Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds light and variable..
Mainly clear. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.
Kenansville’s Jacob Coman remembers attending his first East Carolina baseball game at the age of 12.
The Pirates were playing the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Coman watched the action from a designated seat along the first-base line with his aunt. He remembers a relaxed experience, much different from the one he was a part of during a weekend series in March.
On this particular day, Coman, a junior at ECU, was hanging over the outfield fence in right field trying to grab the attention of the Virginia Commonwealth University bullpen members. With armpits pressed against the top of the outfield fence, arms dangling into the field of play, Coman and two friends fired taunts and jabs at the opposing players.
Nothing too serious, but enough to make their presence known.
“You have a lot of interaction out here,” Coman said. “Fans heckle the outfielders and sometimes they chirp back. It’s all in good fun.”
By the third game of the series, the hollering and heckling switched to concern and curiosity as fans peppered players with questions about the status of a player who was hit by a batted ball a day earlier. The relationship built between the fans in right field and the bullpen after days of chatter proved fruitful when the students received an update on VCU pitcher Mason Delane, who was hit by a 107 mph comebacker off the bat of Pirates infielder Zach Agnos.
Delane, wearing a smile and a fresh bruise, showed off the spot on the back of his shoulder where the ball hit, and high-fived fans during a pre-game jog.
During another series, ECU junior Jayden Abernathy said that an opposing outfielder ate a fudge round given to him by the fans.
“We yell stuff throughout the game,” Abernathy said, “but it’s never anything too serious. The start of the series is where you test the waters a little bit and see which players give you a reaction. Some of them talk back, and others ignore you. By the Sunday game, you’ve got a good relationship with some of the guys. It’s fun.”
Move along the outfield and head toward center field and the average age of the spectators increases. Further along the journey around the perimeter is where the crusty veterans can be found in left field. Some have mouths pressed to large, white megaphones that amplify the heckling directed at opposing outfielders.
The megaphones also intensify the cheering for the home team.
“You can’t get stuff like that sitting in the stands,” said Tommy Oseneek, an ECU sophomore. “Out here in right field is kind of like the unofficial student section. Then you have the legends in left field. The people in the stands with seats are either older, or they just don’t want to deal with everything out here.”
One thing is for certain: It’s a little different out here. Out here in The Jungle.
The Jungle, the nickname for the grassy area beyond the outfield walls at ECU’s Clark-LeClair Stadium, is a little less civilized than a traditional baseball experience. Chaotic, even, at times. The only seats are the ones you bring.
The experience is what you make it.
An elevated berm allows fans to see the action unfold on the field. Seeing — and hearing — super fans hanging over the fence is normal. It would be alarming if fans weren’t lined up along the outfield wall.
There is a designated kids zone, but really, the entire space beyond the outfield walls is filled with kids at play. Many are playing catch or tag, some chase each other around with plastic buccaneer guns, and others collect grass stains by rolling down the gentle hill.
It can be difficult to hear the public address announcer in certain parts of the outfield where the hum of the stadium lights dominates the senses. But fans don’t seem to mind as they are locked in on the action.
The left-field parking lot is where the tailgating happens. Large spreads of food occupy pop-up tables, tents offer shade from the Eastern North Carolina sun, and the radio broadcast of the Pirates’ game mixes in the air with the smell of sizzling burgers and sausages on the grill.
Some fans never leave the parking lot and instead steal a glimpse of the action by standing on the beds of their backed-in pickup trucks.
It is here in this parking lot where Tony Brown can be found. Known to many as the Mayor of the Jungle, Brown and longtime friend Charlie Martin wandered into the outfield through an open gate nearly 40 years ago and haven’t left since.
The two began what is one of the most unique experiences in college baseball.
“We had season tickets and by April and May those aluminum seats in the stands got so hot you couldn’t sit on them,” Brown, now 75, recalled. “You couldn’t even sit on the seats because it was so hot. We looked out here and saw a gate.
“So I said, ‘Charlie, it’s too hot. Let’s walk out there.’ I get out there and guess what? I’m too short to see over the fence. I walked around and found a cinder block to stand on. Back in those days, you could bring a cooler to games so we had a cooler, a cinder block to stand on, and we were watching the game.”
Soon, the cinder block turned into two, then four. Then a plank of wood was saddled across the blocks to form a makeshift bench. People began to join the two in the outfield, and they soon realized that this was the place to be.
The Jungle, now officially known as the Williams Jungle, was named after ECU alumni Walter Williams. He and his wife, Marie, were prominent donors. And, as Brown explained, Williams fought to keep the Jungle as it was with a donation hinging on preserving the outfield experience.
Williams has his name on a number of athletic facilities: Williams Arena inside Minges Coliseum, Williams-Harvey Teams Building, Smith-Williams Center (Hall of Fame), Williams Strength & Conditioning Center and a pair of baseball titles — the Williams Jungle and Williams Hitting Facility.
Center fielders have a unique relationship with the Jungle inhabitants.
Just to the left of the batter’s eye in center field is where a long metal structure stands, ready to hold wooden squares with the letter ‘K’ in bold font.
Fans hang the wooden ‘Ks’ on a metal rack whenever ECU pitching records a strikeout. Underneath the structure is a storage bin that is strapped closed by a bungee cord when not in use. The bin itself has a large impression after being used as a seat for years.
And, whenever an opposing center fielder strikes out, the Jungle encourages him to sign his board.
“Some of them will sign it and some won’t,” Martin said. “A kid from Saint Mary’s signed it last week.”
At the conclusion of games, the cheering section in the Jungle doesn’t fade away. It grows louder. Megaphones boom with the name of Pirates players, and fans hammering their hands on the padded outfield wall beckon players.
The route to left field begins with a jog, then the pace quickens. Players leap into the arms of the rowdy fans in what is known as Jungle Jump.
The players have been jumping for years, and they will be jumping for years to come. After all, everyone is welcome.
“Anybody who walked up was a member of the Jungle as far as we were concerned,” Brown said. “You meet so many good people who just love baseball and a good time.”
Michael Jaenicke can be reached at mjaenicke@ncweeklies.com
www.Reflector.com 1150 Sugg Pkwy Greenville, NC 27834 Main Phone: 252-329-9500 Customer Care Phone: 252-329-9505
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.
Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.