ECU Baseball Team Visits Children's Hospital
December 02, 2014 | Baseball
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Since returning to East Carolina as the Pirates Head Baseball Coach, Cliff Godwin has made it a priority for his players to become well-rounded student-athletes on the field, in the classroom and community.
Recently the 2014-15 Pirates visited the James and Connie Maynard Children's Hospital at Vidant Medical Center, spending the afternoon with families in the Ronald McDonald wing.
"You can't put a price tag on it," Godwin said. "The last little girl we were in there with, it's her last day of chemotherapy, and just to see her smile and clap her hands was a phenomenal experience."
Players and coaches broke up into four groups visiting patient rooms, giving Pirate t-shirts, sunglasses and their time to the children in their community.
"Everybody is real genuine with the kids," said sophomore catcher Travis Watkins. "It's really heart-warming to be able to spend some time with these families who have gone through a lot. Seeing the smiles on their faces when we walked into their rooms just made our day."
"This means that we are giving back to the community, which is a big thing for myself and the team," Godwin added. "We are blessed to play baseball at a great university and I think the team realizes there are a lot bigger problems in the world than striking out, giving up a home run or making an error. There are people fighting for their lives in a hospital right in our own community."
