Six Pirates Named All-Conference Team Selections

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Six members of the East Carolina Pirates baseball team were recognized with postseason honors by the American Conference office on Tuesday afternoon, following a standout regular season that saw ECU capture a share of the conference regular season title and secure the No. 2 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.

Ethan Norby (starting pitcher), Joseph Webb (relieving pitcher) and Braden Burress (second baseman) each earned First Team All-Conference honors, while Jack Herring (outfield) was named to the Second Team. Grady Lenahan and Ethan Rose also garnered recognition, earning a spot on the All-Freshman Team.

Norby has now collected All-Conference honors in each of his three seasons with the Pirates, with his 2026 selection marking his second consecutive First Team nod. Burress likewise secured First Team honors for the second straight season, receiving this honor as a middle infielder for the first time.

Norby has served as a steady anchor in the Pirates' weekend rotation throughout the season. Following a series of injuries within the pitching staff, he transitioned from the Friday night role to Saturdays and continued to deliver dominant performances. The right-hander currently leads the American \with 108 strikeouts, more than 20 ahead of the next closest pitcher, while also ranking 13th nationally in strikeouts.

Across 14 starts, Norby logged 75.2 innings with six wins and a 4.52 ERA. One of his best outings of the season came against regular-season co-champion UTSA, when he tossed 7.0 shutout innings, including an immaculate inning, and racked up 12 strikeouts to secure the victory.

Webb, a senior transfer from Liberty, provided a reliable presence out of the Pirates' bullpen throughout the season. Appearing in 26 games with three starts, Webb logged 56.2 innings and posted a 3.80 ERA while recording six wins and two saves. He currently ranks third in the American with 73 strikeouts and has allowed just seven extra-base hits all season.

Webb earned Conference Pitcher of the Week honors on April 27 following two dominant appearances against South Florida. Due to weather-related schedule changes, Webb closed out game two of the series with 2.2 innings of relief, surrendering just one hit while striking out seven. After the series finale was suspended until the following day, Webb once again took the mound and delivered a season-high 5.0 hitless innings, allowing no runs and just one walk to earn the victory.

Burress, who earned First Team All-Conference honors as an outfielder in 2025, added another First Team selection in 2026 after transitioning to second base. The junior started all 55 games for the Pirates and hit .336 with 72 hits, 59 runs scored, 10 doubles, three triples and three home runs. Burress also led the team with 21 multi-hit performances during the season.

Serving as the Pirates' leadoff hitter, Burress consistently set the tone offensively and paced the team with 19 multi-run games, scoring at least twice in each contest.
Herring garnered Second Team All-Conference recognition after leading the Pirates in batting average (.364), RBI (49), doubles (15), total bases (109), on-base percentage (.504) and walks (51). Nationally, he ranks 13th in walks and has been one of the club's most disciplined hitters throughout the year. Herring also currently owns a 54-game on-base streak, becoming just the second Pirate since 1998 to eclipse the 50-game mark.

One of Herring's top performances came against South Florida Bulls baseball on April 25, when he went 4-for-6 with two runs scored and a season-high five RBI. His performance throughout the weekend series earned him Conference Player of the Week honors on April 27, alongside Webb's Pitcher of the Week selection to sweep the conference weekly awards for East Carolina.

Ethan Rose has quickly emerged as a dependable arm for the Pirates early in his collegiate career. Rose appeared in 24 games with one start, earning three wins while posting a 2.90 ERA across 31 innings pitched. He recorded 18 strikeouts, allowed just six extra-base hits and held opposing hitters to a .275 batting average.

Lenahan added both speed and consistency to the Pirates' outfield and lineup during his freshman campaign. After working his way into a regular role near the top of the batting order, Lenahan posted a .314 batting average across 44 starts. Despite missing 11 games due to injury, he returned after a three-week absence and immediately made an impact with a double in his first game back against Rice on May 8.

On the season, Lenahan totaled 49 hits, 39 runs scored, 42 RBI and seven home runs. Defensively, he anchored center field with 93 putouts while maintaining a perfect fielding percentage.

2026 American Conference Baseball Major Awards and All-Conference (as voted by conference head coaches)

Player of the Year
Drew Detlefsen, Sr., OF, UTSA

Pitcher of the Year
Conor Myles, Grad, LHP, UTSA*

Newcomer Position Player of the Year
Jayson Jones, Sr., INF, Wichita State

Newcomer Pitcher of the Year
Tanner Wiggins, R-So., RHP, Rice

Defensive Player of the Year
Jevin Relaford, Sr., INF, South Florida

Coach of the Year
Casey Dunn, UAB

All-Conference First Team
P – Ethan Norby, Jr., East Carolina
P – James Litman, So., Florida Atlantic
P – Conor Myles, Grad, UTSA*
RP – Joseph Webb, Sr., East Carolina
RP – Sam Simmons, Sr., UTSA
C – Andrew Stucky, Grad, UTSA*
1B – Caden Miller, So., UTSA*
2B – Braden Burress, So., East Carolina
SS – Jevin Relaford, Sr., South Florida*
3B – Jayson Jones, Sr., Wichita State
OF – JP Head, So., UAB
OF – Drew Detlefsen, Sr., UTSA
OF – Jason Wachs, So., Tulane
DH – Dylan Koontz, Grad, Charlotte
UTL – Max Price, R-Jr., UAB

All-Conference Second Team
P – Ryland Urbanczyk, R-Jr., Rice
P – Connor Kelley, Jr., UTSA
P – Matthew Cuccias, Jr., Wichita State
RP – Ty Thames, Fr., Rice
RP – Brady Pacha, Grad, Wichita State
C – Lance Trippel, Sr., South Florida
1B – Cody Gunderson, Sr., Charlotte
2B – JC Davis, Jr., Rice
SS – Javon Hernandez, Grad, Memphis
3B – Nick Romano, R-Sr., Florida Atlantic
OF – Alec DeMartino, Grad, Charlotte
OF – Todd Hudson, Sr., Charlotte
OF – Jack Herring, Sr., East Carolina
DH – Landon Beaver, So., UAB
UTL – Matt Rose, Sr., South Florida

All-Freshman Team
Austin Pierzynski, C, UAB
Baylor Roberts, SS, UAB
Carter Samuelson, P, UAB
Grady Lenahan, OF, East Carolina
Ethan Rose, P, East Carolina
Ethan Sanders, P, Rice
Ty Thames, P, Rice
Jack Lutz, 3B, South Florida
Dominic Pontbriant, P, South Florida
Michael Senay, P, South Florida*

* denotes unanimous selection

Players Mentioned

Braden Burress

Jack Herring

Grady Lenahan

Ethan Norby

Ethan Rose

Joseph Webb

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