Although the Pirates continue to have their pitching woes, that’s not what cost ECU the series against Tulane. The Pirates time after time hit the ball hard, only to see a shifted Wave fielder in perfect position. Conversely, Tulane hitters were quite willing to hit against the shift, and profited from their efforts. Several Pirate hitters continued pounding balls into the shifts used against them. Tulane doesn’t have a high output offense, nor do they have a pitching staff that can consistently pitch to the defensive shifts they use. For this weekend, at least, Tulane hitters actively sought to find the “empty” spot in the Pirate shift(s), something Pirate hitters either could not, or would not, do.

Two series into the conference schedule, and the Pirates can sum up the season to this point with one word - inconsistency. What proved to be a solid pitching performance on Friday gave way to pitching collapses on Saturday and Sunday. Considering the Pirates had scored just four runs through 18 innings, they were extremely lucky to have a chance at the series win on Sunday. The offense remained idle for 6 innings. Finally, in the 7th, the Pirates took advantage of some huge gifts by UTSA pitching/defense to eventually tie the game, and later take the lead. Unfortunately, the pitching failed once more. If GVK doesn’t come back soon, the Pirates better find someone who can give them 6/7 innings of decent pitching on Saturday. Pitching by committee on Saturday, Sunday, and midweek games will prove difficult, if not disastrous. It appears that many Pirate at-bats are characterized by called strikes, at a time when the bats should be active. You may not like what the umpire is calling, but you need to adapt to the strike zone being called. Whatever offensive philosophy is being used, it needs to be flexible enough to adapt to the current need. The Pirates need to hit their stride, and fast. 29 games into the season, and they are just 4 games above .500. I’m hoping for the best, but realistically, it’s not promising.

Great report !!

Dean, the correction has been made. Thank you for the heads up on this error. — Danny Whitford, Editor

Word smith correct the Headline please. TRIBE, not TriBLE. that is all. Thank you!

The Pirates are playing decent baseball, getting solid pitching and timely hitting. If the BP can find a couple more reliable arms, the Pirates could be in good shape as conference play begins. Most important, the defense seems to have the the talent to keep the Pirates in most games. The poor start to the season will be forgotten by the end of March if the Pirates keep winning.

What a difference 18 hours made. The Pirates put the run-rule loss on their home field behind them, playing dominant baseball today in Durham. Whatever happens tomorrow, the Pirates now know they can get it done against a quality opponent. Everything that went wrong last night, for the most part, was corrected. With the exception of one mistake by Van Kempen, he and Sean Jenkins pitched lights out against UNC. The Pirate bats were active from the start, and kept pressure on the ‘Heels pitching all day. 10 runs speak for themselves. Tomorrow will be very telling as both teams have experienced the exhilaration of a dominant win, and the anxiety of a drubbing.

It is painfully evident the Pirates have a lot of work to do if their postseason aspirations are to come true. This team can be successful, but the Heels exposed every weakness of the Pirates. Disregarding the top-ten ranking, UNC is a team in sync, and the Pirates are not. I believe the Pirates have all the puzzle pieces necessary to have a good season. UNC is far ahead of the Pirates in solving their puzzle. I hope I’m wrong, but this could be an ugly weekend.

The place kicker kid you referred to is named Moses Barker. I know his grandmother.

I'd like to see us pick up some DL players.

Happy birthday, Pirate elder!!! — Danny Whitford, Editor

Appears to be the most formidable recruiting class we’ve had in awhile. 92 today. One of the oldest ECU fans.

Following up, on paper, the E. Williams get for the Pirates looks HUGE; between him and the RB they attracted from N. Texas (and others, too), 2026 is shaping up very promisingly for ECU.

College football is now a minor league professional sport. Apparently, a free education is not enough for college athletes. I'm sure every parent that has to pay for their kid's education would think otherwise. This is the end of the "Student athlete". No more loyalty to school and no more rivalries of meaning. It's a sad day for those without tons of money. So, what do we have to do at ECU? Win the lottery? Please, if there is a billionaire out there with some extra cash laying around, ECU Football would be sincerely appreciative. Thank you and Goodnight!!!

I agree. That was a significant concern with Ditta, and may have factored into why he left. I'd think that he'll end up at a lesser program, and that staying put was his best chance of playing at the highest visibility program that his potential allows, but maybe he sensed that he just isn't "there," and didn't want to risk riding the pine next season.