Pirates Wrap Up Regular Season in Boca Raton

Game 53-55: The East Carolina Pirates (30-21-1, 14-10 American) at the Florida Atlantic Owls (28-24, 12-12 American)
Coverage	May 14: 6:00 p.m. EST \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch May 15: 4:00 p.m. EST \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch May 16: 1:00 p.m. EST \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Stream: ESPN+ Radio: 94.3 The Game (Dylan Johnson and Dr. Gary Overton)
Location:	Boca Raton, Florida \| FAU Baseball Stadium (2,300)
Official Websites:	East Carolina \| FAU
Game Notes:	East Carolina \| FAU
Statistics:	East Carolina \| FAU
Baseball Central:	NCAA Baseball \| College Scoreboard \| Weekly Rankings \| National Stat Leaders
Social Media:	ECUBaseball (Twitter) \| ecu_baseball (Instagram) \| East Carolina Baseball (Facebook)

BOCA RATON, Fla. - The East Carolina Pirates (30-21-1, 14-10 American) head down south to finish off the regular season with their final away conference series against the Florida Atlantic Owls (27-24, 12-12 American).

PROJECTED WEEKEND STARTERS
Thursday: #7 LHP Ryan Towers vs. #27 RHP James Litman
Friday: #18 LHP Ethan Norby vs. #49 LHP Kide Adetuyi
Saturday: TBA vs. TBA

RICE VS. ECU RECAP
The weekend series against Rice at Clark-LeClair Stadium proved to be a challenging stretch for the Pirates, marking their first home conference series loss of the season.

The Owls took the opener on Friday with a 3–1 victory, stifling the ECU bats in a defensive stalemate. Saturday's Senior Day matchup followed a similar pattern; despite home runs from Michael Kalinich and Walker Barron, a late three-run blast by Rice's Cole Green secured a 5–3 win for the Owls. Ethan Norby delivered a standout performance on the mound with 10 strikeouts, but the Pirates were unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities, leaving seven runners on base.

ECU managed to salvage the series finale on Sunday, avoiding the sweep with a 3–0 shutout victory. The win provided a crucial rebound for the pitching staff and kept the Pirates in the hunt for the top of the American Conference standings. While the series loss snapped a long-standing home winning streak against conference opponents, the Sunday win ensured the team entered the final stretch of the regular season with momentum.

The loss over the weekend marked the first time this season that the Pirates lost a conference series on their home field, with the last time being in May of 2025 against UTSA.

NO STEALING ON BARRON
Walker Barron has played a significant role behind the plate when it comes to knowing the baserunners on. Barron currently leads the conference with second place behind four, catching 19 baserunners stealing out of 31 attempts.

TOUCHING BASE
Jack Herring is currently riding a 51-game on-base streak for the Pirates, becoming one of just 18 players in program history since 1998 to reach base safely in at least 30 consecutive games. Herring has reached base in every game he has started this season and now owns the second-longest on-base streak in program history during that span. Former Pirate Conor Norby set the program record in 2021 with a 56-game streak. Norby and Herring remain the only two Pirates since 1998 to record an on-base streak of 50 games or more.

LOOKING AT CONFERENCE
The conference standings could not be tighter as the regular season nears its end. UTSA sits alone atop the standings at 16-8 after dropping its first conference series of the season to Memphis. Just two games back are the Pirates at 14-10, while the race behind them continues to tighten. Rice has surged into a tie with UAB for third place, with both programs holding 13-11 conference records. Right behind them, Florida Atlantic and Memphis are tied for fifth at an even .500 in league play.

Wichita State currently holds sole possession of seventh place, while Charlotte and Tulane remain locked in a battle for the final spot in the American Conference Tournament, tied for eighth with matching 10-14 conference records.

FAU VS. ECU HISTORY
ECU and FAU have met only 9 times, with FAU holding the overall record of 5-4. Six of the nine matchups have taken place in Boca Raton, with the most recent series being in Greenville in 2025. The Owls swept the Pirates in Clark LeClair Stadium for the first time in Greenville and won their first series against ECU. The last time the Pirates made their way down to Boca Raton back in 2024, the Pirates took Friday's and Sunday's matchups to solidify the series on the Owls.

ABOUT FLORIDA ATLANTIC
The Florida Atlantic Owls enter the weekend with a 27-24 overall record and an even 12-12 mark in conference play. As they prepare to host their final conference series of the season, FAU has posted an 18-16 home record and a 8-6 road record. During non-conference action, the Owls faced several familiar opponents, including series sweeps over both Villanova and FIU. Conference play opened on a difficult note, as FAU dropped a series against UTSA and Rice before being swept by UAB. Since then, however, the Owls have found their stride, riding a five-series winning streak in which they have claimed two of three games each weekend, though they are still searching for their first conference sweep during that stretch.

Nick Romano has been the catalyst for the FAU offense, starting 51 games while hitting .318 with 62 hits and 34 RBI this season. The Owls may not rely heavily on power, totaling just 38 home runs on the year, but they make up for it with an aggressive and relentless approach at the plate and on the bases. FAU's speed has been a major factor offensively, as the Owls have swiped 70 stolen bases this season to consistently create scoring opportunities.

On the mound, James Litman has emerged as one of the most reliable arms in the weekend rotation, making 13 starts this year. Litman owns an 8-3 record with a 3.79 ERA and one complete game across 73.2 innings pitched. He has recorded 69 strikeouts against 34 walks while limiting opponents to a .264 batting average. Of the 24 extra-base hits he has allowed this season, only nine have left the yard, showcasing his ability to limit damage and keep hitters in check.

First pitch in Boca Raton on Friday is set for 6:30 p.m. EST.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Walker Barron

Jack Herring

Michael Kalinich

Ethan Norby

Ryan Towers

Footer