GREENVILLE, N.C. – No. 9 East Carolina kicks off a new week Tuesday night by traveling to Williamsburg for a non-conference contest against host William & Mary. First pitch at Plumeri Park is slated for 6 p.m.
 
Scott Rogers and Dr. Gary Overton will handle the radio broadcast on 94.3 The Game. The contest is also available to stream through FloBaseball.
 
The Pirates (27-8) navigated a five-game week nearly to perfection as they picked up midweek victories over Elon and Old Dominion as well as a series win over Charlotte. The 49ers utilized a grand slam in the top of the ninth inning Sunday just to avoid being swept for the first time all year. The pitching staff made some history as well, tossing a pair of no-hitters just three days apart in the run-rule wins over Elon and Charlotte.
 
Senior infielder Carter Cunningham is hitting his stride at the plate again as he currently leads the American Athletic Conference in batting average (.400), slugging percentage (.689), on-base percentage (.488), runs scored (42) and RBI (41) and is second in hits (54). Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman also continues to anchor the bullpen with the nation’s leading ERA (0.92). He has registered 65 strikeouts against 12 walks in 39 innings of work and has surrendered just four earned runs.
 
ECU is hitting a collective .301 with 52 doubles, seven triples and 36 home runs to go along with 43 stolen bases and 146 walks drawn. The Pirates have committed just 25 errors all season to check in at a .980 fielding percentage – a mark that sits at 13th nationally. East Carolina’s pitching staff sports a 3.38 ERA which is currently fifth among NCAA Division I programs. The Pirates are also second in the country in both WHIP (1.13) and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.64).
 
East Carolina has won six straight midweek games, including road victories at UNCW, Elon and NC State.
 
Projected Pitching Matchup
RHP Jaden Winter (2-1, 5.79 ERA, 14.0 IP) vs. RHP Alex Markus (1-3, 4.31 ERA, 31.1 IP)
 
About William & Mary
The Tribe (25-11) won a Coastal Athletic Association home series over North Carolina A&T over the weekend after picking up a 4-2 win at then No. 6 Duke in the midweek. William & Mary is hitting .276 as a team and is led by Joe Delossantos’ .359 batting average and 37 RBI. The Tribe also boasts a 3.82 ERA with 365 strikeouts against 142 walks in 316.0 innings of work. William & Mary is 16-7 at Plumeri Park in 2024.
 
The William & Mary Series
Tuesday’s affair with William & Mary marks the 100th meeting between the programs – a series that East Carolina leads by a hefty 80-19 count. The Pirates defeated the Tribe 6-5 last season in Greenville and have won five straight dating back to the 2016 campaign when ECU knocked off William & Mary in the Charlottesville Regional final to advance to the Lubbock Super Regional.
 
Individual Notables
Head Coach Cliff Godwin: Owns 378 career victories and is second on the East Carolina career coaching wins list … Has been part of 14 NCAA Regional and two College World Series teams at the Division I level as an assistant coach and head coach … Guided ECU to seven NCAA Regional berths (2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 Greenville Regional host), four Super Regional appearances, four-straight American Athletic Conference regular season titles and three AAC Tournament crowns while posting a 351-170-1 (.673) overall record … Under Godwin’s direction, 13 players have earned All-America status, 18 have been NCAA All-Regional selections, 40 have been named all-conference (25 first teamers) and 22 have been drafted by Major League Baseball teams … A four-time AAC Coach-of-the-Year selection (2015, 2019, 2021, 2022), Godwin was inducted into the George Whitfield Hall of Fame in January of 2016 … In 2018, he completed a summer stint on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team staff that posted a 12-3 record that included series wins over Chinese Taipei, Japan and Cuba … As a player, he helped former ECU skipper Keith LeClair’s teams post a 169-76 four-year ledger, including 46-plus wins in each of his final three seasons (46-16 in ’99, 46-18 in ’00 and 47-13 in ’01) … ECU won a pair of CAA Tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Regionals every season from 1999 to 2001 … The Pirates were the top seed in their regional all three years, including a No. 7 national seed in 2001 where they advanced to the Super Regional round before being eliminated by Tennessee.
 
