No. 10 North Carolina and East Carolina Set for Anticipated Three-Site Showdown

Friday, February 20

Greenville, N.C.

5:00 P.M.

East Carolina University

North Carolina

No. 10 North Carolina and East Carolina Set for Anticipated Three-Site Showdown

February 20, 2026 | Baseball

Games 6-8: East Carolina vs. No.10 North Carolina
Coverage	Feb. 20th: 5:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Feb. 21st: 2:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Feb. 22nd: 1:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Stream: ESPN+ (Friday) Radio: 94.3 The Game (Dylan Johnson and Dr. Gary Overton)
Location:	Greenville, N.C. \| Durham, N.C. \| Chapel Hill, N.C.
Official Websites:	East Carolina \| North Carolina
Game Notes:	East Carolina \| North Carolina
Statistics:	East Carolina \| North Carolina
Baseball Central:	NCAA Baseball \| College Scoreboard \| Weekly Rankings \| National Stat Leaders
Social Media:	ECUBaseball (X) \| ecu_baseball (Instagram) \| East Carolina Baseball (Facebook)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – One of the most anticipated nonconference matchups of the early 2026 college baseball season is set to begin this weekend as No. 10 North Carolina Tar Heels baseball and East Carolina Pirates baseball meet in a unique three-site travel series beginning Friday, Feb. 20. The rivals will open in Greenville before shifting to a neutral matchup at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Saturday and concluding Sunday in Chapel Hill.

The series brings together two nationally respected programs with postseason aspirations and a growing rivalry that has produced tightly contested matchups in recent seasons.

About No. 10 North Carolina

The Tar Heels enter the weekend ranked among the nation's top 10, continuing a tradition of excellence under longtime head coach Scott Forbes. Known for a balanced approach that blends disciplined pitching with opportunistic offense, North Carolina has remained a perennial Atlantic Coast Conference contender.

North Carolina is currently 5-0 on the year, with two of those games ending on the run rule, against Indiana and the University of Richmond. The Tar Heels have been able to stay in the preseason rankings in D1Baseball (11) and Baseball America (7), Perfect Game (18), and are now nationally ranked at #10, based on D1 Baseball's top 25. North Carolina holds the overall record against ECU, dating back to 1966, with a 30-17 advantage. The last time the Pirates beat the Tar Heels was in 2024, when ECU beat UNC in its very own Clark-LeClair Stadium. The Tar Heels will be the first of many opponents this season who made the postseason and reached a Super Regional, where they were unable to overcome Arizona for a spot in Omaha.

Playing in front of their home crowd at Boshamer Stadium on Sunday will give UNC a familiar setting as they look to close the series strong.

About East Carolina

East Carolina enters the series eager to measure itself against a top-10 opponent and continue building momentum early in the season. The Pirates have been one of the most consistent programs in the American Athletic Conference under head coach Cliff Godwin, routinely finishing atop the conference standings and earning NCAA Regional and Super Regional appearances.

The Pirates hold a 2-3 record on the year, with a 2-2 home record and a 0-1 away record. This will be the first-ranked series matchup on the season for the Pirates. Despite some losses this week, ECU's pitching has featured strong starters and a strong bullpen. Sean Jenkins has been a top reliever for the Pirates, with 10 strikeouts on the year, 5 of them against Campbell in three innings, and currently holds a 0.00 ERA. Offensively, the Prates are starting to wake up, with Carlos Jacome and Davin Whitaker going yard in Clark LeClair against Northern Illinois. Leadoff Braden Burress still holds an over .400 batting average, with Austin Irby and Jack Herring right behind him, batting over .350.

This weekend provides an opportunity for ECU to build its postseason résumé and defend its home turf against one of the nation's premier programs.

Collegiate National Team Connections

This weekend's matchup will also feature a unique storyline, as Jason DeCaro, Ryan Lynch, and Ethan Norby all played together on the 2025 Collegiate National Team and are now set to square off against one another. After sharing a dugout on the international stage last summer, the trio will now compete on opposite sides in a high-profile in-state series.

Series Format

Friday, Feb. 20 – Greenville, N.C. (Clark-LeClair Stadium)
Saturday, Feb. 21 – Durham, N.C. (Durham Bulls Athletic Park)
Sunday, Feb. 22 – Chapel Hill, N.C. (Boshamer Stadium)

The neutral-site contest at Durham Bulls Athletic Park offers a professional-park atmosphere and an opportunity for fans from both fanbases to meet in the middle for a showcase matchup.

Starting Weekend Rotation

Friday – LHP Ethan Norby v. RHP Jason DeCaro
Saturday – RHP Gavin Van Kempen v. LHP Folger Boaz
Sunday – RHP Colby Weber v. Ryan Lynch

Series History

The matchup between East Carolina and North Carolina has grown into one of the more compelling in-state rivalries in college baseball. The Pirates and the Tar Heels have faced each other quite regularly since 1966. The Tar Heels hold the all-time edge in the series, holding 30 wins to ECU's 17, but recent meetings have been highly competitive, often decided late and featuring postseason-level intensity. The Pirates against UNC are 11-10 with their home field advantage, compared to being 5-16 in Chapel Hill.

The most recent matchup against the Tar Heels was a fight, but they were unable to come out on top in Greenville, losing 6-3. UNC and ECU have always kept the score marginally close, with nine of the last 10 games having a difference of three or less.

Looking Ahead

First pitch for the series opener is set for Friday evening in Greenville at 5:00 p.m. EST, with the Battle at DBAP with first pitch set for 2:00 p.m. EST. The Finale of the series will in in Capel Hill, with first pitch at 1:00 p.m. EST.

After the traveling series, the Pirates will hit the road once again for their second neutral site game, set in Fayetteville to play the College of Charleston on February 25.