Hoist the Colours: An East Carolina Athletics Podcast · 247Sports, Hoist the Colours, East Carolina Football, East Carolina, Football, College Football, ECU

Looking Ahead: Projecting ECU baseball in 2026

·1 hr 19 min·5 clips

ECU's biggest 2026 question is the bullpen, not the lineup.

The finale starts in chaos. A bad audio delay, a live YouTube/Facebook/Twitter stream, and a Murray State home run all collide while the hosts try to get the show pointed toward baseball. They do. After the technical mess settles down, the panel frames the episode as a season-ending look back and a first pass at what Pirate Baseball could look like in 2026. They also mention they may do some kind of fall session later in the offseason. That part still hangs out there. The conversation keeps coming back to roster fit and the problems that still need answers. Two bats lead the way. The group runs through the numbers on two right-handed transfers, including one catcher/DH type with 23 homers, 71 RBIs, 61 runs, and 21 steals, plus a Walter State hitter who posted a .408 average over 64 games with 19 home runs, 95 RBIs, 101 runs scored, and 18 steals. The reaction stays cautious. Nobody acts like JuCo stats translate cleanly, but the hosts still think at least one of those hitters should help and hope both do. That is the real issue. The discussion keeps circling back to the same thing that bothered the offense this year: too many players fitting the same spots and not enough clean answers. Catcher stays crowded. They joke that the program may always carry two catchers in the starting lineup, with one behind the plate and one at DH. The infield is messy too, with a lot of first- and third-base types around the roster, while the outfield leans heavily toward corner profiles unless Peltier keeps improving enough to push for the center field spot. They fixate on pronunciation. Vogel Lee becomes a running bit as the panel and the chat work through how to say it. Shortstop remains the hole. By the end, the hosts make it plain that the middle infield still has to be solved, because Braden Burris and Colby Wallace do not look like long-term options there.

As heard by us

A blunt season-finale roadmap for the offseason.

Hoist the Colors closes its season by looking ahead to 2026 and sorting through the roster questions that matter most. The panel spends real time on the crowded catcher and DH mix, the infield shape, and the shortstop spot that still feels unsettled.

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Why you'd press play

You want the offseason ECU baseball map for 2026.

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