Lance Williams Enters Transfer Portal After Breakout Performance vs. Florida

Picture from X: ECU Baseball

Just days after helping East Carolina stay alive in the Conway Regional, freshman right-hander Lance Williams is heading to the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Williams, a promising arm with upside, becomes the first major portal departure for ECU this offseason.

Strong Finish to the Season

Williams made 25 appearances in his first collegiate season, including eight starts, posting a 5.31 ERA with a 1.62 WHIP. He struck out 47 and walked 29 in 40.2 innings, while hitting 13 batters. It was a year of ups and downs, but Williams showed real flashes of dominance when it mattered most.

His most impressive outing came on the biggest stage: Sunday’s elimination game against Florida in the Conway Regional. Williams carried the Pirates into the sixth inning, allowing just three hits and three runs with five strikeouts and two walks, earning the win and giving ECU a chance in the winner-take-all final. It was the longest outing of his career.

"He was really good today," head coach Cliff Godwin said after the game. “Florida has a really good offense, so he was special.

“Lance was good early in the season at times. He pitched against Virginia Tech, started that game and was good, then kind of lost his mojo a little bit. Coach (Austin) Knight got him back on track. He was good at South Florida on that Thursday, he wasn't great at the conference tournament, and then he was really good today."

Williams also impressed earlier in the year with four shutout innings against Coastal Carolina and another four scoreless frames vs. USF in mid-May.

What It Means

This is ECU’s first significant portal loss of the offseason. With three years of eligibility remaining and postseason experience under his belt, Williams was in line to play a larger role in the 2026 rotation or as a key bullpen piece.

Other players to enter the portal so far include pitchers Ian White, Jaden Winter, and Tyler Brashear, along with outfielders Kenan Bowman and Drew Downs. But none had the same combination of potential and postseason impact as Williams.

The transfer portal remains open until July 1, meaning more movement is likely for ECU and across college baseball.