Why an ECU Freshman Deserves His Spot on D1 Baseball's Top 100 Freshmen on Campus List
East Carolina baseball had a historically bad season this past season, failing to make the top 25 rankings all season. The young team struggled to play the kind of baseball that East Carolina baseball is known for and loved in Greenville, North Carolina. However, the Pirates did have an impressive postseason run at the Conway Regional, taking down the SEC powerhouse Florida Gators with double-digit runs twice. In 2026, we will see a strong class of young athletes who gained experience playing against the best team the UNC Tar Heels have seen in years, the national runner-up Coastal Carolina, and SEC schools like Florida. The incoming class of freshmen at ECU is also looking bright. One young star even made D1 Baseball’s top 100 list of incoming freshmen across all 300 D1 college baseball programs.
Grady Lenahan announced his verbal commitment to East Carolina University back in 2022 and never backed out of his promise. In the seasons leading up to his commitment announcement, the Pirates were at their prime, making huge postseason runs and even hosting the Texas Longhorns in a Super Regional in Clark LeClair Stadium. Though the Pirates have since seen a decline in performance, Lenahan’s commitment never wavered; he wanted to be a Pirate. Now, as the 2026 season nears, Lenahan will have the chance to add depth to this new era of Pirate baseball and help them get back to the top 25-ranked program they recently were.
D1 Baseball ranked Lenahan as the 94th-best incoming freshman for the 2026 season. Though at the bottom of the list, a Pirate making that list of 100 freshmen is huge for the developing team. The eighteen-year-old outfielder made the All-NAA first team to end his pre-collegiate career. Offensively, the five-foot-ten Virginia native was crushing baseballs, his hits reaching an exit velocity of 95.3. East Carolina is a program that has been in desperate need of offensive talent after they faced significant losses to the MLB Draft and the transfer portal following the 2024 season. Defensively, Lenahan excelled during his high school career as well. Perfect Game ranked him the 12th-best outfielder in the state of Virginia. All eyes will be on this young Pirate as he works with Coach Cliff Godwin and the rest of the Pirates to develop into a player who could just be exactly what ECU needs in the coming seasons.
