Carolinian
East Carolina University hosted the 2025 Summer Job Fair on Thursday, April 10, offering seasonal employment for all majors.
The event took place in the ballroom on the second floor of the Main Campus Student Center and featured over 50 employers in attendance.
Jorge Jimenez, task force manager at MrBeast, said his department is currently looking for anyone who is interested in stepping into the field of production or learning how the team operates.
"It's a really great opportunity,” Jimenez said. “It kind of gives you the opportunity to learn about the media.”
Jimenez said he started off as an ECU student and that hosting career events like the Summer Job Fair gives students the chance to be introduced to different fields.
Jimenez said the task force department at MrBeast offers a lot of flexible hours, and if students aren’t interested in that department, they can visit the company career site to see if a role fits them better.
“I was in the same seat as many students
This past Friday, April 12, in a 4-2 vote, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that more than 60,000 votes can be counted and partially repealed a decision by the lower Court of Appeals on Friday, April 4.
The appeals court order said that several hundred people should have their ballots thrown out no matter what and gave the other 60,000 voters 15 days to prove their identity to the state's election board.
The NC Court of Appeals had decided by way of a 2-1 vote in favor of Jefferson Griffin, a Republican judge in the state Court of Appeals who challenged the incumbent Democratic Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs for her seat.
Griffin had challenged counting more than 60,000 ballots due to what he says are voter registration inconsistencies. Riggs received 734 more votes than Griffin, and they have been recounted twice.
Although the past decision has partially repealed the earlier ruling, votes from military and overseas voters can still be excluded from the official totals. Military and overseas voters now have 30 days to provide a photo ID, or else their
here,” Jimenez said. “I think it's a really great opportunity for students to come in and see what's available out there in Greenville.”
Tara van Niekerk, program coordinator for ECU Water Resources Center, said they are looking for a Communications Facilitator to help develop content for social media, create flyers and posters, and support marketing strategies for various programs at the center.
Niekerk said their hiring period spans the summer through the fall and spring semesters. One of their main initiatives is the Community Water Pool, where they work closely with students to build their professional skills.
“It's a great opportunity for them to connect with faculty that have opportunities,” Niekerk said. “Like job opportunities, volunteer opportunities—for them to gain real-world skills and just get involved in networking and learn about different opportunities on campus.”
Brandon Turay, a master’s student in sociology at ECU, said he attended the event to explore what opportunities ECU and various employers have to offer.
Turay said he was particularly looking for part-time internships that align with his area of expertise.
“This is very important for students of all skill levels and majors,” Turay said. “Lots of good people here.”
George Davis, a speech-language pathology major at ECU, said he was searching for a part-time summer opportunity that could potentially continue into the future.
ballots will be thrown out.
Brad Lockerbie, a professor of political science at East Carolina University, says the outcome of the court's decision could have a great impact on the state's Supreme Court. He said, “The implications for this are fairly important because one seat shift on the state Supreme Court can be quite consequential, because it's an evenly divided or largely evenly divided Supreme Court.”
The Supreme Court is a Republican
majority, with Riggs and Associate Justice Anita Earls being the only Democrats out of the seven justices holding seats. He also says that whoever ends up winning could “influence a lot of laws, such as the voter ID law in North Carolina, as well as other requirements for voting, plus all the other issues that are going to come before the state Supreme Court.”
Davis said he came across several opportunities related to hospital and rehabilitation services, including organizations like Easterseals, which provides disability services and support.
“It’s awesome,” Davis said. “I've just been impressed by the variety of things here.”
els to Birmingham, Alabama for a three game series against the University of Alabama at Birmingham this weekend from April 17-19. All games will be played at Young Memorial Field, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. on
PHOEBE
gather around the
Force Department station at the Summer Job Fair held by ECU.
Dixon Williams
PHOEBE GREGG I THE EAST CAROLINIAN
Fair: Hyster-Yale.
Student research studies music therapy and yoga
East Carolina University students
Abby Ortiz and Kensey Tarkington are teaming up for a research study that combines music therapy and yoga. The two are leading a fourweek virtual program called “Listen, Breathe, Move,” that is meant to help informal family caregivers in eastern North Carolina.
They presented their work at the Southeastern Region American Music Therapy Association conference in March. Faculty mentors Dr. Adrienne Steiner-Brett and Dr. Bhibha Das received a $10,000 grant to support the study. The team is recruiting for two new sessions starting in May and hopes to continue expanding the program with video resources and new data measurements.
ECU student studies health impact of carbon-fiber shoes
Ankur Padhye, a doctoral student in ECU’s Department of Physical Therapy, is exploring how carbon fiber running shoes affect the foot’s internal mechanics. Padhye uses motion-capture technology, pressuresensing insoles, and modified shoes to study forefoot bones and joints during movement.
