Cliff Godwin Bio Addendum

East Carolina (2015-Present)
One of the most consistent college baseball programs in the nation kept rolling along in 2024 as East Carolina captured its fifth-straight American Athletic Conference regular season title, hosted a regional for the fifth time in the last six seasons and produced the Pirates’ sixth-straight 40-win campaign. ECU garnered the No. 16 national seed for the NCAA Baseball Championship, hosting Wake Forest, VCU and Evansville. The Pirates advanced to the regional finals for the fifth-straight time before dropping a one-run decision to the Purple Aces in game seven.

Godwin and pitching coach Austin Knight mentored Trey Yesavage to consensus First Team All-America honors as the right-hander was recognized by the ABCA, Baseball America, College Baseball Foundation, D1Baseball, NCBWA and Perfect Game. Yesavage collected a bevy of laurels during the season as he was named a semifinalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy as well as a First Team Academic All-American, the AAC Pitcher of the Year and the NCBWA National Pitcher of the Month for April. Yesavage was then selected 20th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2024 MLB Draft – the second-highest pick in program history. He amassed 145 strikeouts, tying both the ECU and AAC single-season records.

East Carolina put double-digit players on the All-AAC Teams for the third consecutive season, including a league-best six first-team honorees in Yesavage (P), Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman (RP), Justin Wilcoxen (C), Cunningham (1B), Jacob Jenkins-Cowart (OF) and Ryley Johnson (OF). Danny Beal (P) and Ryan McCrystal (DH) were also tabbed to the second team while Bristol Carter and Ethan Norby snagged All-Freshman Team accolades.

Falling no worse than No. 19 in the Top 25 Polls all season, the Pirates also finished the campaign slotted among the national statistical leaders – ranking in the top 30 in 12 categories. ECU was fifth in hits allowed per nine innings (7.70) and shutouts (six), eighth in earned run average (4.05) and hits (671), 11th in WHIP (1.29), 15th in sacrifice bunts (46), 16th in sacrifice flies (35) and winning percentage (.730), 17th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.2) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.59), 20th in runs scored (498) and 24th in batting average (.309). Individually, Yesavage ended up second in WHIP (0.87) and hits allowed per nine innings (4.73), third in ERA (2.03), fifth in strikeouts and victories (11) and ninth in strikeouts per nine innings (13.98). Additionally, Jenkins-Cowart was 10th in RBI (79) and 33rd in RBI per game (1.25) while Cunningham placed 17th in runs scored (77) and Johnson was 19th in runs scored (75) and triples (5).

East Carolina had four players taken in the top 10 rounds of the MLB Draft for the first time in school history in Yesavage (1st Round/Toronto Blue Jays), Jenkins-Cowart (8th Round/Miami Marlins), McCrystal (9th Round/Cincinnati) and Cunningham (10th Round/Toronto). Lunsford-Shenkman (16th Round/Seattle) and Erik Ritchie (19th Round/Philadelphia) also heard their names called, giving the Pirates six total selections – the most for ECU since 2019.

A fourth-straight American Athletic Conference regular season title in 2023 marked the continued success of the program as Godwin guided ECU to 10-straight wins to close out league play and victories in 11 of their last 12 conference bouts. The Pirates captured 47 wins in total - tied for the second most in a single season in the school annals. East Carolina was slotted into the NCAA Charlottesville Regional and reached the regional finals for the fourth-straight season with a pair of wins over Oklahoma before bowing out to No. 7 national seed Virginia.

East Carolina nearly pulled off the AAC double for the second-straight season (regular season and tournament champion), but fell to Tulane in the championship game of the league tourney. The Pirates dropped an extra-inning decision to South Florida in the opener, but they ripped off four-straight victories to become the first team in AAC Tournament history to lose its first game and advance to the title contest.

A program-record 11 players were named to the All-American Athletic Conference Teams as Carter Cunningham (OF), Jacob Jenkins-Cowart (DH) and Trey Yesavage (P) earned first-team honors while Joey Berini (SS), Josh Grosz (P), Josh Moylan (1B), Luke Nowak (OF), Carter Spivey (P), Jacob Starling (2B) and Justin Wilcoxen (C) were tabbed to the second team. LHP Zach Root also garnered All-AAC Freshman Team recognition.

