The East Carolina Pirates baseball team is an intercollegiate baseball team representing East Carolina University in NCAA Division I college baseball and has made regular appearances in the NCAA Tournament, but as of 2020 has yet to appear in the College World Series.[2]
| East Carolina Pirates | |
|---|---|
 2021 East Carolina Pirates baseball team | |
 | |
| Founded | 1907 |
| University | East Carolina University |
| Head coach | Cliff Godwin (7th season) |
| Conference | The American |
| Location | Greenville, North Carolina |
| Home stadium | Clark-LeClair Stadium (Capacity: 5,000) |
| Nickname | Pirates |
| Colors | Purple and gold[1] |
| NCAA regional champions | |
| 2001, 2004, 2009, 2016, 2019 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 | |
| Conference tournament champions | |
| ECAC: 1982, 1984 CAA: 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2000 C-USA: 2002 American: 2015, 2018 | |
| Regular season conference champions | |
| SoCon: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1977 ECAC: 1984, 1985 CAA: 1986, 1990, 2001 C-USA: 2004, 2009 American: 2019 | |
East Carolina participates as a full member of the American Athletic Conference. They have won two regular season championships and one tournament as a member of Conference USA, as well as several Colonial Athletic Association and Southern Conference championships previously.
The Pirates are coached by Cliff Godwin and play their home games at Clark-LeClair Stadium, named after donor and alumnus Bill Clark and former coach Keith LeClair. Every year, the Pirates host a baseball tournament in Greenville in honor of Coach LeClair called the Keith LeClair Classic.
As of 2020, they have the most NCAA tournament appearances without a College World Series appearance.
History
Conference
- 1951–1965: Independent
- 1966–1977: Southern Conference
- 1978–1981: Independent
- 1982–1985: Eastern College Athletic Conference
- 1986–2001: Colonial Athletic Association
- 2002–2014: Conference USA
- 2015–present: American Athletic Conference
Head coaches
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932–1933 | R.C. Deal | 2 | 4-8-0 | .333 |
| 1934 | W.O. Jolly | 1 | ||
| 1935–1938 | Bo Farley | 4 (5) | 35-14-4 | .698 |
| 1939 | Gordon Gilbert | 1 | 6-5-0 | .545 |
| 1940 | Bo Farley | 1 (5) | 4-3-0 | .571 |
| 1941 | John Christenbury | 1 | 6-4-0 | .600 |
| 1950–1953 | Jack Boone | 4 | 45-30-3 | .596 |
| 1954–1962 | James Mallory | 9 (10) | 145-52-0 | .736 |
| 1963–1972 | Earl Smith | 10 | 185-103-2 | .641 |
| 1973 | James Mallory | 1 (10) | 16-8-0 | .667 |
| 1974–1976 | George Williams | 3 | 56-32-0 | .636 |
| 1977–1979 | Monte Little | 3 | 82-49-0 | .626 |
| 1980–1984 | Hal Baird | 5 | 145-66-1 | .686 |
| 1985–1997 | Gary Overton | 13 | 427-237-1 | .643 |
| 1998–2002 | Keith LeClair | 5 | 212-96-1 | .688 |
| 2003–2005 | Randy Mazey | 3 | 120-66-1 | .644 |
| 2006–2014 | Billy Godwin | 9 | 317-214-1 | .597 |
| 2015–present | Cliff Godwin | 5 | 201–109–1 | .648 |
| Totals | 16 coaches | 80 seasons | 2006-1096-15 | .647 |
* 1942, 1946–1949 No Records Available [2]
* 1943–1945 No Games Played
Stadium
Clark-LeClair Stadium is the home of Pirate baseball at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. The stadium was named after Pirate alumnus and key contributor Bill Clark and former Pirate skipper Keith LeClair.[3]
The stadium has 3,000 Stadium bleacher seats, plus space for several thousand more spectators in "The Jungle". There are concession and restroom facilities at the stadium plus a family picnic area. Amenities include the Pirate Club fundraising and hospitality suite and a private suite for the LeClair family.