His research could help determine if these high-tech shoes reduce stress or shift it elsewhere. Although they are expensive and also limited in durability, carbon-fiber shoes may benefit certain runners if used correctly. Padhye’s work addresses the need for more physical therapy researchers, and is helping bring together patient care with science.
CORRECTIONS
& CLARIFICATIONS
If you feel there are any factual errors in this newspaper, please contact editor@theeastcarolinian.com.
New Narcan delivery stations in ECU
East Carolina University took an influential step in combating the opioid crisis by installing Narcan delivery stations in bars and residence halls making overdose reversal medication more accessible in the places that need it the most.
Reese Hiatt, president of Team Awareness Combatting Overdose (TACO) at ECU, explained that the idea to install overdose safety kits in Greenville bars was sparked by witnessing an overdose at a downtown bar. The staff had difficulty locating Narcan, leading to a chaotic situation that could have been avoided.
After witnessing the overdose, Hiatt brought up her idea to Dr. Lori Ann Eldridge and Mrs. Paige Irons, both professors in the Department of Health Education and Promotion and faculty mentors for TACO. The proposal was then shared with the rest of the TACO executive team including Madison Wood, Jillian Conroy, Jordan Cianci, and Alyson Kouhi who launched the community engagement initiative.
“With opioid-related deaths occurring at an alarming rate of one every five minutes, making naloxone accessible in Greenville’s nightlife spaces is a vital step in creating a safer environment for everyone,” said Dr. Lori Ann Eldridge.
According to Hiatt, the first step was
introducing the idea to local bars, with TACO executive members personally speaking to bar owners. Reese Hiatt later presented the initiative at a monthly bar owners' meeting, receiving strong support from most, with only two bars declining without explanation.
The second step involved securing Narcan for the kits. With help from advisors, the team obtained access to free Narcan and Opvee and secured a standing order to legally distribute the medications.
Hiatt further explained that the final step was implementing the overdose safety kits, which included Narcan or Opvee, fentanyl test strips, overdose response instructions, and a contact card for restocking. The kits were distributed before Halloween in 2024, with a total of 30 units provided all free of charge
According to Dr. Eldridge, in partnership with TACO, the following establishments have committed to stocking naloxone behind the bar to help address opioid-related emergencies: Stilllife Greenville, Pantana Bobs, Sup Dogs, Crush, Grumpy's, Nash Hot Chicken, Holistic Company, Club 519, and Dirty Dan's.
“The next step would be ensuring the bars stay stocked with supplies,” said Hiatt. “We will also hopefully be able to get more bars and even restaurants in Greenville that have a student presence to participate in the initiative.”
“As the opioid crisis continues to devastate communities across the United States, TACO is committed to building a culture of safety and awareness,” said Hiatt.
ECU YPA advocates for bills with Pitt County representive
East Carolina University’s Young People’s Alliance (YPA) Chapter met with Pitt County Representative Gloristine Brown last Sunday to discuss various issues plaguing young people in Pitt County.
YPA is a nonpartisan organization that promotes political action among young people. The main goal of the Young People’s Alliance is to promote politics and give young people more of a voice when it comes to political matters.
Many of the issues that young people are facing include the use of A.I. in the workforce, the housing crisis, and the rising price of groceries.
One of the biggest things ECU YPA President Emma Corbett highlighted is that it is important to engage with people who may disagree.
“I think it is important to engage with people you disagree with; you will always learn something new,” Corbett said.
ECU’s YPA President Emma Corbett said their biggest goal is to advocate for mental health and create more awareness around it. “Mental health is the biggest concern of our chapter,” said Corbett.
ECU YPA Vice President Josie Klaker said the establishment of wellness days for students on campus was previously discussed but ultimately did not happen because it could not be fit into the semester.
“Duke and UNC Chapel Hill have wellness days, so there is no reason why we shouldn’t have them when we have the same amount of days in a semester,” said Klaker.
Corbett said one of the issues YPA wants to tackle in the future is occupational licensing. “It perpetuates this cycle that keeps people in power while not allowing young people to advance,” said Corbett.
ECU YPA Secretary Brent Humann said there was a YPA rally last Tuesday, and at the rally they advocated for many bills that addressed the housing crisis and mental health services in Pitt County.
PHOEBE GREGG I THE EAST CAROLINIAN Dirty Dans: one of the bars that was receptive to the idea of implementing Narcan stations.
CONTRIBUTED BY EMMA CORBETT
ECU's Young People's Alliance (YPA) Chapter met with Pitt County Representative Gloristine Brown.
Trisha Rangaru TEC STAFF
Dakota Hamm TEC STAFF
PHOEBE GREGGW I THE EAST CAROLINIAN Narcan delivery kit introduced around campus.