In addition to being ranked in the Top 25 every week of the season, ECU finished the year among the nation's statistical leaders in several categories including strikeout-to-walk ratio (fourth/3.10), WHIP (fifth/1.28), walks allowed per nine innings (11th/3.25), winning percentage (14th/.712), sacrifice flies (16th/35), hits (17th/668), hits allowed per nine innings (19th/8.24), earned run average (21st/4.34), strikeouts per nine innings (23rd/10.1), doubles (25th/131), runs scored (26th/486), sacrifice bunts (30th/37) and walks drawn (30th/317). East Carolina also paced the conference in on base percentage (.390), runs scored, hits, RBI (445), doubles, total bases (1,052), walks drawn, sacrifice bunts, sacrifice flies, earned run average, opposing batting average (.240), batters struck out (663), batters struck out looking (165), victories, fewest doubles allowed (85), fewest triples allowed (three) and putouts (1,780) while setting the league single-season record in runs scored, hits, RBI, walks drawn and batters struck out.

Yesavage became the sixth player under Godwin's mentorship to make the final roster of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. Yesavage was also named to four All-America Second Teams (Baseball America, D1Baseball, NCBWA and Perfect Game) while compiling a 7-1 record and 2.61 earned run average with 105 strikeouts and 23 walks in 76.0 innings of work. He also held opposing hitters to a .193 batting average.

In the final national statistical rankings of the year, Yesavage slotted 12th in WHIP (1.00), 17th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.43), 17th in hits allowed per nine innings (6.28) and 22nd in earned run average. He finished the season as the American Conference leader in opposing batting average, hits allowed and runs allowed while ranking second in earned run average.

Yesavage's 105 strikeouts tied for the 10th most in a single season in program history as he tallied double-digit strikeouts five times including a career-high 13 at Houston on March 31. He also turned in six quality starts and allowed more than three earned runs just once. In his final appearance of the year, Yesavage went 5.1 innings and surrendered just one earned run with seven strikeouts in the Pirates' 14-5 win over Oklahoma in their NCAA Charlottesville Regional opener.

The 2023 cycle aptly concluded with two more MLB First Year Player Draft selections in Grosz (11th Round/New York Yankees) and RHP Tyler Bradt (16th Round/St. Louis Cardinals). First baseman Josh Moylan (Yankees) and RHP Landon Ginn (Chicago Cubs) also signed undrafted free agent contracts.

The 2022 campaign produced even more historical moments for Godwin and the program. For the seventh time in program history (fourth under Godwin), No. 8 national seed ECU claimed a regional title by downing Coastal Carolina 13-4 in the decisive contest. The Pirates defeated Coppin State (17-1) in the opener before knocking off Virginia (4-2) and falling to the Chanticleers 9-1 to extend the regional to a game seven. It marked the fourth time the Pirates won an NCAA regional title as a campus host (2009, 2019, 2021, 2022) and East Carolina advanced to its fourth Super Regional under Godwin (2016 at Lubbock, Texas, 2019 at Louisville, Ky., 2021 at Nashville, Tenn., 2022 at Greenville, N.C.). Four ECU players earned All-Regional status in Zach Agnos (SS), Jacob Jenkins-Cowart (OF), Carter Spivey (P) and Bryson Worrell (OF). Worrell was named the Most Outstanding Player of the regional.

The Pirates moved on to host their first even on-campus Super Regional, welcoming No. 9 national seed Texas to Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium. ECU captured the opener by a 13-7 score, but fell 9-8 in walkoff fashion in game two before the Longhorns won the decisive contest to advance to the College World Series.

The Pirates finished among the top 40 nationally in 12 statistical categories, including third in both fielding percentage and sacrifice flies.

The duo of Zach Agnos and Carter Spivey continued the tradition of Pirates earning All-America accolades as they combined for five selections. Spivey, the first-ever relief pitcher to win AAC Pitcher of the Year accolades, was tabbed to three All-America teams (NCBWA/Second Team, CBF/Second Team and CB/Third Team) after a stellar junior season during which he compiled a sparkling 8-0 record and 2.83 earned run average with 76 strikeouts against 19 walks in 76.1 innings of work with five saves. Spivey also ranked eighth nationally in appearances (35), 47th in victories and 54th in ERA while pacing the AAC in earned run average, victories, earned runs allowed (20) and doubles allowed (6). He also slotted second in appearances and fourth in opposing batting average (.245). A key cog in the Pirates’ postseason run, which culminated in ECU hosting a Super Regional for the first time in program history, Spivey went 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in the NCAA Greenville Regional, adding seven strikeouts in seven innings pitched as well as a .214 opposing batting average. He tossed five innings in the regional championship game against Coastal Carolina, striking out five batters against no walks in the Pirates’ 13-4 victory. Agnos earned a spot on the Baseball America and D1Baseball Second Teams by hitting .330 (88-for 267) with seven home runs, 42 RBI and 56 runs scored. He was the team co-leader in hits with Bryson Worrell and co-leader in doubles (15) alongside Lane Hoover and Alec Makarewicz while leading the club with 29 multi-hit games and finishing tied for third with 10 multi-RBI efforts. Showing his two-way versatility, Agnos posted a 3-0 record with three saves in 21 relief appearances. allowed just six runs (all earned) on 11 hits over 23.1 innings while sporting a team-best 2.31 ERA. He also struck out 19 batters and walked just six, holding opposing hitters to a composite .151 average.

