Here is an article from my hometown newspaper on Coach Godwin and ECU. Nash County is his home area and he gets a lot of love from the Graphic. During the baseball season they have an update every week on the progress of the Diamond Bucs. I figured if i didn't mention it here, it might be missed......someone who has a password for the boneyard feel free to post it over there.
http://www.nashvillegraphic.com/news.php?viewStory=2115
Blue-collar guy
By Geoff Neville, Graphic Sportswriter
GREENVILLE - Deep inside Clark-LeClair Stadium -- hidden away from the club seats, the fancy press box and the state-of-the-art scoreboard -- is Billy Godwin’s favorite place.
“This is where we get the work done,’’ Godwin says as he giddily reaches for a key to open the entrance door adjacent to the visiting dugout. “I love it in here.’’
Forget that Godwin has just stepped across the field at one of the nation’s top college baseball facilities. Not once did Godwin point out the expensive chairbacks reserved seats (which can be purchased for life) or the pitching wedge-ready infield grass.
Nope. Godwin was too busy making his way to the tucked-away indoor batting cages at Clark-LeClair on the campus of East Carolina University.
“Here it is!’’ Godwin shouts, much like a child who has rushed downstairs on Christmas morning. “Just look at it.’’
OK, it’s nice -- probably one of the best college-level cages you’ll find. But to Godwin, heading there every day is like a pilgrimage.
Sure, Godwin hopes to one day celebrate a regional or super regional championship one day on the perfect grass at Clark-LeClair.
But in Godwin’s estimation, that day won’t come unless his ECU Pirates continue to trek to the batting cages in determined fashion.
In that respect, nothing has changed with Godwin’s baseball approach since he left Louisburg College three years ago.
His office is nicer. His stadium is unbelievable. His coaching staff is abundant beyond comprehension. So are his travel and equipment budgets.
Those are just minor details to Godwin, though. The same thing matters to him -- trying to outwork the other guy to achieve success.
“You aren’t going to find anyone who works harder than Billy Godwin,’’ says Louisburg College Athletic Director Mike Holloman. “Bar none, he refuses to let it happen. That translates into success.’’
Godwin enjoyed a wealth of success during his six seasons at LC, where he succeeded the legendary Russ Frazier. But after taking his 2005 squad to the district finals, Godwin resigned to become the pitching coach at ECU.
Later in the summer, Pirates’ head coach Randy Mazey was dismissed, and Godwin was named the interim head coach. That title lasted for two weeks before Godwin earned the permanent position.
In two seasons at ECU, Godwin has posted a 73-49 mark, and the Pirates reached the Chapel Hill Regional of the NCAA Tournament in May after going 40-23.
While many Pirate fans hailed ECU’s triumphant season, Godwin wasn’t overly impressed. And he won’t be until his team competes in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
“In this business, that’s really the only goal you can have,’’ Godwin says. “We won’t truly be happy until that happens. That’s what our players believe, and that’s what our coaches believe.’’
In the off-season, Godwin was rewarded with a three-year contract extension from ECU Athletic Director Terry Holland. Godwin now makes $102,500 per year.
At the time, Holland said ‘‘Billy has done a remarkable job for ECU Baseball. He has restored respect for our program on all constituencies and that is paying huge dividends on the recruiting trail, particularly in our region.’’
The accolades haven’t gotten to Godwin’s head. Every day, he heads into Clark-LeClair Stadium and repeats the same, tireless process. Just as he did at Louisburg, Godwin jots down all of his daily chores on a legal pad.
Then, one by one, he crosses them off until the list is completed. Only then does he hop in his SUV and head home.
“In the business we’re in, you are only as good as your last accomplishment,’’ Godwin says. “If you get a sense of complacency, that’s when you get into trouble.
“When I became the head coach, a reporter asked me at the press conference what is was like to work under a one-year contract. I told him that I’ve never worked under anything else. You have to coach with urgency. For us, that urgency is to make it to Omaha.’’
During his Louisburg days, the destination of Godwin’s fancy was Grand Junction, Colo. -- the site of the NJCAA World Series.
Godwin guided the Hurricanes there in 2002 and was one game away from a repeat trip three years later. But LC lost a district doubleheader at Potomac State in what would prove to be his final day in charge of the Hurricanes’ program.
One month later, Godwin got the opportunity to join the ECU program as an assistant. It wasn’t a position he quickly accepted. Finally, Godwin decided to make the switch.
“The hardest part was driving to see Coach Frazier to tell him,’’ Godwin says. “Really, I was only a high school coach (at Cary Academy), and Coach Frazier gave me an opportunity. He believed in me. It was tough to leave because Louisburg College will always be very important to me.’’
Godwin’s resignation was one of the darkest moments in recent LC athletic history.
“It was a sad day,’’ Holloman says. “We lost a great coach. But I am happy for him and where he is at. And I would like to think we played a small part in Billy getting to the Division I level. I am proud and happy for him.’’
Says Godwin: “When I was growing up (in Rocky Mount), I dreamed of playing at Louisburg College and East Carolina. I was never good enough to do that, but I’ve been able to coach at both places.
“Coming to ECU was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.’’
But not even Godwin himself could fathom the eventual end game -- that Mazey would be terminated and Godwin would take over -- just a few months after he stepped down at LC.
“Sometimes I pinch myself about how everything happened,’’ Godwin says. “I’m at home in Eastern North Carolina doing what I love to do. This is a blue-collar area -- people work hard and are proud of that. I would like to think our team typifies that. We have guys who like to go in there and grind it out.’’
With that, Godwin is soon headed back to the indoor batting cage. Some things never change.
