...great, highly comprehensive report. Wow! Between the portal, NIL, and now this eligibility question, the "business" and regulatory aspects of football seem to have almost surpassed the game itself! It has to be a huge burden on the coaching staff, and it reflects poorly on the NCAA. Could they not have been more aggressive about proactively managing these issues? Maybe not, but it doesn't look great. I wonder how the eligibility issue potentially affects the locker room. I love the three guys potentially affected, but what about the dudes who've been there since last winter, putting in a lot of work, whose positions and playing time would be impacted? What I said about the greater burden on the staff.

Wow IS! During the glory days of ECU football (70’s& 80’s), we took football players. 6’, 270 lb linemen who could play helped secure many impressive wins against supposedly superior teams. We can’t “buy” great high school kids. We can secure “players” who have skills and a chip on their shoulder.

Your wish is granted, Seabound. I appreciate you chiming in. — Danny Whitford, Editor

Sorry Danny, please delete my comment - Holloway is not a basketball player, wrong guy. thanks for all you do

Greg, So sorry for your loss. I have enjoyed your Web Roundups for years. I pray the Vacek family will find peace knowing your father’s life was a life well-lived.

A fine Christian man and great Pirate. We all will miss him. God be with his family.

No disparagement whatsoever intended, but based on the programs going after this young man, the "market" for the most part doesn't see him being at the FBS level. It seems that that's the case for a fair number of the kids that ECU pursues. If they're going to be an upper tier AAC program, that's going to need to change.

At one time (pre internet) these were our only source of information in one reading of all the teams. I waited impatiently every season for the Athlon mags for college and the NFL to hit the stands. Now anything printed is old news. Considering the reduced budget and fading readership of any magazines, it’s unlikely they have much in depth coverage any more.

"Down I-95 would be a welcome change from up I-95 to the Military Bowl — like the last two seasons." Do you really mean that?? I'd venture that at least 90% of Pirates Nation would FAR prefer another trip to the Military Bowl for a Power Four opponent than the Pirates going down I-95 for a non-Power Four opponent (like WMU.)

I really don’t have much interest in college football anymore outside of watching ECU play. It is so pathetic how ESPN and the other networks only focus on the preferred 4 (Power 4) conferences. I have really lost interest in it because the cards are so stacked against the Group of 6 schools.

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.