How ready is East Carolina to get its NCAA Tournament regional underway at Clark-LeClair Stadium?

Right fielder Jacob Jenkins-Cowart woke up Thursday morning and thought it was game day.

The top-seeded Pirates (43-15) open play on Friday at 1 p.m. against fourth-seeded Evansville (35-23), champions of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

ECU has had a break since last playing in the American Athletic Conference Tournament in Clearwater, FL, on Saturday.

The Pirates worked out for 75 minutes Thursday morning before Coach Cliff Godwin, Friday’s starting left-hander Zach Root and Jenkins-Cowart fielded questions.

“It’s beneficial,” Godwin said of the break prior to the regional. “Especially with the way our injury bug has been the past couple of weeks and months. It’s good to get those guys fresh.”

Root (6-0, 3.13 earned run average) has been recovering from a thumb ailment, but returned to action to throw three hitless innings in the AAC event.

“Zach is ready to go,” Godwin said. “We feel like he’s our option to go tomorrow and we’ll go from there. He feels good and we’re excited to send him out there.”

Root said there will be a pitchers meeting before the Evansville game to go over the opposing order.

“I have a chance to go out there and set a tone,” he said.

How long will he go?

“Until I’m no longer effective,” Root said.

AAC Pitcher of the Year Trey Yesavage (11-1, 2.09) did not throw in the league tournament because of a partially-collapsed right lung.

“He threw a bullpen (Wednesday) and he’ll be ready at some point in the regional,” Godwin said.

Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman, who had missed a span and leads the team in saves with five, was not addressed specifically, but Godwin said the overall roster is approaching 100 percent.

Lunsford-Shenkman made a start in Clearwater but struggled and was pulled after 24 pitches.

The Pirates and Purple Aces are in the opposite bracket from Wake Forest (38-20) of the Atlantic Coast Conference and Virginia Commonwealth (37-21) of the Atlantic 10, who play on Friday at 6 p.m.

Friday’s winners will meet on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the double-elimination event. First-round losers play an elimination game on Saturday at noon.

ECU, the No. 16 national seed, is 26-4 at home this season, including wins over NCAA entries N.C. State, North Carolina and UNC Wilmington. The facility accommodates over 6,000 and is sold out for the regional.

“We’re blessed to be at home,” Jenkins-Cowart said. “It’s surround sound.”