PHOEBE GREGG I THE EAST CAROLINIAN
New Narcan delivery stations have been added into bars.
Emma Corbett
OUR VIEW
We, the editorial staff of the East Carolinian, believe that COVID-19 disrupted both the education and lives of students. Many students fell back academically and they were not able to just jump back into school after the quarantine period was over.
We need to create classrooms that recognize and respond to students’ emotional needs. Emotional issues can show up as distractions, rudeness, withdrawal, or apathy. These behaviors are oftentimes labeled as defiance or laziness, when in reality, they are signs of deep emotional distress that people are just unable to recognize. Unfortunately, teachers are not always trained to identify or support students who are struggling in such a silent way.
This is where trauma-informed practices can make a difference. Instead of relying only on discipline, schools should prioritize professional development that helps educators respond with empathy, understanding, and kindness. Programs like TraumaInformed Practices in Schools give teachers the tools to build supportive environments. If educators are more aware of how to go about identifying when students are under distress, they can better solve the problem when it begins and create solutions in the right way.
We believe that addressing trauma is not a distraction from academic recovery. If students do not feel supported in their learning environment, they cannot fully engage with the material and truly comprehend what they are being taught. By equipping schools to better understand and respond to trauma, we are supporting both the emotional health of students and their academic and career life goals.
PIRATE RANTS
President Donald Trump’s campaign and allies spent $21 million of campaign spending on attack ads against transgender people. With that level of spending, I was shocked to find out it was not a top concern for voters of either party, but it continued to prevail as a campaign priority.
Opponents of transgender participation in sports continue to voice their opinions, three months into the Trump presidency. Just last month, the Trump administration suspended $175 million in federal funding to Penn State over a transgender swimmer. $175 million is a bit dramatic over one swimmer, or in the case of the entire NCAA, fewer than 10 athletes.
Even Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom was recently under fire for sharing his views on a podcast where the host was clearly trying to get a sound bite to go viral. Others, like Rep. Nancy Mace, have also caught on to the mediagenic nature of
transphobia right now. “You want penises in women’s bathrooms, and I’m not going to have it,” she said in a U.S. House hearing last month. I had no clue who Nancy Mace was prior to her notorious views on LGBTQ+ rights. Frankly, her flip from being a supporter of LGBTQ+ rights to shouting “Tr**ny” in a hearing seems less like a change of opinion and more of a cry for attention.
Recently, Representative Zooey Zephyr spoke to her colleagues in the State Legislature about a bill that would ban drag performances and pride parades in Montana. Her simple cry for humanity flipped 29 Republicans, ultimately killing the bill. To me, this proves that even the most polarizing topics are not that polarizing when you tune out the noise and look at what is right in front of you for what it is.
Recently, at my cousin’s 12-and-under flag football game, it became clear which team was going to win. Their bigger, bulkier builds gave them a clear advantage. “That
kid is huge, he looks fourteen,” I heard a parent say to the person next to her.
Besides the offhanded comment, it seemed that the parents took no issue with the size difference. I even turned to my aunt and asked her about it. Her response, “This league is based on age, not size,” warranted a head tilt. I was confused that there wasn’t more outrage among the parents about the size discrepancy. This response contradicts the sentiment I see online each morning when reading the news. Whether a public figure, politician, or journalist, people seem to be getting worked up about “fairness” in sports, citing a variety of physical characteristics. In professional sports, there are strict eligibility guidelines set forth by each sport’s governing body.
I’m kinda disappointed in bars downtown because why don’t all of them have Narcan stations in them.
I’m so proud of dirty dance for being the only bar downtown with Narcan. The sa protest are amazing in all like the cause that we’re doing it for, and the reason is amazing but the girl who started it was doing it for the wrong reasons like you’re gonna get expelled for beating someone up and then expect to not get trespassed and even that not get trespassed the second time you come back not even 12 hours after the first one.
There’s something magical about spring that makes everything feel new again. The trees turn green, flowers like cherry blossom pop with color, and the world feels brighter. It’s like a gentle reminder that even after the coldest season, beauty always returns.
I hate that ECU mulches its leaves. It looks ugly and destroys habitats for pollinators.
Seriously, how did time move this fast? One moment I was struggling with English and feeling lost, and now I’m laughing with friends, exploring North Carolina, and actually growing confident. It’s hard to say goodbye to ECU Language Academy when this place started to become home.
The new Bloomberg Originals documentary “Can’t Look Away,” which follows parents suing tech companies after the deaths of their children, is difficult to watch. It should be.
The film lays bare what many parents already know: Social media is rewiring their children’s brains, creating a generation of short attention spans and social anxiety.
