freshman List named by D1Baseball. Across four varsity seasons, he posted a .378 batting average, .551 on-base percentage, .821 slugging percentage, and a 1.372 OPS, consistently combining elite contact, power, and speed to impact the game in every facet. He compiled 108 hits, including 21 home runs, 26 doubles, and three triples, while driving in 76 RBI, scoring 100 runs, and swiping 92 stolen bases.

Colby Weber, a righted handed pitcher also gaining the start on Sunday, D1Baseball has ranked him No. 36 on the 2026 Impact Freshman List. Over his three-year varsity career at Shaler Area High School, Weber established himself as one of the most dominant pitchers in the region, posting a remarkable 24–1 record with his lone loss coming during his sophomore campaign. He maintained a stellar 0.96 ERA across three seasons, striking out 249 batters in 184.2 innings of work. Weber helped lead Shaler Area to two district championships (2023, 2025), a state championship in 2023 and a state runner-up finish in 2025, earning Championship MVP honors during the 2025 postseason.

ABOUT XAVIER

The Musketeers are coming off a strong 2025 campaign in which they posted a 35-27 overall record and a 14-7 mark in Big East play, earning the No. 4 seed in the Big East Conference Tournament. Xavier navigated a challenging schedule that featured 19 games against nine Power 4 opponents, including matchups with No. 1 Tennessee and No. 2 LSU. Competing against elite competition throughout the season helped prepare the Musketeers for conference play, where they finished among the league's top five teams. Xavier won five of its seven weekend series during the regular season, recording three series sweeps along the way. The Musketeers' postseason run came to an end in the Big East Tournament after a loss to UConn in the double-elimination format. Offensively, Xavier produced a .262 team batting average across 59 games, totaling 522 hits and 347 RBIs while posting a .383 on-base percentage.