Following its seventh full year as a member of the American Athletic Conference (no games played in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic), Godwin and his staff led ECU to an unprecedented third-straight regular season title after posting a 20-4 record and winning the conference tournament. The Pirates, who set the league record with 20 wins in 2019 and tied that mark in 2021, captured seven weekend series which included a quintet of sweeps over UCF, Cincinnati, Memphis, South Florida and Houston. ECU wrapped up the league’s regular season crown with a 6-3 win over South Florida in the series finale May 15.

Godwin was named the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career, guiding ECU to its third consecutive 20-win league season and a national best 14-game winning streak heading into the league tourney. A program-record 10 ECU players earned All-American Athletic Conference nods in 2022. A quartet of Pirates in Zach Agnos (SS), Ryder Giles (UTIL), Lane Hoover (OF) and Carter Spivey (RP) garnered first-team honors while Cam Clonch (DH), Alex Makarewicz (3B), C.J. Mayhue (P), Garrett Saylor (P), Jacob Starling (2B) and Bryson Worrell (OF) picked up second-team recognition.

LHP Carson Whisenhunt became the sixth-highest MLB Draft pick in program history as he was selected 66th overall (second round) by the San Francisco Giants. RHP/Shortstop Zach Agnos also went in the 10th round (Pick 296) to the Colorado Rockies.

In 2021, Godwin guided the Pirates into postseason play as a regional host and national seed (No. 13) for the third-straight season. His club sported a 44-17 overall record and won The American regular season title with a 20-8 mark, which tied the conference record for wins. Connor Norby and Gavin Williams garnered player and pitcher-of-the-year honors, while Godwin picked up his third coach-of the-year accolade. The duo also were named semifinalists for the Dick Howser and Golden Spikes Awards, which given to the nation’s top amateur player.

Norby, who led the nation with 102 hits and hit at a .415 clip, won the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award and was named to five All-America squads. The Pirates triple crown winner, who led the club in home runs (15) and runs, also stood atop the team stat columns in multi-hit games (33), slugging percentage (.659), on-base percentage (.484) and stolen bases (18), while sharing the lead in doubles (15) with Zach Agnos.

Williams, who claimed the AAC pitching triple crown with a 10-1 record, 1.88 ERA and 130 strikeouts, was a consensus first-team All-America choice. He allowed just 18 runs (17 earned) on 57 hits in 81.1 innings and closed out the regular season standing second on ECU's single-season strikeout list. Williams fanned 10 or more batters in a game six times tying his career-high with 13 in the Nashville Super Regional opener.

Agnos and Josh Moylan became the seventh and eighth players under Godwin to earn freshman All-America honors (Collegiate Baseball). Agnos, a second-team all-conference pick, batted .268 with six home runs, 15 doubles, 43 RBI and scored 38 runs. Moylan, one of three first-team selections, started 58 games hitting at a .310 clip with six homers, 38 RBI and scored 35 times.

The senior trio of Matt Bridges, Cam Colmore and Tyler Smith combined to post a 14-4 record with seven saves in 76 appearances (15 starts). They tallied 199 strikeouts to just 56 walks in 143.1 innings helping the pitching staff to a 4.03 ERA with a single-season best 626 punch outs. Bridges earned Greenville Regional MOP honors after earning a win and registering two saves in three outings. Colmore picked up Second-Team All-AAC accolades after sporting a 4-1 record with one save and a 1.38 ERA in league action.

In 2020, Godwin’s team posted a 13-4 record before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pirates led the nation in fielding percentage (.990) and sac bunts (23), while ranking eighth in batting average (.317) and 10th in hits (183). Burleson earned First-Team All-America honors by Collegiate Baseball and was tabbed a First-Team All-Academic selection. He also added AAC Male and Baseball Student-Athlete-of-the-Year accolades and was selected by the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals (pick 70 overall).

