The East Carolina baseball team took perhaps its largest step in program history this past weekend as it fell just one game short of a trip to the College World Series.

There is no individual blame to go around after winning game one in the three-game Super Regional against Texas Tech before ultimately dropping the deciding game, 11-0.

The pitching depth was young and inexperienced, but played valiantly. Matt Bridges turned in six scoreless innings out of the bullpen over the weekend. Sam Lanier, after a phenomenal regional outing, was touched up for five runs over an inning and a third in two appearances.

The Pirates had their chances to punch a ticket to Omaha and knock off Tech multiple times in the second game of the series, but clutch hitting eluded them in the extra frames. In the ninth, after putting two on with no out, Wes Phillips failed to lay down a bunt and the No. 1 and 2 hitters in the lineup, Parker Lamm and Charlie Yorgen, couldn’t knock in a run.

Head coach Cliff Godwin rolled closer Joe Ingle out for five innings and 82 pitches of scoreless baseball from the eighth to the 12th inning. It was the longest outing of his career and he was on his last legs as the 12th inning closed. Godwin turned to Lanier and things did not go as planned for the freshman that found such success the weekend prior.

Sunday, Ingle was unavailable after his extended outing and no one was there to stop the bleeding after Jacob Wolfe’s difficult start to the game. The junior surrendered three runs while recording just one out. Godwin said before the weekend that Wolfe had not been himself of late and it showed in the decisive game.

Chris Holba, who relieved Wolfe, did not fare much better as he allowed three runs over two innings. Meanwhile, Red Raiders’ freshman starter Erikson Lanning rolled through the ECU lineup for seven innings and allowed five baserunners in his outing.

Simply put, ECU just did not have the depth to make a run into Omaha this year. Nick Durazo, a senior left handed pitcher, was unavailable as he left the program prior to postseason play.

In a strong statement by Cliff Godwin in the deciding game, he pulled Freshman All-American Dwanya Williams-Sutton for a lack of hustle in the field. Brady Lloyd replaced him after a season with just 11 at bats. His one at bat looked no more futile than the rest of the Pirate plate appearances.

The magic ran out on an incredible postseason run for ECU. The memory will last for years to come, unless they are replaced by newer, more momentous occasions. Travis Watkins’ home run against the defending champions, his two-homer game on Friday and Lanier’s shutdown outing against William & Mary all highlighted ECU’s best postseason run to date.

No current Pirates were drafted in this past weekend’s MLB June Draft and all signs point to most contributors returning to the program. Godwin has taken his team to incredible new heights in his first two years at the helm and brought Greenville its first victory in a Super Regional game.

The baby steps have turned into more noticeable strides. This seems to be just the beginning of a long and bountiful journey.