While viewing the film, what became clear is that tech platforms aren’t doing nearly enough to stop it — and probably never will.
It’s apparent simply in Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg’s shift in tone. In January 2024, he stood before some of these parents at a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing and said, “I’m sorry for everything you’ve gone through.”
Before the year was out, the Facebook creator’s rhetoric had changed. Donning a gold chain and longer hair, he told an audience of technologists “I don’t apologize anymore.”
So much for remorse. “I think Zuckerberg feels unfairly personally attacked,” Jim Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media, tells me. Steyer’s company, long a thorn in the tech mogul’s side, promotes safer tech for children. “It’s the billionaire’s victim mentality, and it’s truly disappointing.”
“He basically gave the middle finger to the world and said, ‘I’m done,’” Steyer adds. “But the real thing is, he wasn’t driven by the same imperatives as some of the more responsible tech leaders, and quite frankly neither were many of his colleagues at the top of the company.”
Realistically, Zuckerberg isn’t going to dive into making Instagram safer for
teenagers. He seems more willing to do the opposite, having just reined in fact-checking and content moderation on Facebook in an obvious appeasement effort toward President Donald Trump, to help improve relations with the administration. (Republicans have accused Meta of censorship for years, while Trump has threatened Zuckerberg with life in prison.)
Sure, social media firms have made some helpful changes until now, but they’ve been laughably minor. In 2020, TikTok added special controls to help parents manage screen time on the app, and in 2021 Instagram made teen accounts private by default.
The East Carolinian does not endorse the statements made in Pirate Rants.
Arts & Entertainment
EVENTS
TODAY
Bachata & Salsa Dance Class
Purple Yoga Blossom Studio
302 South Evans Street, Greenville, NC 27858
7:30 PM to 9:00 PM 252-364-2917
Chillin’ with my Gnomies! Jaycee Park Center for Arts & Crafts
2000 Cedar Lane, Greenville, NC 27858
4:30 PM to 5:30 PM 252-329-4551
ECU Percussion Ensemble
ECU A.
The Drifters set to perform at ECU
Tomorrow
Live Music Thursdays
5th Street Hardware Restaurant and Taproom 120 W 5th St, Greenville, NC 27858
7:00 PM to 10:00 PM 252-364-8921
Beginning Sewing: Lounge Pants
Pitt Community College
1986 Pitt Tech Rd., Winterville, NC 28590
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM 252-493-7317
ECU PIANO AREA CONCERT
ECU A. J. Fletcher Music Center
102 A. J. Fletcher Music Center, Greenville, NC 27858
7:30 PM to 9:30 PM 252-328-6851
Saturday
Artist Reception: Solace By Way of Wonder II by Shayla Thornton EMD Gallery
3725 N. Main Street, Farmville, NC 27828
6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
5th Street Players: A Cabaret Show
“Femininomenon” Sweet Aji 801 Dickinson Ave, Greenville, NC 27834
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM 252-227-4512
2nd Annual Autastic Charity Golf Tournament
Farmville Golf & Country Club
3471 Bynum Drive, Farmville, NC 27828
9:00 AM to 11:59 PM
LIVE MUSIC WITH RYAN TROTTI BAND
Buccaneer Music Hall
2120 E Fire Tower Rd, Greenville, NC 27858
10:00 PM to 11:59 PM 252-756-5505
Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Drifters will perform in Wright Auditorium on April 25 at 7:30 p.m. The Drifters will bring back old-school soul and R&B to East Carolina University to show the younger generation classic music.
Forming in the 1950s, The Drifters are a group with other Rock and Roll Hall of Famers such as Ben E. King and Clyde McPhatter as members.
The original incarnation of The Drifters was discovered by George Treadwell, who also discovered other legendary performers such as Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn, and Nina Samone.
Guiding their careers for over twenty years, the Treadwell family helped make The Drifters the second most successful artist of all time, according to Billboard Magazine. The Drifters are very important to the
history of soul music. They were the first African American vocal group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. One of their most famous songs, “Under The Boardwalk,” is one of the most played R&B songs of all time. The Drifters were also the first group to include string sections in an R&B song with “Up on the Roof.”
According to ECU’s College of Fine Arts and Communication website, they have performed at the White House three separate times, performed a benefit concert the day the wall fell in Berlin, performed for the Pope and the Queen of England, and performed for Nelson Mandela.
According to Director of Audio Services Alex Davis, The Drifters’ performance has been planned for a while, and he jumped at the chance to have them perform at ECU since they’re currently on tour.
“When I saw that they were touring, I just
knew with the legacy they have, especially in eastern North Carolina, we had to have them performing,” Davis said.
Davis described The Drifters as “timeless” due to their appeal to both older and newer audiences. “There is no R&B group like The Drifters,” said Davis.
