It’s been a good year for the East Carolina baseball program. The Pirates made it back yet again to the tourney in 2025, then saw two of their best pitchers over the last decade, Carson Whisenhunt and Trey Yesavage, make it to the Majors. Heading into 2026, ECU retained many of the players who helped it earn a berth to the NCAA Tournament.
The Returnees
Last year’s offense was headlined by Austin Irby and Braden Burress. The two return for a very important 2026 campaign for the Pirates.
Burress, a chaos creator who can put bat on ball and steal bases, hit .389 for the East Carolina offense last season. Irby, one of three Pirates to hit 10 or more home runs, also returned for 2026.
ECU also gets back Braxton Tramel, who hit .345 and slugged .618 in limited action last year as a freshman. Jack Herring, who batted over .300, is also back for his senior season.
Those three were a breath of fresh air for a Pirates team that lost arguably their best hitter from 2024, Bristol Carter, to the transfer portal.
As for the pitching staff, Ethan Norby returns for a pivotal 2026 campaign. The now-junior left-hander struck out 119 over 90 frames, becoming a focal point for the Pirates, as far as draft prognosticators and college baseball fans may be concerned.
Norby, the younger brother of Connor Norby, will be an interesting draft case. He’s a shorter pitcher, although height isn’t exactly a prerequisite for pro success. Norby throws a bunch of different pitchers, including mid-90s heat and breaking balls.
ECU also returns a plethora of others, including former Texas A&M pitcher Brett Antolick (did not pitch in 2025) and sophomore Sean Jenkins. Jenkins, a heavy fastball/slider pitcher who can run it up to 93-94 MPH, threw 70 innings last season for ECU.
The Newcomers
While East Carolina may not be in one of the top-tier conferences, there’s still an opportunity to pick up pieces on the transfer portal. Including players from the SEC.
Luke Payne, who threw just 7.1 IP across two seasons with the Tennessee Volunteers, transferred to the Pirates. Payne struck out 14 over those innings.
Joseph Webb, who struck out 51 over 46 frames with the Liberty Flames last season, will join ex-Liberty pitcher Nick Moran on the team’s pitching staff.
Additionally, the Pirates have nine true freshmen on the team. Three new outfielders, Jack Strom, Grady Lenahan, and Brayden Bachman, join four more pitchers on the roster.
Those pieces will try to blunt the team’s losses. Lance Williams, who struck out 47 over 40 innings and can pump mid-90s heat at pitchers, is not on the roster. Ethan Young, a very impressive reliever with a hard fastball/slider combo, was drafted by the Cardinals this past year.
As for the offense, Dixon Williams, who hit 14 home runs and walked more than he struck out in 2025, was drafted by Atlanta in the fourth round this past July.
Summary
The 2025 East Carolina team overcame a lot of adversity to win a spot in the NCAA Tournament last May. ECU pulled out a win in the AAC Tournament, then competed very hard in the Conway Regional ultimately won by Coastal Carolina.
For 2026, a lot of pieces from a very strong 2025 team remain.
Check out more of our college baseball preview, including looks at Virginia and Florida State.
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