http://collegebaseball360.com/ecus-billy-godwin-gets-contract-extension/ http://collegebaseball360.com/ecus-billy-godwin-gets-contract-extension/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:20:23 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=1252

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New Pact Runs Through 2014

GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina University has announced an extension of head baseball coach Billy Godwin’s contract, which will secure his position through the 2014 season. The new agreement, approved Friday by the University’s Board of Trustees and announced by ECU Director of Athletics Terry Holland, will add three years to his existing contract that was set to expire June 30, 2011.

ECU Skipper Billy Godwin

Godwin has guided the Pirates to three consecutive NCAA Regional appearances in four seasons, and in 2009, led ECU to its first Super Regional since 2004 after claiming the Greenville Regional title at Clark-LeClair Stadium. In addition, he joined Keith LeClair on a short list of East Carolina coaches to record three-straight 40-plus win seasons after posting a league-best 46-20 mark last spring that also included a Conference USA regular season crown.

“Coach Godwin’s teams have achieved a great deal of success on the baseball field, but just as importantly, he and his program have embraced both East Carolina University’s values and Coach Keith LeClair’s vision for ECU Baseball,” Holland said. “The coaching staff and players represent the best of intercollegiate athletics in all they do and make us proud every time they take the field. We are pleased to do everything we can to keep Billy Godwin as our coach – he is a perfect fit for this institution.”

His 2009 squad spent 19 consecutive weeks in the national polls and ranked as one of the most prolific offenses in the nation – finishing with a NCAA-best 814 hits and standing among national leaders in runs (4th/565), doubles (6th/154), home runs (7th/108), slugging percentage (12th/.546) and batting average (15th/.339). For the third consecutive season, the Pirates topped Conference USA in home runs after belting a school-record 108 to follow 89 and 68 round-tripper totals in 2008 and 2007, respectively.

The 2009 C-USA Keith LeClair Coach-of-the-Year honoree has tutored 25 all-conference performers and four various player-of-the-year selections, and produced a total of 15 Major League Baseball draft choices since 2006.

“I would like to thank (ECU Chancellor) Dr. Ballard, Terry Holland and the Board of Trustees for their support and outstanding leadership,” Godwin said. “I am humbled and honored to be the head baseball coach at East Carolina. The commitment to our baseball program is phenomenal from our administration to our loyal Pirate fans. Our coaching staff is very excited about the future of Pirate Baseball and the continued ability to compete for championships.”

Godwin, who was elevated to the head coaching position during the fall of 2005 after a brief tenure as an assistant, has compiled an overall record of 161-90 as East Carolina’s skipper.

(Release)

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Four Things I’m Thinking About Right Now

We’re still  3 1/2 months away from the start of the college baseball season, so I thought I would share a few things that are rattling around in my head.

1.  The World Series Is Over, and like most baseball fans I’m sad.  I don’t know if I’m more sad that the season’s over or that the Yankees won.  The good news though is the next meaningful games that will be played will be college games on February 19, 2010.   One of the more intriguing match-ups of the opening weekend has 2009 College World Series participant Virginia at East Carolina for a three-game series.  ECU fell to North Carolina in ’09 Super Regional action.  Brian O’Connor’s Cavs host a three-game set with Rhode Island the following weekend, so they’ll have a tough task to match the 19-0 start they had in 2009.

CLICK HERE to see more 2010 schedules.

2.  The Early Signing Period Is Here, and college baseball teams around the country are officially inking players

Fresno State Won The 2008 CWS

for their 2011 classes.  I know recruiting is the life blood of college athletics, but I have just never been a “recruitnik”.  How many “can’t miss” guys turn into giant busts, while “projects” fly below the radar in high school, but blossom in college or beyond?  Fresno State and Southern Mississippi haven’t sniffed a top 20 recruiting class lately, but things  worked out pretty well for them in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

3.  Andre Agassi’s Book Is Stirring Things Up, and his is no doubt a cautionary tale.  In “Open” Agassi not only dishes on himself for drug use, but also on his dad for pushing him into tennis.  There is a fine line for parents between introducing a sport to their kids and then encouraging young Johnny or Jane to succeed.  Ala Marv Marinovich (the infamous Todd Marinovich’s father), Andre’s dad, Mike, pushed his son into a sport that Andre apparently didn’t really love.  It’s a shame, because so many people loved watching him play.  (Ever wonder if A-Rod had daddy issues?)