The Treadwell family is coming out of retirement to assemble a reunion for The Drifters’ current iteration. The performance is a part of their latest American tour of U.S. facilities that celebrates 50 years of the extensive and legendary catalog of songs.
Tickets for the performance can be purchased at the Main Campus Student Center.
Zoe Laakmann’s ECU graduate recital
Zoe Laakmann, a master’s student at East Carolina University’s School of Music, is performing her graduate recital on April 19th at 3 p.m. in the Fletcher Music Center recital hall with a special addition to her program.
Laakmann said this recital is a chance to showcase what she has learned here at ECU to her friends and family. “This recital is sort of the culmination of my work here, and it’s like a final chapter of my time here at ECU,” she said.
Laakman said the recital will consist of around 16 pieces, with the first half coming from the Baroque Era of music and the second half containing pieces that came after.
“Mostly it’s what repertoire I’ve been studying over the last two years, but I have a place in my heart for early music,” said Laakman
She has been preparing for this recital for around two years and is most excited about debuting her work from her master’s project. For this project, Laakmann said she took an aria, a song for a solo singer, from an opera and made an arrangement of it herself.
She said she had to do this because the piece’s artist, Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, was a female composer from the late 16 hundreds. She said her music was not well known because the women composers of the time were not recognized. This made it difficult for Laakmann to find the written version of the aria to be able to sing it. So, she said for her master’s project, Laakmann had to create a modern arrangement of the piece
in the interest of singing it at her recital. “I’m really excited to share the work I’ve done on that because I’ve been working on it for a while,” said Laakmann.
Dan Shirley, Laakmann’s applied voice instructor at ECU’s School of Music, said he has coached many graduate students in the master’s program at ECU. Yet, this is the first time he’s had a student find a longforgotten work and arrange it to share it with the world, he said.
Dr. Shirley said Laakmann found the manuscript online, but it’s written in a very antiquated style of music notation. Nonetheless, he said she took the document and put it into a modern notation for modern musicians to play. “Because of the antiquity of the notation in the document, you wouldn’t be able to hand it to a pianist and say hey let’s try this thing,” said Dr. Shirley.
A piece of advice Dr. Shirley
said he has given Laakman is that versatility is important, but so is specialization. He said Laakmann’s work in the School of Music allowed her to find a specialized interest in historical music and music by women. “This project where she’s arranging the piece is a really unique sort of melting together of all those interests,” said Dr. Shirley. He said her project was admirable because it brings attention to women composers. This is important because he said that many women who were excellent composers throughout history had their contributions pushed aside from men getting most of the attention.
Dr. Shirley said men such as Mozart and Beethoven had more of the focus, so Laakmann’s work will help to undo this. “Because of the work that Zoe did on it, I’m hoping more people find out about this piece and this composer,” he said.
Dr. Shirley said he also hopes that Laakmann’s recital will impress not only the audience but also the voice teachers. He said it would be amazing if teachers would take the arrangement she made and use it for their students. “I’m hoping this work that she did will enable this really charming, attractive, opera aria to be performed here, there, and everywhere,” said Dr. Shirley. He said he wanted the audience to enjoy the recital and see how Laakmann transcended her singing ability. Dr. Shirley said she’s not only a wonderful singer, but a scholar who is dedicated to her work. He also said Laakmann is someone who finds interesting angles in literature they study, and supports the voices of women composers that have been silenced throughout history.
Classifieds & Puzzles
Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is a 9 — Go for fun and romance. Let your heart dictate actions, with Mars in Leo for six weeks. Energize artistic efforts. Get creative. Love inspires.
Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is an 8 — Collaborate within your budgets. Invent inspiring domestic plans for improvements over 45 days. Action gets results. Build and renovate, with Mars in Leo.
Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is a 9 — Collaborate and strategize. Connect for the deeper story over six weeks, with Mars in Leo. Research, study and explore. Dig into a fascinating subject.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is a 9 — Flex your muscles. Profit from action, with Mars in Leo for six weeks. It’s easy to spend, too, with rising cash flow. Disciplined practices score.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is a 9 — Develop leadership. With Mars in your sign, you’re especially strong and confident over about six weeks. Advance personal goals and dreams. Rise and shine.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 9 — Get productive at home. Invent and plan over six week,s with Mars in Leo. Clear the past from your spaces to prepare for what’s next.