The 2019 season will go down as one of the most successful in program history after ECU posted a 47-18 record, hosted its second-straight Greenville Regional (No. 10 national seed) and advanced to the Louisville Super Regional. Godwin, the 2019 AAC Coach-of-the-Year, guided ECU to its first AAC regular season title sporting a 20-4 record and an 11-1 weekend series ledger (nation’s second-best win percentage).

A trio of Pirates in Jake Agnos (six teams), Brickhouse (one) and Burleson (five) were named to a combined 12 All-America squads, while seven earned all-conference accolades and seven were selected in the MLB Draft. The Pirates set four school records including strikeouts pitching (595) and three AAC single-season standards in hits (642), sac bunts (72) and conference wins (20).

Agnos, who earned Pitcher-of-the-Year, AAC Male and Baseball Student-Athlete-of-the-Year, set ECU and AAC single-season records for strikeouts (145) while also breaking the career strikeout record (295) during the Louisville Super Regional. The lefty became the 12th Pirate hurler to win the pitching triple crown posting an 11-3 record with a 2.29 ERA. Burleson, one of the nation’s top two-way players in the country, led the Pirates’ offense in seven stat categories including batting average (.370), hits (91) and RBI (61) while posting a 6-2 ledger on the mound with five saves and a 3.28 ERA.

In 2018, Godwin guided his club to a 44-18 overall record which included a second AAC Tournament Championship, a No. 12 national and top seed at the Greenville Regional. It marked the sixth time in school history the Pirates garnered the top seed in a regional and just the second time ECU has hosted postseason play at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium. Bryant Packard racked up a ton of honors being named to a program-best seven All-America teams, earning AAC Player-of-the-Year accolades and NCAA All-Greenville Regional honors. Chris Holba was a third-team (NCBWA) All-America selection, while Alec Burleson became the fourth Pirate under Godwin to claim Freshman All-America honors. Seven Pirates earned all-conference honors (four first-team) and four were named to the AAC All-Tournament Team with Brickhouse taking home Most Outstanding Player honors.

During the summer of 2018, Godwin was a member of the USA Collegiate National Team coaching staff that posted a 12-3 record that included series wins over Chinese Taipei, Japan and Cuba.

In year three, Godwin led the Pirates to their second American Baseball Championship game after winning three-straight in Clearwater, Fla. before falling to No. 17 Houston, which ended ECU’s season with a 32-28 overall record. The senior battery of Evan Kruczynski (Senior CLASS/first-team) and Watkins (NCBWA/third-team) both earned All-America honors in 2017 while Watkins, Eric Tyler and Yorgen all earned first-team all-conference honors. Spencer Brickhouse was named to three Freshman All-America squads, while off the field Watkins (first-team) and Yorgen (third-team) both took home CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades for their work in the classroom.

Godwin closed out the year serving as an assistant coach for USA Baseball working with the 14U National Team Development Program (NTDP) where he guided the Stars quad to a 3-0 series sweep over the Stripes at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.

The Snow Hill, N.C. native followed with another NCAA Regional berth (No. 3 seed in Charlottesville) and a Super Regional appearance (Lubbock, Texas) in 2016. ECU, which posted a 38-23-1 record and finished second in The American (15-8-1), rolled through regional play picking up wins against No. 20 Bryant, No. 10 Virginia and William & Mary en route to claiming the Charlottesville crown – its fourth regional title. The Pirates continued their magical run, defeating No. 5 national seed Texas Tech in the opener of the Super Regional and came 90 feet away from making their first appearance in the College World Series.

Godwin made an immediate impact in 2015 by leading the Pirates to a 40-22 record, which included a second-place regular season finish (15-9) in The American. The 2015 American Coach-of-the-Year became the first skipper in program history to win 40 games in his initial season, guided ECU to a conference tournament title in its first year in the league and directed a return to NCAA post-season play – its first since 2012 – as the No. 2 seed in the Coral Gables Regional.

Ole Miss (2011-14)
Godwin served as Ole Miss’ assistant coach and helped lead recruiting efforts that resulted in the Rebels advancing to 2014 College World Series, their first appearance since 1972. During his three-year tenure in Oxford, Godwin was an integral part of NCAA Regional teams all three seasons and spearheaded recruiting efforts that garnered four Top 22 recruiting classes, including a No. 5 ranking in 2013 by Perfect Game, and had nine Major League Draft selections - three of which went in the first five rounds.

En route to a share of third place at the 2014 CWS, Godwin’s Rebel hitters ranked first in the Southeastern Conference in batting average (.303) and second in both home runs (42) and runs scored (396) on its way to the league’s West Division crown.

