A pair of losses to host North Carolina, the No. 5 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, ended the season for East Carolina in the double-elimination Chapel Hill regional.

The Pirates were topped, 7-5, on Saturday, and, 9-3, on Sunday by  the Tar Heels. ECU finished 1-3-1 against UNC for the season.

Between the matchups with the Tar Heels, the Pirates  took a 10-0 win over Virginia Commonwealth in an elimination game on Sunday.

Some major components in a 10-3 win over the Tar Heels at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Feb. 21 had been lost long before the regional.

West Virginia transfer Gavin Van Kempen pitched four and one-third innings at the DBAP. He allowed three hits, three runs (all earned) with two walks and five strikeouts.

Sean Jenkins pitched the last four and two-thirds innings and shut down the Heels on one hit, no runs, no walks and seven whiffs.

Grady Lanahan had six RBIs in that 10-3 triumph with a 3-run homer and a 3-run triple. He homered Sunday but a preceding double play had cleared the bases.

The loss of Van Kempen and Jenkins to injuries diminished the depth and talent of the pitching staff.

The tie

ECU and UNC each carried a tie on their record after a 3-3 deadlock through five innings in the third game of the series on Feb. 22.

Freshman right-hander Colby Weber started that game for the Pirates and tossed four and one-third innings. He, too, subsequently was lost for the season.

Adjustments

ECU’s solution to the pitching adversities was to adjust roles, pitch better and go longer, if possible.

Junior left-hander Ethan Norby, a former Friday night starter, began a more flexible role in the run to the American Conference tournament title, coming out of the bullpen for a save and a win.

Lefties Ryan Towers and Luke Payne made some effective starts.

Ethan Rose and Joe Webb stepped up as called on as starters or in relief.

Marley’s improvement

Right-hander Gavin Marley faced three batters in the Sunday tie with the Tar Heels. He allowed two hits and plunked a batter. He was responsible for an earned run.

Marley was much more effective against UNC in appearances on Saturday and Sunday.

He totaled five and one-third scoreless innings with three hits, no walks and four strikeouts.

Cliff’s comments

ECU coach Cliff Godwin managed the Pirates to a 38-24-1 record despite the obstacles.

The costly ailments weren’t limited to pitchers. A shoulder injury sidelined Braxton Tramel, who hit .345 in 24 games in 2025.

Godwin’s club made a late run to become co-champions for the American Conference regular season and the Pirates assured their eighth straight NCAA berth by winning the league tournament.

“We just couldn’t get off the field those first three innings,” said Godwin of the regional final as ECU trailed, 8-1, through three innings.

Towers and Norby tried to go after extended stints in a 7-3 win over Tennessee in 14 innings in the regional opener on Friday.

“We made a couple of errors and to me, freebies,” Godwin said. “North Carolina made us pay.”

In the big picture the Pirates showed desire and determination.

“I’m as proud of this group as any group I’ve ever coached,” said the 12th-year ECU coach. “They just kept fighting. They didn’t quit. …  The fibers of the human beings in that locker room are about the right stuff.”

Seniors Joe Webb and Jack Herring as well as Norby, a junior who appears to project favorably in the MLB draft, accompanied Godwin to the last postgame news conference of the season.

Joe Webb

Webb has played for two ECU alumni. Drew Reynolds was a former coach. He transferred from Liberty.

“Just hearing about the culture here,” Webb said. ” … That’s why I wanted to come here and put myself through it. Push myself to the limits and get in games like this.”

Jack Herring

Right fielder Jack Herring played in the regional final despite a wrist injury. The pain was secondary to his commitment to the team.

“I chose to fight for my guys because I knew they would fight for me,” he said.

Ethan Norby

Norby cherished his time with his teammates and the developmental influence of his coaches.

“We spent two weeks in Florida,” he said “Spending a lot of time playing video games, going to the pool and having fun. Those are the memories I’ll cherish.

“Coach Godwin gave me a shot and AK (pitching coach Austin Knight) just poured so much into me. I’m extremely thankful for everything they’ve done for me and my family.”

Norby’s older brother, Connor, preceded him in the Pirate program.

Connor Norby had an RBI double in the sixth inning for Miami on Monday night for the go-ahead run in a 7-3 win at Washington.

Texas proposal

Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle would like to do away with the 16 regionals format of the NCAA tournament.

“You need to be playing three weekends of three-game series,” he said after the Longhorns won the Austin regional. “Then you find out. You don’t have these weird weekends and rain and matchups and pitching off.

“The whole college baseball season is about three-game series. It would be 32 three-game series, followed by 16 three-game series, followed by eight three-game series, and then we go to the World Series. Then you’ll find out who the best teams are.”