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — Share the load and get farther. Teamwork lightens the heaviest burdens over the next six weeks, with Mars in Leo. Together, anything’s possible.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is a 9 — Energize lucrative opportunities. Advance your career boldly, with Mars in Leo for about six weeks. Get moving! A rise in status is possible.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is an 8 — Explore, study and investigate. With Mars in Leo, your wanderlust pulls you outside. Travel to exotic destinations. To learn, go to the source.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 9 — Monitor budgets. Profit through coordinated action. Lucrative collaborative ventures arise over the next 45 days, with Mars in Leo. Work together for common gain.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 7 — Energize shared goals with your partner. Work together and get farther, with Mars in Leo. Lean on each other. Share physical support. Collaborative action wins.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is a 7 — You’re growing stronger. Physical action scores over the next six weeks. Power into a project, with Mars in Leo. Practice for power and endurance.
by Jacqueline E. Mathews
Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews
©2024 NANCY
Sports
The East Carolinian Sports experts predict this week’s events
Garett Skillman TEC Sports Editor
ECU VS. ASU
Score Prediction?
ECU 2-1
Why?
While I’m not very confident in the Pirate’s pulling out the series win, I feel like it’s must-win. After losing two straight weekend series, they’ve dropped to fifth in the conference after they started off 6-0. Despite the struggles, I trust Cliff Godwin to pull out the series win.
ECU VS. ASU Score Prediction?
ECU 2-1
Why?
If you had asked me 3 weeks ago I would have said this is a series sweep but the Pirates have severely disappointed me over the last couple weeks. A sweep to FAU and the series loss to Charlotte is just not supposed to happen. I will shout out Brad Pruett, Braden Burress, Ethan Young and Braxton Tramel (get well soon). Hopefully those 3 guys play great and Dixon and Norby step it up this weekend so we can at least get the series win.
Nick Green WZMB Sports & News Director
ECU VS. ASU Score Prediction?
ECU 2-1
Why?
We need this now more than ever, the Pirates have had a very slow start and with us being halfway done with the season, it’s our time to close out the year as strong as possible. While I would love a sweep, realistically with how we’ve been playing I don’t see it so I think we go 2-1 on the weekend.
ECU Softball drops to Wichita St.
Tyler Buonocore TEC STAFF
The East Carolina University softball team (24-19, 10-8 American Athletic Conference) traveled to Wichita, Kansas this past weekend to take on the Wichita State University Shockers (21-19-1, 9-8-1 AAC) in a three game conference set. The Lady Pirates woefully dropped the series 2-1 and put themselves at fifth place in the conference (one spot ahead of the Shockers) as they head into the home stretch of the season.
With just 11 games left in the season, nine of them being conference games, and two and a half games back of the two seed, ECU will be vying for position to try and grab a first round bye in the AAC tournament if they can secure a top two seed.
Game one of the series was complete domination by Wichita St. as they held ECU to just four hits and two runs. Sophomore outfielder Kanisha Anderson and junior outfielder Emma Jackson were bright spots for the Pirates as Jackson drove in the only two runs of the game on a home run in the third inning. Anderson continued her tear at the plate going 2-3.
The Shockers got the scoring going in the bottom half of the first inning, pushing across two runs to take an early lead. Wichita St. added to their lead in the second on a three-run shot to left-center field to make it 5-0. Jackson hit her home run for the Pirates in the top of the third, but Wichita St. responded with a huge offensive outburst that saw six runs come across the plate making it 11-2. The scoring ended there and the Shockers would take game one of the series.
Game two was tightly contested as the teams went back and forth and the result was a one run final. After the teams went scoreless in the first two frames, ECU got on the board first when graduate catcher Annie Kate Dalton blasted a ball over the left field wall to give the Lady Pirates a 3-0 lead. After a scoreless bottom half and top of the fourth, the Shockers exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Although, only three of these runs were earned as errors proved costly for ECU.
The Lady Pirates were resilient in the top of the fifth, coming back with three runs of their own to tie the game at six. Graduate infielder Morgan Johnson drove in all three runs when she crushed a home run to center field. Wichita St. grabbed the lead back in the bottom half of the inning on a solo home run by junior utility player Taylor Sedlacek. A sacrificial bunt would drive in another run to give the Shockers a 8-6 advantage.
The Pirates once again struck back with two in the top of the sixth with Johnson and Dalton driving in two runs for ECU to knot the game at eight. Neither team pushed across runs their next time batting which gave Wichita St. the chance to walk it off in
the bottom of the seventh inning. A leadoff double followed by a sac-bunt put a runner on third with one out. Junior infielder Sami Hood became the hero for the Shockers as a single drove in the winning run and clinched the series for Wichita St. Game three was a pitching clinic that required extra innings for a winner to be determined. Freshman pitcher Kendall Frost had her second start of the weekend for ECU. After struggling in game one, she pitched a gem in game three giving up two earned runs on three hits and pitched all nine innings. Wichita St. grabbed the lead early pushing a run across in the first and second innings while keeping the Pirates scoreless.
