Pirates Headline Wilson Hot Stove Banquet
November 09, 2021 | Baseball
WILSON, N.C. – East Carolina senior Bryson Worrell along with former Pirates Gavin Williams and Earl Boykin will headline the 46th Annual Host Stove Banquet on Tuesday, Nov. 8 as all three are set to receive major awards in the Recreation Park Community Center in Wilson, N.C.
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Worrell, a Hunt High product, is the recipient of the Trot Nixon "Gamer" Award, given annually to the player whose grit, hustle and excellence on the field exemplifies the honor's namesake, the Wilmington native and former major leaguer. A second-team American Athletic All-Conference selection as an outfield, Worrell started 58 of 59 games where he batted .262 (53-for-202) with nine home runs and 33 RBI. He helped the Pirates win their second-straight AAC regular season title with a 20-8 record and their second consecutive Greenville Regional crown posting a 3-0 mark.
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Williams, who was named to six All-America teams and was a first round draft pick by the Cleveland Indians, now Gardians, will receive the Gaylord Perry Amateur Pitching Award as the top nonprofessional hurler in the state in 2021. Last year the right-hander posted a 10-1 record with a 1.88 ERA on his way to winning ECU's pitching triple crown. In 15 appearances (12 starts), he allowed 18 runs (17 earned) on 57 hits while walking 21 and striking out 130 over 81.1 innings.
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Boykin, a two-year letterman from 1961-62, helped the Pirates capture the 1961 NAIA National Championship. The Rock Ridge High star will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his many contributions not only to the Wilson Hot Stove and N.C. Baseball Museum, but to the greater athletics community. The right-hander pitched the Pirates to the NAIA National Championship series after tossing a complete game against Omaha where he struck out 15 batters – at the time the second most in program history. Two days later, ECU would defeat Sacramento State 13-7 to claim the national title.
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Eighth-year head coach Cliff Godwin as well as former Pirate star and major leaguer Set Maness, a previous Trot Nixon "Gamer" recipient are expected to attend. Some other former Pirates that have been honored at previous Wilson Hot Stove events have been Winfred Johnson (1985), Jonathan Jenkins (1990), Jeff Hoffman (2015), Evan Kruczynski (2017), Parker Lamm (2017) and Bryant Packard (2019).
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Worrell, a Hunt High product, is the recipient of the Trot Nixon "Gamer" Award, given annually to the player whose grit, hustle and excellence on the field exemplifies the honor's namesake, the Wilmington native and former major leaguer. A second-team American Athletic All-Conference selection as an outfield, Worrell started 58 of 59 games where he batted .262 (53-for-202) with nine home runs and 33 RBI. He helped the Pirates win their second-straight AAC regular season title with a 20-8 record and their second consecutive Greenville Regional crown posting a 3-0 mark.
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Williams, who was named to six All-America teams and was a first round draft pick by the Cleveland Indians, now Gardians, will receive the Gaylord Perry Amateur Pitching Award as the top nonprofessional hurler in the state in 2021. Last year the right-hander posted a 10-1 record with a 1.88 ERA on his way to winning ECU's pitching triple crown. In 15 appearances (12 starts), he allowed 18 runs (17 earned) on 57 hits while walking 21 and striking out 130 over 81.1 innings.
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Boykin, a two-year letterman from 1961-62, helped the Pirates capture the 1961 NAIA National Championship. The Rock Ridge High star will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his many contributions not only to the Wilson Hot Stove and N.C. Baseball Museum, but to the greater athletics community. The right-hander pitched the Pirates to the NAIA National Championship series after tossing a complete game against Omaha where he struck out 15 batters – at the time the second most in program history. Two days later, ECU would defeat Sacramento State 13-7 to claim the national title.
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Eighth-year head coach Cliff Godwin as well as former Pirate star and major leaguer Set Maness, a previous Trot Nixon "Gamer" recipient are expected to attend. Some other former Pirates that have been honored at previous Wilson Hot Stove events have been Winfred Johnson (1985), Jonathan Jenkins (1990), Jeff Hoffman (2015), Evan Kruczynski (2017), Parker Lamm (2017) and Bryant Packard (2019).
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