Pirates Travel to Texas for UTSA Series
March 27, 2026 | Baseball
| Games 27-29: East Carolina (15-10-1, 2-1 American) at UTSA (18-7, 2-1 American) | |
| Coverage | March 27th: 7:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch March 28th: 3:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch March 29th: 2:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Stream: ESPN+ Radio: 94.3 The Game (Dylan Johnson) |
| Location: | San Antonio, Texas | Roadrunner Field (1,000) |
| Official Websites: | East Carolina | UTSA |
| Game Notes: | East Carolina | UTSA |
| Statistics: | East Carolina | UTSA |
| Baseball Central: | NCAA Baseball | College Scoreboard | Weekly Rankings | National Stat Leaders |
| Social Media: | ECUBaseball (Twitter) | ecu_baseball (Instagram) | East Carolina Baseball (Facebook) |
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The East Carolina Pirates (15-10-1, 2-1 American) make their way west for the first time this season to the town of San Antonio, Texas, to take on the UTSA Roadrunners (18-7, 2-1 American) for the second week of conference. The three-game series is set to start on Friday, March 27, at 7:00 p.m. EST. Â
East Carolina and UTSA have both remained near the top of the conference leaderboards each year, and the competitive nature of both teams makes this matchup highly anticipated. Â
Midweek Against Duke
The ACC matchup of the weekend for the Pirates did not go in their favor, with the Blue Devils able to walk off the field in a dramatic manner with a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, topping the Pirates 8-9. ÂThe Pirates built an early lead behind a three-run double from Jack Herring in the fourth and a two-run homer by Grady Lenahan in the seventh, which gave ECU an 8-4 advantage.
Despite outhitting the Blue Devils, the Pirates left 13 runners on base, allowing Duke to stay within striking distance. Davin Whitaker also had a standout performance, going 2-for-three, with Walker Barron, Colby Wallace, and Nick Parham all notching two runs each. Â Â
The Blue Devils began their comeback with a two-run triple in the seventh before sealing the victory in the bottom of the ninth. After a lead-off walk and a single put the runner on the corners, Kaden Smith launched a three-run, walk-off home run to deep left field on the first pitch he saw. Â
Cliff Godwin Win Count
Head coach Cliff Godwin is currently the most winning baseball coach in East Carolina program history, passing coach Gary Overton in May of 2025, beating Charlotte in the American Conference Tournament to advance to the semifinals. That triumph marked Godwin's 428th victory, with Overton holding the record at 427. Godwin's win count is now at 447 after the Pirates' win on Saturday against UAB, and he has the potential to reach 450 career wins over the weekend. ÂLenahan Home Run Streak
Grady Lenahan has been heating up in the lineup through the week, going .428 over the last week, with four runs and nine RBIs. Most notably, Lenahan is currently on a three-game home run streak, having been able to hit at least one home run in the last three consecutive games, with hopes of continuing. ÂAbout UTSA
The UTSA Roadrunners enter the mid-point of the 2026 season as one of the most formidable forces in the American Conference, currently holding an 18–7 overall record and a 2–1 start in league play. Coming off their 2025 campaign, they became regular-season conference champions and reached the NCAA Super Regionals. Head coach Pat Hallmark has successfully maintained the program's momentum, guiding the Roadrunners into the national rankings as high as No. 25 in the 2026 season.The Roadrunners remain centered on a high-powered offense that ranks 9th nationally in runs scored (240) and 12th in batting average (.326), having already produced 14 games where they scored double-digit runs.Â
UTSA has shown its dominance in the American and has kept the Pirates at bay the last two years. In conference play, UTSA holds the series 6-2 over East Carolina, where the Pirates have not been able to solidify a weekend series in the past two years. Â
First pitch in San Antonio on Friday, March is set for 7:00 p.m. EST. Â
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