The stadium is home to the ECU Invitational[4] and the Keith LeClair Classic.[5]
Year-by-year results
* Division I only
| Year | Head Coach | Overall | Winning % | Conference | Winning % | Conf. Rank | Nat. Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Earl Smith | 18–7 | 0.720 | – | – | NCAA District 3 | ||
| 1965 | Earl Smith | 16–7 | 0.696 | – | – | |||
| 1966 | Earl Smith | 17–10 | 0.630 | 12–3 | 0.800 | 1st | #28 | NCAA District 3 |
| 1967 | Earl Smith | 23–6 | 0.793 | 13–3 | 0.813 | T-1st | #23 | |
| 1968 | Earl Smith | 21–11–1 | 0.656 | 10–1 | 0.909 | 1st | #19 | NCAA District 3 |
| 1969 | Earl Smith | 15–14 | 0.517 | 7–7 | 0.500 | T-5th | ||
| 1970 | Earl Smith | 20–13 | 0.606 | 13–6 | 0.684 | 1st | #25 | NCAA District 3 |
| 1971 | Earl Smith | 12–18 | 0.400 | 7–5 | 0.583 | 4th | ||
| Total[2] |
NAIA Tournament
In 1961, the ECU Pirates won the NAIA Baseball World Series championship to claim East Carolina's first national championship in baseball. The East Carolina Pirates won 13-7 over the Sacramento State Hornets. Since then, the Pirates have yet to make it to a national championship.
NCAA tournament
- The NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament started in 1947.
- The format of the tournament has changed through the years.
| Year | Record | Pct | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 1-2 | .333 | Lost to North Carolina in the District 3 Regional. |
| 1966 | 0-2 | .000 | Lost to North Carolina in the District 3 Regional. |
| 1968 | 1-2 | .333 | Lost to Florida State in the District 3 Regional. |
| 1970 | 0-2 | .000 | Lost to Mississippi State in the District 3 Regional. |
| 1974 | 0-2 | .000 | Lost to South Carolina in the District 3 Regional. |
| 1977 | 0-2 | .000 | Lost to South Carolina in the Atlantic Regional. |
| 1980 | 0-2 | .000 | Lost to Maine in the Northeast Regional. |
| 1982 | 1-2 | .333 | Lost to West Virginia in the East Regional. |
| 1984 | 2-2 | .500 | Lost to South Alabama in the South Regional. |
| 1987 | 0-2 | .000 | Lost to Central Michigan in the Atlantic Regional. |
| 1989 | 0-2 | .000 | Lost to Villanova in the East Regional. |
| 1990 | 1-2 | .333 | Lost to N.C. State in the East Regional. |
| 1991 | 1-2 | .333 | Lost to Ohio State in the Midwest Regional. |
| 1993 | 1-2 | .333 | Lost to Ohio State in the Atlantic Regional. |
| 1999 | 2-2 | .500 | Lost to LSU in the Baton Rouge Regional. |
| 2000 | 2-2 | .500 | Lost to Louisiana-Lafayette in the Lafayette Regional. |
| 2001 | 3-2 | .600 | Won Wilson Regional; Lost to Tennessee in the Kinston Super Regional. |
| 2002 | 2-2 | .500 | Lost to Clemson in the Clemson Regional. |
| 2003 | 1-2 | .333 | Lost to Stetson in the Atlanta Regional. |
| 2004 | 3-2 | .600 | Won Kinston Regional; Lost to South Carolina in the Columbia Super Regional. |
| 2005 | 0-2 | .000 | Lost to UNLV in the Tempe Regional. |
| 2007 | 1-2 | .333 | Lost to Western Carolina in the Chapel Hill Regional. |
| 2008 | 2-2 | .500 | Lost to Coastal Carolina in the Conway Regional. |
| 2009 | 4-3 | .571 | Won Greenville Regional; Lost to North Carolina in the Chapel Hill Super Regional. |
| 2011 | 2-2 | .500 | Lost to UVA in the Charlottesville Regional Final. |
| 2012 | 1-2 | .333 | Lost to North Carolina in the Chapel Hill Regional. |
| 2015 | 0-2 | .000 | Lost to FIU in the Coral Gables Regional. |
| 2016 | 4-2 | .667 | Won Charlottesville Regional; Lost to Texas Tech in the Lubbock Super Regional. |
| 2018 | 1-2 | .333 | Lost to UNCW in the Greenville Regional. |
| 2019 | 4-3 | .571 | Won Greenville Regional; Lost to Louisville in the Louisville Super Regional. |
| Total[2] | 40-62 | .392 |
Pirates in the Major Leagues
- Over the 5-year tenure of current head coach Cliff Godwin, 14 Pirates have been drafted.
- Since the MLB draft began in 1965, 2 Pirates have been selected in the first round: Pat Watkins was selected 32nd in 1993 and Jeff Hoffman was selected 9th in 2014.
- A total of 20 Pirates have gone on to play in the MLB, 3 of which are active players.
See also
References
- ^ ECU Athletics Style Guidelines (PDF). July 14, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "2018 ECU Baseball Fact Book" (PDF). 2018 ECU Baseball Fact Book. East Carolina University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
- ^ "LEWIS FIELD AT CLARK-LeCLAIR STADIUM". ECU Athletics. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
- ^ "2007 ECU Invitational". ECU Athletics. Archived from the original on 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
- ^ "6th Annual Keith LeClair Classic". ECU Athletics. Archived from the original on 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
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