A round tripper by junior infielder Mary-Kathryn Scott put ECU on the board in the third and cut the Shockers lead in half. An error by ECU gave Wichita St. another run in the bottom of the third stretching their lead back to two. A sac-fly by the Lady Pirates in the top of the fourth made it a one run game again at 3-2. After
a scoreless inning and a half ECU was able to knot the game at three thanks to a Dalton single which drove in Johnson. Dominant pitching from both sides took the game into extra innings and neither team could break through until the ninth inning. Anderson got on base with one out, then Jackson hit a bomb to left-center field to put ECU on top 5-3. Frost was able to get three outs in the bottom of the ninth and steal game three of the series and avoid the series sweep. Up next for the Lady Pirates is a conference series against Florida Atlantic University (35-9, 14-4 AAC) who is currently leading the way atop the American conference. The games will be hosted at Max R. Joyner Family Stadium in Greenville, N.C. from April 17-19 with all games being streamed on ESPN+.
2025 East Carolina baseball mid-season breakdown
Roughly halfway through the 2025 season, the Pirate’s hold a 7-5 conference record and sit fifth in the American Athletic Conference standings with a 21-16 overall mark. After a lackluster start to the season compared to recent years, ECU baseball is looking to keep its postseason baseball hopes alive.
The Pirate’s have lost six out of their last seven games and dropped back-to-back weekend series in a row. In the Cliff Godwin era, this is his worst ever record by April 15 that he has had since his first season as head coach in 2015. The team’s performances have been in part due to a young roster while also losing former players to the MLB draft and the transfer portal. About half of the 2025 roster is made up of freshman players, with only a few returning position players from last season.
Injuries have also taken a toll on the Pirate’s this season. Junior pitcher Ryan Towers, sophomore pitcher Brett Antilock, and senior outfielder Ryley Johnson have all missed time. Ryley Johnson, one of the few veteran players for the Pirates, has appeared in just three games this season due to injury. Meanwhile, Towers and Antilock, who were expected to play key roles in the pitching rotation, have yet to make an appearance.
Sophomore pitcher Ethan Norby has been a bright spot for the Pirates, earning National Pitcher of the week by Perfect Game and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Norby set the single game strikeout record against Coastal Carolina
University with 19 strikeouts on March 7 and is just the sixth ECU pitcher to earn National Pitcher of the week.
Junior pitcher Ethan Young, and sophomore pitcher Brad Pruett have also stepped up in the relief roles in addition to starting a handful of game’s this season.
While ECU’s pitching staff has kept them in many games, the lack of offensive support has been a consistent problem, resulting in several close game losses this season.
The Pirates batting lineup has consistently underperformed, leading to a notice-
able dip in offensive production compared to previous seasons. Head Coach Cliff Godwin has been tweaking the starting lineup almost every week to find a formula that will drive in runs, but has yet to find a consistent lineup. Leaving players on base has been one of the main problems with this Pirate’s offense, and has been the common theme all season.
Junior infielder Dixon William’s had a strong start to the season, but the veteran power hitter has cooled off as of lately.
Sophomore infielder Colby Wallace and freshman infielder Braden Burress have been the stars at the plate. Wallace currently leads the team in RBI’s with 12 more than the next player and Burress is leading the time in batting average with a .383. Freshman
infielder Braxton Tramel has also played a part in leading the offense with a .345 batting average, four home runs, and 15 RBI’s. If the Pirate’s want any chance at winning the AAC, the stars will need to keep the bat’s hot. ECU have upcoming conference weekend series against the University of Alabama at Birmingham (19-17, 4-8 AAC) on April 17-19, and Tulane University (23-14, 7-5 AAC) from April 25-27, which will ultimately decide if the Pirate’s have a shot at winning the American Conference. In what could be considered a down or rebuilding year, there’s still plenty of baseball left to play.
COURTESY OF ECU PIRATES
ECU softball player
Garett Skillman
Cannon Gates
Brad Pruett
Pirate’s baseball drop series against Charlotte 49ers
East Carolina’s University’s baseball team (21-16, 7-5 American Athletic Conference) suffered its second consecutive series loss last weekend at the hands of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (21-14, 8-4 AAC). The Pirates dropped both the Friday and Saturday matchup and won the Sunday game which notched a 2-1 series loss.
ECU has now dropped from third to fifth place in the American Conference following the loss. Sunday’s 12-4 victory snapped a six game losing streak for East Carolina. This was the longest losing streak under Cliff Godwin’s reign as the head coach since the 2017 season.
Friday’s game was played at Truist Field in downtown Charlotte, N.C. with the Pirates losing 6-0 and a grand total of five hits and 12 strikeouts offensively. Not a single player recorded over one hit on the ball game. The East Carolina ace sophomore lefty Ethan Norby was on the mound and pitched for five innings allowing six hits, six runs (five earned runs), and two walks while striking out five batters.
