East Carolina (45-18), which advances to play Texas (45-19), had its 20-game win streak snapped on Sunday with a 9-1 loss to Coastal Carolina, setting up a rematch with the winner advancing to the super regional round.
Worrell opened the scoring in the first inning with an RBI triple and he made a diving catch in the third. He finished 4 for 4 with four RBIs.
East Carolina had a hit in each of the first eight innings. Jacob Jenkins-Cowart was 3 for 4 with three RBIs, including a two-run single in the third for a 4-0 lead.
ECU never trailed and jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the first inning. Leading 5-2 after six innings, the Pirates erupted for eight runs in the seventh to put the game away.
ECU starter Carter Spivey (8-0) struck out five in five innings.
Nick Lucky hit his third homer of the regional in the fourth and added a single in the seventh for Coastal Carolina (37-20-1). Starter Reid VanScoter (9-4) went just two innings and allowed two earned runs.
The Pirates will now host Texas in the Super Regionals. The Super Regionals are a best-of-three series where the winners advance to the College World Series.
[Ads /]
ECU has never advanced to the CWS, although it has been very close multiple times. In fact, ECU has the most NCAA tournament appearances without a trip to the CWS.
This is ECU's third consecutive season advancing to a Super Regional.
[Ads /]
The Pirates lost to Tennessee in a 2001 Super Regional, South Carolina in a 2004 Super Regional, UNC in a 2009 Super Regional, Texas Tech in a 2016 Super Regional, Louisville in a 2019 Super Regional and to Vanderbilt in a 2021 Super Regional.