Friday, May 1
Memphis, Tenn.
7:05 P.M.
East Carolina University
at
Memphis
Pirates Off to Tennessee to Play Memphis in Third Away Conference Series
April 30, 2026 | Baseball
| Game 47-49: East Carolina Pirates (25-16-1, 9-6 American) at Memphis Tigers (16-27, 8-10 American) | |
| Coverage | May 1: 7:05 p.m. EST \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch May 2: 4:05 p.m. EST \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch May 3: 2:05 p.m. EST \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Stream: ESPN+ Radio: 94.3 The Game (Dylan Johnson) |
| Location: | Memphis, Tennessee |Â FedExPark Avron Fogelman Field (2,200) |
| Official Websites: | East Carolina | Memphis |
| Game Notes: | East Carolina | Memphis |
| Statistics: | East Carolina | Memphis |
| Baseball Central: | NCAA Baseball | College Scoreboard | Weekly Rankings | National Stat Leaders |
| Social Media: | ECUBaseball (Twitter) | ecu_baseball (Instagram) | East Carolina Baseball (Facebook) |
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The East Carolina Pirates (28-17-1, 12-6 American) travel to Tennessee this weekend for their third road conference series of the season, taking on the Memphis Tigers (17-26, 8-10 American).
PROJECTED WEEKEND ROTATION
Friday:Â #7 LHP Ryan Towers vs. #36 RHP Will Howell
Saturday:Â #18 LHP Ethan Norby vs. #26 LHP David Case
Sunday:Â TBA vs. TBA
NC STATE RECAP
East Carolina dropped its second matchup of the season to NC State on Tuesday night, falling 12-2 in an eight-inning run-rule decision.
The Pirates' lone offensive push came in the top of the third inning. Braden Burress opened the frame with a base hit before ECU showed patience at the plate, drawing four consecutive walks that forced in both runs.
Despite the disciplined approach in that inning, East Carolina managed just four hits on the day and none resulted in runs, while the lineup struck out 10 times. The Pirates have now recorded double-digit strikeouts in just four games this season (Campbell, Wichita State game three, and both contests against NC State).
THEN THERE WERE TWO
Only two Pirates have started every game this season: Braden Burress and Colby Wallace, each providing consistency both offensively and defensively.
Burress, the Pirates' primary leadoff hitter, owns a .350 batting average and a .458 on-base percentage, scoring 50 runs with 22 RBI. He leads the team with 19 multi-hit games and 16 multi-run performances. Burress also led off 86 consecutive games dating back to his freshman season (March 9, 2025 – April 26, 2026) and has since returned to the leadoff spot after a brief stint in the three-hole.
Wallace has started 108 consecutive games, the most on the roster. This season, he is hitting .324 with 55 hits, 34 RBI, and a .381 on-base percentage. He owns the team's longest hitting streak of the year at 12 games and ranks second on the team in multi-RBI performances with 11.
A LOOK INTO THE CONFERENCE
The American Athletic Conference race remains tightly contested heading into May. UTSA, East Carolina, and UAB are currently tied for first place with identical 12-6 records. UTSA holds the tiebreaker over ECU, while the Pirates own the advantage over UAB.
Wichita State sits alone in fourth place, two games back, followed by a four-way tie for fifth between Memphis, Florida Atlantic, Tulane, and Rice (all 8-10).
South Florida and Charlotte round out the standings in ninth and tenth place, respectively.
MEMPHIS VS. ECU HISTORY
East Carolina leads the all-time series against Memphis, 47-18, and has dominated the matchup in recent years, sweeping the Tigers in each season since 2019. The Pirates hold a 27-7 record at home and 19-8 on the road against Memphis.
The last Memphis win over ECU came during the 2021 American Athletic Conference Tournament in Clearwater, where the Tigers earned an 11-1 run-rule victory. The Pirates responded later in the tournament with a 12-0 shutout win over Memphis.
ABOUT MEMPHIS
Memphis enters the weekend at 17-26 overall and 8-10 in conference play, sitting in a four-way tie for fifth place.
The Tigers have faced a challenging non-conference schedule, including matchups with Ohio State and Ole Miss. In league play, Memphis' highlight came with a series sweep over Rice in mid-April. Most recently, the Tigers took a game from UAB, contributing to the current tie atop the standings.
Memphis relies more on speed than power. Freddy Rodriguez leads the conference with 34 stolen bases on 39 attempts, helping power a team total of 100 steals. At the plate, Miachael Gupton leads the Tigers with a .294 batting average and 12 home runs.
Players Mentioned
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