Freshman pitcher Bradley Zayac came in for Norby out of the bull-pen and allowed
one hit and zero runs while striking out three batters. Saturday’s game was more of the same for the purple and gold as the Pirate’s lost 2-3 at UNCC’s Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium.
Sophomore righty Brad Pruett got the start and pitched for 4.1 innings allowing three hits, three earned runs, two walks and two strikeouts. East Carolina scored their only two runs of the game off of a double that hit off of the wall in right center from junior outfielder Jack Herring. The 6th inning hit scored both sophomore infielder and right handed pitcher Colby Wallace and freshman outfielder Braden Burress.
Junior righty Ethan Young came in for relief of Pruett, allowing just two hits, zero runs, one walk, and struck out six batters in 3.2 innings.The game ended with two runners in scoring position in the top of the ninth.
Junior infielder Roger Vergara in his second at bat of the game, lined into a double play between second and third base resulting in the Pirates sixth consecutive loss.
In Sunday’s game East Carolina finally
found their stride offensively taking a 12-4 victory to avoid the series sweep. Senior pitcher Jake Hunter got the start on the mound. He pitched for two innings allowing three hits, two earned runs, and one walk with one strike out. Freshman righty Sean Jenkins came in the ball game in the fourth inning. He pitched for six total innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, and one walk with eight strikeouts.
The Pirates got out to a hot start in this one scoring their first three runs in the first inning. A three run double from sophomore catcher Walker Barron gave ECU an early 3-0 lead. Barron had a great outing going three for four on the day with one run scored and five RBIs.
East Carolina scored again in the third inning courtesy of a two run homer from Senior catcher/DH John Collins. The Pirates run total was at five at this point in the ball game. In the fifth inning Wallace got in on the action with a solo home run of his own. In the sixth, Barron scored off a wild pitch and ECU managed to grab a 7-3 lead.
for ECU’s offense, as most of the lineup, apart from a few, have struggled to knock in runs this season.
On the mound, the Pirates rely heavily on sophomore pitcher Ethan Norby as their Friday night starter and to set the tone for the weekend’s rotation. In the bullpen, Head Coach Cliff Godwin has been mixing up the starters as of lately due to a tough recent mid-week game schedule. The last couple week’s the Pirate’s have been rotating sophomore pitcher Brad Pruett, senior pitcher Jake Hunter, and junior pitcher Ethan Young as the weekend starters.
Several impactful transfers have helped the Pirate’s offense as of lately, including senior catcher John Collins from Boston College who got the start as designated hitter this past weekend, junior infielder Alex Bouche from Old Dominion University, and senior left-handed pitcher Nick Moran from Liberty University. Sophomore pitcher Brett Antilock and Junior Ryan Towers were expected to be a big part of the pitching rotation but have yet to step on the mound this season due to injury.
The UAB Blazers, led by Head Coach Casey Dunn, are eager to make a statement at home against the Pirates. With UAB three game’s behind the Pirate’s in the AAC standings, a weekend sweep would tie conference standings up with ECU. During the 2024 season, ECU
The eighth inning featured an RBI single from freshman first baseman Austin Irby which scored freshman outfielder Kenan Bowman. To follow that up East Carolina scored four runs in the ninth. An RBI walk from Bowman scored the first run. Barron sent two more to home plate with a single to right field, and a sac fly from Austin Irby scored the final run of the game, giving the Pirates a 12-4 win to avoid the series sweep.
Their next matchup will be a three game series against the University of Alabama Birmingham (19-17, 4-8 AAC). ECU will travel to Young Memorial Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The games will be played Thursday, April 17 at 6 p.m., Friday, April 18 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, April 19 at 2 p.m. All games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and available on 94.3 The Game.
swept UAB in their three game series. All time, the Pirate’s have 22 wins, to four losses against the Blazers. Standings wise, this series is important for both of these teams. With ECU aiming to climb back up the standings after struggling in their last three series,the Pirate’s are desperate for a series win. The Pirates are well-positioned to control the series, though ECU’s recent struggles and UAB’s home-field advantage could keep things interesting. The three game series will be broadcast on 94.3 The Game and ESPN+.
Caleb Johnson TEC STAFF
COURTESY OF ECU PIRATES
Graduate student catcher John Collins, sophomore catcher Walker Barron, and sophomore infielder Colby Wallace celebrate the homer against in-state rival University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Ethan Young
Sean Jenkins
Austin Irby
PHOTOGRAPHER I THE EAST CAROLINIAN Pirate baseball dugout focused at Clark LeClair.
