Well, East Carolina wasted no time poking the bear!
On Monday, regional seedings for the NCAA Baseball Tournament were revealed, with ECU paired with North Carolina. The Pirates, who are already familiar with their in-state foe, will be making the trip to Chapel Hill to compete in one of the best regional brackets that this year's tournament has to offer.
Shortly after the seedings were revealed, Jack Herring spoke to the media, making some bold comments ahead of his team's trip to Chapel Hill.
Jack Herring provides UNC with some bulletin board material
Here's what Herring had to say when he was asked about the locker room reaction when they learned they'd be making the trip down the road to North Carolina:
WATCH: “It’s gonna feel like a home game for the Pirates in Chapel Hill.” ECU Baseball right fielder Jack Herring on the Pirates’ draw in the NCAA Regionals. pic.twitter.com/3xshk3T2WO
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) May 25, 2026
“It’s gonna feel like a home game for the Pirates in Chapel Hill for sure," Herring said. "We played against UNC before, we're not afraid of them, any other team in that region either."
Bold take, Mr. Herring.
For starters, the way Herring shrugs after stating that his team has played UNC before makes it seem like the Pirates won't be intimidated by the atmosphere at Boshamer Stadium this weekend. Little does he know, the crowds are much different come NCAA Tournament time than they are during early season series.
Additionally- Herring saying that it will feel like a Pirates home game was certainly a dig at UNC fans, making it seem like Tar Heel faithful won't show up to support the boys in Carolina Blue.
Hmm, interesting!
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In regard to his "we're not afraid of UNC or anyone else in the region" comment, of course you'd expect him to say something of that nature. As competitors, you always believe in yourself and your team, regardless of who is on the opposing side.
However, comments like these could backfire tremendously, especially if ECU fails to get out of the region.
For UNC and the fanbase, you can expect these comments to be bulletin-board material. There's no doubt that these comments will surface across Chapel Hill, but the only thing to do now is simply keep receipts for future reference.
https://t.co/A9PzC8Q7QU pic.twitter.com/sYOL8z34Jn
— Jordan Falls (@JordanFalls) May 25, 2026
Oh, and Herring is literally calling on Tar Heel faithful to not only show up to the Bosh this weekend, but to be loud and rowdy throughout. Time to prove to him how UNC fans bring the energy!
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