Kalinich entering the portal is a significant blow; I feared that. I know that I shouldn't even say it, but I REALLY fear Lenehan being pilfered.

One other item I forgot to note, Jack Herring clearly wasn’t at 100%. I think if he had been healthy the Pirates would’ve been more productive through the order. He was such a constant presence down the stretch.

It was another great season; hats off to Coach, Norby, et al; they remain the class of the American, and soon we'll hopefully see how far they can go absent the injury bugaboo. The game was closer that the score might indicate. As already noted, the dp's, especially with the bases juiced and 1 out, were particularly painful, as was the 2nd error. Just before the 2nd dp, I was a little surprised that CG hadn't sent the guy on 3rd on the outfield hit that got him there; they were already in a hole by then, and I'd have expected a little more aggressiveness. EN understandably didn't have his best stuff, but the 2nd error victimized him for two runs, so I'd have expected CG to try riding him a little longer, but whatever... Everything really gelled late for this team; they became fun to watch. I imagine they have some flight risks; will they be able to hold on to Lenehan? He is beastly at the plate. On to Tuscaloosa.

First, congratulations to the Pirates for leaving it all on the field to finish a tough season. On a day that included a shutout of VCU - take a bow, Ethan Rose - the Tarheels proved why they are the #5 seed. ECU as a team looked tired, which was certainly understandable. Whereas the Pirates took advantage of the freebies issued by VCU, it was ECU giving out freebies to UNC. Walks and HBPs put the Pirates under pressure, and a couple of errors resulted in several unearned runs. Towers and Norby gave it all they had, as did Joe Webb and Gavin Marley, the latter effectively shutting down UNC. The last nails in the coffin for ECU were two double play ground balls which killed two potential rallies. In reality, the first nail in the coffin proved to be the classic, 14-inning victory over Tennessee. As the ESPN announcers noted, CG went “all in” against the Vols, using both Towers and Norby to secure the win. The strategy almost worked, but the Pirates came up short in the 1-0 game against the Tarheels, 5-7. Looking forward, I hope the Pirates can hold on to the talent that has developed this year. It’s going to be tough with all the NIL being thrown around by schools with deeper financial resources. It would be great if CG and crew doesn’t have to go through another roster rebuild. Hopefully, Jenkins, Weber, and Trammel will have successful recoveries, as well as Van Kempen.

...awesome pitching exhibition 1st inning through 9th, but you have to give the game ball to Rose. I was surprised when CG yanked him, but maybe that has to do with preserving precious pitching resources to survive this brutal regional test.

Very proud of the way the Pirates fought back. It was no secret the Pirates were short on pitching, and it caught up to ECU against a solid UNC pitching staff. The Pirate offense needed to be productive whenever a runner advanced to scoring position, and it wasn’t to be. Only the Lord and CG/AK know who will take the mound against VCU. The ESPN announcers mentioned VCU pitching was in fairly good shape going into Sunday. Hopefully the Pirate bats will get active early and often, producing multiple crooked innings. Would not be surprised if Wallace and/or Bouche make a mound appearance before it’s over.

The Pirates played with heart, grit and determination and beat another solid SEC team. By the way the SEC went 10-2 yesterday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. It was just a great college baseball game in every facet. Cliff once again showed why he is one of the best head coaches in the nation. On to Saturday and a huge matchup with UNC. I think some more magic is coming by these Pirates

I hope you're right. It's UNC tomorrow evening, which used very little pitching vs. VCU. It's likely that a big offensive showing will need to get it done for ECU, at least for tomorrow.

I think getting Antolick back, and with Hoagland being pretty solid his last couple of outings, CG has more go-to arms available. As you noted, CG made the right changes at the right times. I don’t think EN is hurt, or was gassed. I expect CG was saving Norby for at least one more appearance. Hopefully, Antolick has another appearance in him for this regional. The Pirates saved their best performance of the year for when they needed it most. They will need to keep the pedal down tomorrow, as UNC is looking very solid against VCU.

P. S. I was very surprised by the Norby departure. The broadcasters kept remarking on how CG was "all in" on the game, and so it seemed, so I definitely didn't expect the EN exit; I hope that he's OK.

This is truly one for the ages; the game MVP would need to be shared by many Pirates, and once again, CG offers a Masters class in decision-making.

Undoubtedly UNC did NOT want to see local rival ECU in its bracket; the Pirates should be playing with more a free wheeling "house money" attitude. UTSA got jobbed; the American got disrespected.

Obviously Norby et al are the ones who do the winning, but Godwin has proven to be a master button pusher, amidst the injury adversity that has plagued this season; Cliff Godwin's a national treasure to Pirates Nation.

Whatever happens going forward, the Pirates have squeezed everything out of this season they possibly could. The regular season didn’t come close to meeting expectations as it progressed, yet some how the Pirates found themselves with a chance to lock up second place with four games to go. The Pirates did the improbable and won out, and with some help, ended the season tied for 1st place. The team showed a lot of guts. By any measure, they earned the league championship. Hopefully, the Pirates will draw a good region.

When Norby has all his stuff he is as good as any pitcher in the country. He stepped up when we needed him most. Just another spectacular effort. Congrats to this team who showed guts, grit and determination to overcome the injuries this team has endured. It may have been and up and down season but this bunch showed what they are made of and won yet another title.