All the talk from ECU baseball’s media day

The East Carolina University baseball team will throw their first pitch of the season on Feb. 16 against Rider University in a three-game home series at Clark-LeClair Stadium. As the team prepares to compete for its sixth American Athletic Conference (AAC) regular season title, certain coaches and players spoke to the media on Jan. 22 before the season opener.

The Pirates' postseason run came to an end last June when the University of Virginia defeated ECU 3-8 at the Charlottesville Regional. Now they return with 20 returners from last year seeking to lead ECU to its fifth consecutive Regional Final appearance, with Head Coach Cliff Godwin leading the way in his tenth season as a Pirate.

Godwin’s squad last year put up lofty numbers on their way to their 47 win total, the second most in ECU baseball history. The Pirates set multiple single season AAC records with hits (688), runs scored (486), runners batted in (445) and batters struck out (663) in 2023, but Godwin believes his roster this year could be more special.

“This group has a chance to be the best leadership group in the 10 years I’ve been here,” Godwin said. “Trust, that's the number one thing. You have to trust them and they have to trust me. The players have to trust one another”

Those 663 strikeouts were recorded by a bunch of Pirates players who all had their moments this season, with four of them earning AAC pitcher of the week honors.

After losing two experienced right-handed pitchers, Carter Spivey and Josh Grosz, to Major League Baseball, Godwin still has several returning players as well as freshman potential to consider for who will be starting on the mound come game one.

“I think there are about 7 guys that want it,” Godwin said. “I think Shenkman of course Hunter, Norby and Winter, I still might be leaving someone out”

With the addition of 22 new Pirates to the roster on signing day, all 12 new position players and 10 pitchers had to meet with the Pirates Recruiting Coordinator, Jeff Palumbo.

Having five consecutive 40-win seasons dating back to 2018, ECU's coaching staff has had to continue developing players throughout their playing careers. Pirates Recruiting Coordinator, Jeff Palumbo says he has three main standards for recruiting players to become Pirates.

“We talk about 3 things,” Palumbo said. “1. Ability 2. Academic commitment 3. Good person”

With the addition of 22 new Pirates to the roster on signing day, all 12 new position players

Sophomore pitcher Jake Hunter made a significant leap from year one to year two, and he is an excellent example of a pitcher waiting for his time and striking when it is hot.

From 2022 to 2023, his earned run average (ERA) and hits allowed fell, while his wins and strikeouts increased during his sophomore season. Palumbo believes this development is normal for a pitcher who comes to ECU.

“Any freshman group that comes in there has a learning curve,” Palumbo said. “Not only learning about college baseball but learning about our program. 80 to 90 percent of guys that come into this program are much better their sophomore year than their freshman year”

Pitching coach Austin Knight has already coached numerous potential pros during his two-year tenure at the Pirates, and junior pitcher Trey Yessavage is the latest in a long line of such players to gain national attention in this pitching room.

This offseason, Yessavage received numerous preseason accolades, the most notable of which was being named AAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year by AAC coaches. Knight claims that his mindset and preparation make him the backbone of the Pirates' pitching staff.

“All the positives start with Trey being hard working and a great human being,” Knight said. “He comes in this year more physically prepared and definitely more mentally prepared than he has ever been”

The 2023 pitching staff established itself as one of the best in the country, ranking fourth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.10), fifth in Walks plus hits per inning pitched (1.28), eleventh in walks allowed per nine innings (3.25), nineteenth in hits allowed per nine innings (8.24), and twenty first in ERA (4.34).

ECU had by far the top pitching room in the AAC, leading the conference in ERA, opposing batting average (.240), strikeouts (663), wins (47), fewest doubles allowed (85) and fewest triples allowed (three). Knight says to his pitcher that they are the most important players on the field.

“I talk to our pitchers about the game of baseball, they are the closest thing to a quarterback and you dictate the game, where the ball is going and if they are quick to the strike zone it’s about them owning that 10 seconds in between pitches”