A former catcher for the Pirates from 1998 to 2001, Godwin mentored 2013 Johnny Bench Award Winner and first-team All-America selection Stuart Turner, who batted .374 and threw out 52 percent of base runners on steal attempts.

He continued to develop some of the top hitters in recent program history in 2014 as senior Will Allen and junior Auston Bousfield earned All-America accolades, while J.B. Woodman garnered Freshman All-America status. Allen, the Rebels leading hitter (.341) and top RBI man with 64, was a finalist for the ’14 Johnny Bench Award.

UCF (2009-11)
Prior to joining the Rebels, Godwin spent three seasons as the associate head coach at the University of Central Florida, where he directed the Knights’ offense and also served as recruiting coordinator.

In his three years at UCF, Godwin helped put the Golden Knights on the map with the nation’s fourth-ranked recruiting class in 2010 before following with a Top 20 class in 2011. He also helped lead the Knights back to NCAA Regional action in 2011 for the first time since 2004. Paced by First-Team All-Conference USA sluggers Jonathan Griffin and D.J. Hicks, UCF led the league in home runs, slugging percentage, hits, runs, RBI and doubles. In addition, his development of Beau Taylor, who batted .325 with five home runs and 47 RBI, earned him inclusion on the 2011 Johnny Bench Award Watch List.

In 2010, SEBaseball.com named Godwin C-USA Assistant Coach-of-the-Year as he played an integral role in the Knights’ school-record and C-USA-record .343 batting average. The squad also posted 78 home runs and a .538 slugging percentage, both school standards.

LSU (2006-08)
Before to his stint at UCF, Godwin’s offense at LSU hit .306 in 2008 with 100 homers and 95 stolen bases. The squad recorded at least 10 runs in a game 20 times and sported a .509 slugging percentage. Towards the end of the season, including NCAA Tournament play, LSU posted a 23-game winning streak en route to a trip to Omaha.

A year earlier, Godwin helped build the top-ranked recruiting class in the nation in 2007 for LSU according to Collegiate Baseball - a class which featured nine signees selected in that season’s MLB Draft.

Notre Dame (2005-06)
While in South Bend, the Fighting Irish posted a .313 batting average under Godwin’s tutelage and claimed the Big East Tournament title to go along with a berth in the NCAA Lexington Regional. He coached Craig Cooper to All-America and Big East Player-of-the-Year honors on the way to becoming a seventh-round draft pick.

Vanderbilt (2004-05)
Godwin moved to Vanderbilt where he served as the Commodores’ Director of Baseball Operations for two seasons before joining the Notre Dame staff as an assistant coach under then head coach Paul Manieri in 2005.

UNC Wilmington (2003-04)
Godwin made immediate contributions in the dugout and in the batting cage, helping lead UNC Wilmington to the program’s first CAA championship and an appearance in the 2004 NCAA Regional Championship.

ECU As A Player (1998-2001)
A five-year member of the baseball program at ECU, Godwin redshirted as a freshman before serving as a top catcher for the Pirates over the next four seasons. The three-year team co-captain started 126 games as a sophomore, junior and senior, earning All-East Region honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association in his final season after batting .322 with 15 home runs and 45 RBI. The left-handed swinging Godwin also was a First-Team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection in 2001 after also delivering 14 doubles and drawing 23 walks in 57 games.

In addition to his on-the-field accomplishments, Godwin excelled in the classroom at ECU as a two-time Academic All-America selection - one of four Pirates to ever earn the distinguished honor. After being named to third-team status in 1999, he followed up with second-team accolades as a senior in 2001.

Godwin graduated magna cum laude from ECU in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree in management information systems, and after receiving the Pat Draughon Postgraduate Scholarship, went on to earn his MBA from ECU in 2002.

He helped former ECU skipper Keith LeClair’s teams win nearly 100 games more than they lost during his four seasons (169-76), including 46-plus wins in each of his final three years (46-16 in ’99, 46-18 in ’00 and 47-13 in ’01). His career totals with the Pirates included 24 home runs, 31 doubles and 95 RBI.

ECU won a pair CAA Tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Regionals every season from 1999 to 2001. The Pirates were the top seed in their regional all three years, including a No. 6 national seed in 2001 where they advanced to the Super Regional round before being eliminated by Tennessee. Godwin was named to the all-tournament team at the 2001 NCAA regional, hosted by ECU in Wilson.

After finishing his collegiate career, Godwin spent two seasons playing professionally with the Gateway Grizzlies in the Frontier League before getting back into the coaching ranks as an assistant coach at Kinston High School in 2003.

Godwin is the son of Kathy Dail and Lewis Godwin of Snow Hill.

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