East Carolina Wins AAC Baseball Tournament, Secures NCAA Bid

East Carolina Pirates secured the American Athletic Conference (AAC) baseball championship with an 8-2 victory over Tulane Green Wave, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament regionals. East Carolina, seeded sixth, went undefeated in the double-elimination tournament, overcoming early-season inconsistencies from freshman pitcher Sean Jenkins and capitalizing on Tulane's struggles, including a subpar outing from their pitcher Michael Lombardi. The South Florida Bulls ended their AAC tournament run in the semifinals after a tight 9-7 loss to East Carolina, despite a strong start and notable individual performances, marking their best conference record since joining the AAC. The Bulls played East Carolina five times in 10 days, with ECU ultimately prevailing in the tournament and showcasing their powerful offense with multiple home runs in the semifinal game. Tulane's hopes for a third consecutive conference title were dashed by East Carolina, and their season likely concludes without an NCAA at-large bid. The Pirates will advance to the NCAA Regionals, awaiting their next matchup after a strong tournament showing.