Danny Beal: Leads the team in appearances (19) … Tossed 3.2 scoreless innings and surrendered just one hit while racking up four strikeouts in the Liberty series, collecting his first win and second save of the campaign Saturday and Sunday respectively … Earned the win in the series finale versus Columbia by tossing 2.1 scoreless relief innings … Collected his third save of the season in the 14-10 victory at UTSA … Credited with the win at NC State with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief.
Joey Berini: Has started all 35 games at shortstop … Posted a hit in each contest of the Rider series … Drove in a run in the 7-0 win over Rider (Feb. 17) … Registered three RBI in the series opener against Columbia … Clubbed his first home run of the season in the series finale at UTSA … Legged out his second career triple and registered a pair of hits in the 7-4 win over UNCW … Logged two hits in the series finale at Florida Atlantic.
Bristol Carter: Made his collegiate debut in the season opener … Has started 26 games in left field and one in center … Provided the walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth in ECU’s 10-9 win over then No. 15 North Carolina that clinched the series in front of a record Clark-LeClair Stadium crowd of 6,017 … Went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, a triple and an RBI in the series opener at Liberty … Notched two hits, two runs scored and two RBI in the series opener against Columbia … Went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the 14-10 victory at UTSA … Logged two hits and drove in two runs in the Florida Atlantic series finale … Posted a career-high three RBI in the win over Elon … Produced a pair of multi-hit performances in the Charlotte series.
Carter Cunningham: Named the AAC Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Feb. 26 … Leads the American Athletic Conference in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, runs scored and RBI … Has started 32 games at first base and three in left field … Put together a 19-game hitting streak to start the season … Paces the club with 13 multi-RBI performances and slots second in in multi-hit efforts (15) … Tallied a career-high four hits in the 7-4 win over then No. 15 North Carolina in Fayetteville … Went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, four RBI and two home runs versus Southeastern Louisiana … Collected a career-high five RBI in the series opener at Liberty … Recorded two hits and scored three runs in the victory at UNCW … Exploded for three hits, three runs scored and two RBI at NC State … Turned in a three-hit performance in the Florida Atlantic series finale.
Jake Hunter: Collected his first win of the season on the mound in East Carolina’s 7-0 victory over Rider, tossing five scoreless innings and allowing just one hit while striking out six batters … Tossed 5.1 solid frames in a no-decision against then No. 15 North Carolina, surrendering just one run on one hit with six strikeouts … Picked up his first save of the season with two scoreless innings against UAB … Threw 4.1 hitless innings to secure the win in the Florida Atlantic series finale.
Jacob Jenkins-Cowart: Has started all 35 games at right field … Leads the club in multi-hit performances (16) and is second in multi-RBI efforts (nine) … Named the AAC Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Feb. 19 … Hit .500 (6-for-12) with six runs scored, five RBI, three doubles, two home runs and a pair of stolen bases in the Rider series … Posted at least two hits in every game of the series with then No. 15 North Carolina, rapping out three hits and driving in two runs in Sunday’s 10-9 walkoff victory … Went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, three RBI and a home run at Old Dominion … Logged three hits and drove in three runs against Southeastern Louisiana … Recorded five hits, four runs scored and five RBI in the Columbia series … Notched two hits and drew two walks in the 12-4 win at NC State … Drove in three runs in the Florida Atlantic series opener … Registered two hits, three runs scored and three RBI in the win over Old Dominion … Tallied three RBI in the 5-1 win over Charlotte.
Ryley Johnson: Named the AAC Player of the Week for the first time in his career April 15 … Has started 33 games at center field and has hit leadoff in all but two contests … Has reached base safely in every game this season … Paces the club with 15 stolen bases in 18 attempts … Tallied a pair of multi-hit efforts in the series with then No. 15 North Carolina … Clubbed a pair of home runs and stole three bases in the Columbia series … Scored three runs in the Florida Atlantic series opener … Went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the 5-1 win over Charlotte.
Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman: Leads the nation with a 0.92 earned run average … Paces the squad with five saves … Slots third on the team in strikeouts (65) … Is second on the club in appearances (17) … Has surrendered just two earned runs in his last 30.2 innings of work … Notched a seven strikeouts in three innings at Campbell before tallying seven more in four scoreless innings versus Purdue … Logged 3.1 scoreless frames in the Liberty series, racking up seven strikeouts against one walk and earning his first save of the campaign in the weekend finale … Recorded five strikeouts in two innings at UNCW … Picked up the win in relief at UTSA via 2.2 scoreless innings … Threw three scoreless innings with four strikeouts to notch the victory in the 7-4 win over UNCW … Tallied a win and a save in the UAB series … Allowed just one earned run and registered seven strikeouts over five innings to record two saves in the Florida Atlantic series … Collected a career-high eight strikeouts in a four-inning save versus Charlotte.
Ethan Norby: Is holding opposing hitters to a .195 batting average over 21 innings pitched and nine appearances (four starts) … Struck out six and did not allow a hit in 4.0 scoreless and hitless innings in the UAB series finale … Became the first Pirate pitcher to register double-digit strikeouts in a relief appearance since Jake Agnos tallied 11 in a 5-4 victory over Western Carolina March 3, 2017.
Zach Root: Tabbed to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watchlist … Named the AAC Pitcher of the Week for the first time in his career on Feb. 26 … Collected his first win of the season on the mound Saturday in East Carolina’s 7-0 victory over Rider, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings and notching seven strikeouts … Was masterful in the middle contest of the series with then No. 15 North Carolina, throwing career-best seven scoreless innings while matching his career high in strikeouts (seven) against no walks … Turned in another quality start against Cal State Fullerton, surrendering just one run over seven innings while striking out a career-high 10 batters against one walk … Tossed six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in a win over Columbia … Limited Charlotte to one run in five innings of work to claim his fifth win of the season against no losses.
Jacob Starling: Currently sidelined with an oblique injury … Has started 27 games at second base … Posted three hits, five runs scored, three RBI and two home runs in the Rider series … Drove in a run and drew two walks at Campbell … Notched a career-high four hits in the 7-4 win over then No. 15 North Carolina in Fayetteville … Logged three RBI in the series finale at Liberty … Went 2-for-3 with two runs scored at UNCW … Registered two hits, two RBI and two runs scored in the win at NC State.
Colby Wallace: Has started seven-straight games at third base … Logged three hits in the win over Cal State Fullerton in his first collegiate start (designated hitter) … Posted three hits and two runs scored in the Charlotte series finale.
Justin Wilcoxen: Has started 26 games at catcher and eight at designated hitter … Notched a pair of hits and drove in a run at Campbell … Tallied two hits and an RBI in the 7-4 win over then No. 15 North Carolina in Fayetteville … Registered three hits, three runs scored, two RBI and two home runs versus Southeastern Louisiana – his first career multi-home run effort … Tied his career high with four hits at UNCW … Logged three hits and four RBI in the Columbia series finale … Notched a pair of hits and scored two runs in the win at NC State.
Dixon Williams: Has started 27 games at third base and seven at second base … Hit .375 (3-for-8) during the Rider series while scoring three runs and compiling four RBI … Has drawn a team-best nine walks … Drove in a pair of runs in the season-opening 16-2 victory … Notched two hits and scored two runs at Campbell … Clubbed his first career home run against Purdue … Tallied a career-high three RBI in the 8-0 win over Columbia … Went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the win at NC State … Went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and three RBI in the run-rule win over Charlotte.
Trey Yesavage: Tabbed to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List … Named the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week April 8th and 15th … Leads the league in strikeouts and opposing batting average …  Has posted five double-digit strikeout efforts this campaign … Was dominant in the series opener at then No. 15 North Carolina, giving up just one earned run and striking out 11 batters against one walk in six innings pitched … Went a career-long eight scoreless innings in the win over Purdue, fanning 11 hitters and scattering two hits … Struck out nine over six innings while allowing just one run in the series opener at Liberty … Struck out 10 batters and allowed just one earned run in six innings versus Columbia … Tossed seven scoreless frames and struck out 11 in the series opener at Florida Atlantic … Combined with Jackson DiLorenzo to throw a no hitter in the run-rule victory over Charlotte, striking out 12 batters over six innings.
 
Looking Ahead: East Carolina remains at home for the second-straight weekend, welcoming Wichita State to Greenville for an American Athletic Conference series from Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium.