ECU pitcher Zach Root enters transfer portal
The sophomore left-hander has elected to move on and enter the portal.
East Carolina sophomore Zach Root has entered the transfer portal, sources confirm to Hoist The Colours and 247Sports.
Root was projected to be the team’s ace next season after a strong sophomore campaign in Greenville behind future first-round pick Trey Yesavage, though it instead appears he will suit up elsewhere now. Considered one of the top left-handers in the 2025 Draft for next year, Root finished the season 5-2 with a 3.82 ERA, striking out 76 against 21 walks in 68.1 innings. Root dealt with an arm injury the second half of the season and didn’t pitch from late April, until the conference tournament, before returning to throw three innings in Clearwater at the AAC tourney. Root then pitched twice in the Greenville Regional, throwing 75 pitches and allowing two runs in five innings on Friday against Evansville. He returned on Monday in the regional final on short rest, throwing 61 pitches across three innings. Root allowed four runs on six hits.
A native of Fort Myers, Fla., Root was originally committed to Florida before seeing his scholarship cut after the COVID pandemic. He ended up committing to ECU, and turning down an opportunity in the MLB Draft to come to school. Root had a solid freshman season, going 3-3 with a 5.53 ERA, striking out 54 against 27 walks in 53.2 innings as a part-time starter. Root then opened the season as the Saturday starter for East Carolina in 2024, combining with Yesavage for one of the top one-two punches in college baseball.
Root was projected to be the team’s ace next season after a strong sophomore campaign in Greenville behind future first-round pick Trey Yesavage, though it instead appears he will suit up elsewhere now. Considered one of the top left-handers in the 2025 Draft for next year, Root finished the season 5-2 with a 3.82 ERA, striking out 76 against 21 walks in 68.1 innings. Root dealt with an arm injury the second half of the season and didn’t pitch from late April, until the conference tournament, before returning to throw three innings in Clearwater at the AAC tourney. Root then pitched twice in the Greenville Regional, throwing 75 pitches and allowing two runs in five innings on Friday against Evansville. He returned on Monday in the regional final on short rest, throwing 61 pitches across three innings. Root allowed four runs on six hits.
A native of Fort Myers, Fla., Root was originally committed to Florida before seeing his scholarship cut after the COVID pandemic. He ended up committing to ECU, and turning down an opportunity in the MLB Draft to come to school. Root had a solid freshman season, going 3-3 with a 5.53 ERA, striking out 54 against 27 walks in 53.2 innings as a part-time starter. Root then opened the season as the Saturday starter for East Carolina in 2024, combining with Yesavage for one of the top one-two punches in college baseball.
Early in the season, when completely healthy, Root featured a fastball consistently in the low 90s, up to 96 miles per hour, to go along with a swing and miss changeup, cutter, and breaking ball. Root’s velocity dropped off significantly after his return from injury. His fastball sat in the 80s in the first regional appearance, before returning and topping out at 93 in his Monday outing.
Root’s departure is undoubtedly a blow to next year’s projecting pitching staff. With the departure of Root and Yesavage, the Pirates will see 161.2 of their innings pitched move on, along with 221 of their 630 strikeouts as a team. ECU is expected to bring back All-Freshman pick Ethan Norby, who would profile as a starter heading into next season. Junior Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman, who has a decision to make with the upcoming MLB Draft and dealt with an injury late in the season, also could be a candidate to step into the rotation.
ECU is coming off a 46-17 season, including a fifth consecutive conference championship under 10th-year head coach Cliff Godwin. ECU was awarded the No. 16 overall seed and got to host the Greenville Regional. The Pirates lost the first game to fourth-seeded Evansville, 4-1, before running through the loser’s bracket, and topping Wake Forest on Saturday, and defeating VCU and Evansville on Sunday to force a winner-take-all game. But ECU fell in the regional finale, 6-5, to the Purple Aces, on Monday, ending their season.