4.  College Baseball Lost A Good Umpire Recently.  Lenny Brickens died on October 30th, and by all accounts he was a guy who cared deeply about the game.  Brickens had been the Missouri Valley Conference’s Baseball Coordinator of Umpires since 2006.  A coach I talked to whose team played games umped by Brickens told me “He was always trying to help younger umpires.  He cared

Lenny Brickens

about the sport…he was one of the better umpires who took pride in developing the young guys so that they could be good Division One umpires.  Lenny’s heart was always into it.”  I’ve taken my share of shots at umpires, but I have also always said that being an umpire is a job I would never want, because 50 percent of the people are always going to be mad at you on every call you make.  That said, I think there are a lot of good “Lenny’s” out there working games.  They all care about the game, and they all want to get the calls right.

Roller

The East Carolina slugger had a monster 2009 summer in the Cape Cod League.  Roller helped the Bourne Braves win their first ever Cape championship by hitting .342 with 10 home runs, 33 RBIs, and a 1.093 OPS (including a .644 slg. %).  He was named the Cape Cod League MVP and Cape Cod Championship MVP as well.  Roller also helped his Pirate teammates advance to a Super Regional in June by winning the Greenville Regional.  He has slugged 39 home runs with 155 RBIs in his first three seasons at ECU, and in this interview with Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires he talks about his ultimate goal of going to the College World Series.

6’1 - 255 - Sr. - Rockingham, NC      Head Coach: Billy Godwin

Pirates Play Six Teams That Appeared In 2009 NCAA Regionals

ECU Head Coach Billy Godwin

The 2010 slate features 17 games against teams that earned a bid to the 2009 NCAA Regionals; 32 against teams with 30-plus wins; five that topped the 40-plus win plateau; two that made trips to the College World Series and five that finished ranked in the Top 25 polls, including three in the Top 10.

ECU will open play on Friday, Feb. 19 against College World Series participant Virginia in a three-game tilt and will stay home for their next four games, a midweek match-up against former Colonial Athletic Association foe Old Dominion (Feb. 23) and three games against 2009 Greenville Regional participant South Carolina (Feb. 26-28).

Conference USA play opens April 2 for the Pirates when they welcome league foe Tulane to town for a three-game series. Other C-USA schools making the trek to Greenville in 2010 include UAB (Apr. 16-18), Marshall (Apr. 30-May 2) and Houston (May 20-22).

League road trips include Memphis (Apr. 9-11), Super Regional participant Rice (Apr. 23-25), College World Series participant Southern Miss (May 7-9) and UCF (May 14-16).

ECU’s home non-conference schedule is highlighted by the annual Keith LeClair Classic that pits the Pirates against Illinois (Mar. 5), West Virginia (Mar. 6) and Western Carolina (Mar. 7). Also scheduled for weekend series in Greenville are NCAA Regional participant Monmouth (Mar. 19-21) and North Carolina Central (Mar. 26-28), which serves as the Pirates’ C-USA open weekend.

The first of 20 games away from Clark-LeClair Stadium occurs when the Pirates travel to High Point (Mar. 2), which is followed by a west-coast trip to face Cal State Northridge (Mar. 10) and Pepperdine (Mar. 11-13) during their spring break.

Along with NCAA Regional participant Elon (Mar. 30 and May 11), ECU will have home-and-home series against UNC Wilmington (Mar. 31 and Apr. 27) and Campbell (Apr. 13 and 20), while also playing High Point (Mar. 23), Gardner Webb (Mar. 16), N.C. State (Apr. 21) and James Madison (May 18).

”We have put together another outstanding schedule,” said Godwin. ”Our players look forward to playing on a national stage and our conference and non-conference schedules give them the opportunity to compete with some of the top teams in the country.”

The Pirates, who have made 10 NCAA Regional appearances in the last 11 seasons, claimed the 2009 Conference USA regular season and 2009 Greenville Regional titles before advancing to their third NCAA Super Regional on the way to a 46-20 overall record.

(Press Release)