East Carolina’s rapidly deteriorating baseball season got just a little worse Tuesday with news that former relief ace Joe Ingle has been dismissed from the team. Coach Cliff Godwin made the announcement before Tuesday’s nonconference game against UNC Wilmington. Although no details were given for Ingle’s departure, the website Hoist The Colours is reporting that it may stem from an incident in the dugout during last weekend’s series against Central Florida. “Our baseball program has dismissed Joe from our team,” Godwin said in a statement. “We appreciate all of Joe’s hard work and wish him the best in the future.” Ingle, a junior right-hander from Fayetteville, was a Freshman All-American and the Pirates closer who was credited with 20 saves in his first two seasons. He began the 2017 season as one of 60 pitchers nationwide named by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association to its Stopper of the Year award watch list. But his performance, like that of his team, hasn’t lived up to expectations this season. He was just 3-3 with a 6.86 earned run average in 15 relief appearances at the time of his dismissal. He last pitched on April 11, giving up one run on two hits in one inning of a 10-2 victory against UNCW. ECU, the preseason favorite to win the AAC, is currently 19-18 overall and 0-9 in the league after being swept in its first three conference series’.
