GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — Baseball season has arrived.

The East Carolina baseball team was scheduled to start the 2023 season with a three-game home series against George Washington this weekend. Rain on Friday pushed the opener to Saturday, where a doubleheader will start at 1 p.m. Sunday’s 1 p.m. game is still on.

ECU-George Washington baseball start time changed to 6 p.m.

All three games will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and 94.3 The Game. WNCT will have highlights and reactions from the season-opening series on-air and online throughout the weekend.

SERIES HISTORY

ECU is 11-3 all-time against George Washington. It’s been quite some time since the most recent meeting between these two teams. In 2000, the Pirates swept a three-game series against the Colonials (3-0, 11-9, 4-3).

STARTING ROTATION

ECU coach Cliff Godwin shared the Pirates’ starting pitching rotation for this weekend during an appearance on 94.3 The Game earlier this week. Reigning American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year Carter Spivey will start Friday’s game, Trey Yesavage will take the mound Saturday and Josh Grosz will start Sunday’s game.

STRONGER START

The Pirates are hoping to avoid the early-season struggles that contributed to their sluggish start last season.

“We were really not ready in the preseason,” sophomore outfielder Jacob Jenkins-Cowart recalled. “I think that’s what really led up to our early-season struggles. We didn’t really show up every day ready to go. We were kind of lackadaisical. We got really comfortable with where we were. This year we’ve been sharp on just about every day, doing everything we can to not repeat that.”

ABOUT THE COLONIALS

George Washington finished 22-30 overall and 10-14 in Atlantic 10 play last season. The Colonials posted a 3-22 mark in road games and a 19-8 record at home.

The Colonials were picked to finish 10th out of 12 teams in the 2023 Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll. Both of the team’s all-conference players from last season graduated, but A-10 All-Rookie Team selections Ty Acker (infielder) and Logan Koester (RHP) are back this year.

LOCAL CONNECTION

Robby Wacker (GWU Athletics)

Local high school baseball fans will notice a familiar face among George Washington’s infielders. Greenville native and J.H. Rose graduate Robby Wacker transferred to GWU from Emory University prior to this season. He was at Richmond University before transferring to Emory.

While playing Division III baseball at Emory, Wacker twice was named a University Athletic Association First-Team All-American. He was also named to the 2022 Rawlings/ABCA Third-Team All-South Region, and the 2022 All-UAA Academic Team. He is entering his senior season.