Billy Godwin Named Head Baseball Coach At East Carolina
October 28, 2005 | Baseball
Oct. 28, 2005
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Billy Godwin was officially named head baseball coach at East Carolina University Friday according to an announcement by athletics director Terry Holland.
The appointment, approved Friday by the ECU Board of Trustees, makes Godwin the 10th head baseball coach in school history. He had led the program in an interim capacity since Oct. 10.
"This announcement will end speculation that could become a distraction as our team and coaches build a foundation for the journey to the College World Series," Holland said. "My initial impressions of Coach Godwin's abilities to lead our program, as expressed in my announcement earlier this month, have been confirmed by the performance of his duties under the most difficult of circumstances in recent weeks.
"It is time to stabilize our program by allowing Coach Godwin to hire a permanent staff for our outstanding current players and so that our recruits will know who their coaches will be when they arrive on our campus."
Godwin arrived at ECU as an assistant coach June 9, 2005 after six seasons as head coach of Louisburg (N.C.) College.
"I'm extremely honored and thankful for the opportunity Coach Holland has given me," Godwin said. "East Carolina is an unbelievable place and the fans have been real supportive of the players and coaching staff. I'm excited about the season ahead and look forward to the challenge of leading ECU to Omaha."
At Louisburg, he posted an impressive 262-85 (.755) overall record. During the 2005 season, Godwin guided the Hurricanes to Region X regular season and tournament titles on his way to earning Region X Coach-of-the-Year honors. The 2005 Hurricanes finished the regular season with a 49-13 record and stood sixth nationally in the NJCAA Division I final regular season poll.
In 2004, the Hurricanes went 40-18 and claimed the top seed at the Region X Tournament before finishing the campaign as a regional finalist.
After taking the helm at Louisburg College in the fall of 1999, Godwin kept the Hurricanes in the national spotlight by averaging 43 wins per season. The Hurricanes finished with a school-record 51-11 mark in 2002 and made their tenth trip to the College World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado. During his tenure at Louisburg, Godwin has earned Region X and Eastern District Coach-of-the-Year honors while also receiving North Carolina College Coach-of-the-Year accolades in December, 2002.
"As I said during my introduction of Coach Godwin as our `acting' head baseball coach, I do think this is a critical time in the history of our baseball program and I want to say that I have every confidence that we have the right man, at the right time, at the right place," Holland said. "I cannot tell you how comfortable I am at this time of turning the reins over to this gentleman. He will absolutely build a program that is built on trust and mutual respect that all of us can be proud of."
Godwin replaces Randy Mazey, who had served as the Pirates' head coach since the 2003 season.
After starring in baseball at Northern Nash High School in Rocky Mount, N.C., Godwin signed an athletic scholarship to pitch at Atlantic Christian College in 1982. He captured 19 wins during his career with the Bulldogs, helping to lead them to two District 26 regular season crowns. He was named team captain in his senior year and won the Kiwanis Award for the Most Outstanding Male Student-Athlete in 1986. While at Atlantic Christian, he played for Dave Jauss, who has served as a coach at the Major League level and is now the advance scout for the Boston Red Sox.
Godwin spent two seasons as an assistant coach at North Carolina Wesleyan College in 1989 and 1990, working under the direction of current UNC-Chapel Hill Head Coach Mike Fox. His efforts helped guide the Bishops to the 1989 Division III National Championship and a third-place finish a year later.
In 1991, Godwin was named athletic director and head baseball coach at Enfield (N.C.) Academy. In seven seasons as head coach of the Patriots, he amassed a 131-57 (.697) overall record, which included five consecutive conference championships, four straight Final Four appearances and a state title in 1994 (24-1 record). Godwin also headed the Rocky Mount Post 58 American Legion squad during the summer months from 1990 to 1997.
Prior to joining the Louisburg College athletic staff, Godwin served as athletic director and head baseball coach at Cary (N.C.) Academy. When Cary Academy opened its doors in 1997, he was responsible for setting up all athletic programs (over 36 teams and 17 varsity sports, including a first-year baseball team).
Godwin earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Atlantic Christian in 1986 before following with a master's degree in education from East Carolina University in 1995. He is married to the former Sharon Smith of Rocky Mount, N.C., and the couple has one daughter (Mallory).
