The Beaufort County Pirate Club met at On the Waterfront on Tuesday for their annual East Carolina baseball season kick-off.

The event, organized by first-year Pirate Club President Rick Yakubowski, brought ECU alumni together from all over Beaufort County to celebrate the start of the 2014 ECU baseball season.

“The way the chapter has functioned in the past is that we have startup or kick-off events for football, basketball and baseball,” said Yakubowski. “As long as I’ve been in the chapter, we’ve done this event. It’s our way as a chapter to kick-off the baseball season and put the word out in the county, as we try to increase interest in the Pirate Club.”

Manager Billy Godwin was in attendance for his ninth consecutive year and spoke to members about the upcoming season.

“I think the passion here in Beaufort County and Washington is unbelievable. It’s one of my favorite trips,” said Godwin. “I was in New Bern yesterday, that’s a great group down there, but this is always a great group. It kind of gets you charged up to do this.”

Godwin also noted the importance of recruiting in areas east of interstate 95 like Beaufort County.

“We might not win every boy east of I-95, but you can’t win that fight unless you’re willing to bloody your nose,” said Godwin. “We’re not going to get beat in our own backyard without knowing.”

The Beaufort County Pirate Club is always accepting new members. Contact Sharon Yakubowski by email at yakubowskis@ecu.edu for more information.