Cliff Godwin becomes winningest coach at ECU as Pirates top UNCC at AAC tourney

by | May 23, 2025

Cliff Godwin became the winningest baseball coach in East Carolina University history with Thursday’s win over UNC Charlotte at the AAC Tournament on Thursday.

The 6-5 victory over No. 2 seed Charlotte puts the Pirates (31-25), the No. 6 seed, into Saturday’s play.. ECU will play either No. 3 South Florida or Charlotte on Saturday. A win there will put the Pirates in the AAC Tournament final, slated to be played on Sunday.

Godwin was tied with Dr. Gary Overton with 427 career wins. Thursday’s victory puts him alone at the top for career wins with 428.

Below is more on Thursday’s game from The American Athletic Conference. More to come from ECU’s Sports Information.

Check out Pirate Radio

Website | Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Instagram | YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

=====  

Photo credit: ECU baseball coach Cliff Godwin (Glenn Griffin, Pirate Radio photo illustration)

By TheAmerican.org

CLEARWATER, Fla. – No. 6 East Carolina took down No. 2 Charlotte, 6-5, Thursday evening, May 22, at the 2025 American Baseball Championship presented by Regions at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla.

The 49ers (36-21) will now face South Florida in an elimination game on Friday, May 23, at approximately 4:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN+. The Pirates (31-25) will await the winner of that contest on Saturday, May 25 at approximately 12:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN+.

After East Carolina opened the scoring in the top of the second inning with a pair of RBI groundouts, Blake Martin launched a 3-run home run to left field to give Charlotte a 3-2 lead.

Pirate reliever Brad Pruett entered in the third inning and did not allow a hit in five innings of work to earn the win and improve to 5-5 on the season.

The Pirates tied the game at 3-3 on an RBI single by John Collins in the top of the fifth and took the lead, 5-3, on a 2-run home run to the bullpen in left field by Walker Barron. East Carolina added an insurance run in the top of the seventh after  Austin Irby walked with the bases loaded to score Dixon Williams.

The 49ers pulled two back in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI groundout by Martin and an RBI single by Juan Rivera, but Jake Hunter closed the door for his third save of the season.

Chase Carson (4-1) pitched 4.2 innings of relief for Charlotte, but took the loss after allowing four runs on six hits with five strikeouts.

The loss for the 49ers snapped a 10-game win streak.

2025 American Baseball Championship presented by Regions
BayCare Ballpark | Clearwater, Fla.
Championship Central

Tuesday, May 20
Game 1: No. 5 Tulane 6, No. 4 Florida Atlantic 3 | Box Score | Highlights
Game 2: No. 1 UTSA 4, No. 8 Rice 2 | Box Score | Highlights
Game 3: No. 2 Charlotte 7, No. 7 Wichita State 1 | Box Score | Highlights
Game 4: No. 6 East Carolina 9, No. 3 South Florida 4 | Box Score | Highlights

Wednesday, May 21
Game 5: No. 4 Florida Atlantic 8, No. 8 Rice 6 (Rice eliminated) | Box Score | Highlights
Game 6: No. 3 South Florida 4, No. 7 Wichita State 3 (Wichita State eliminated) | Box Score | Highlights

Thursday, May 22
Game 7: No. 5 Tulane 10, No. 1 UTSA 6 | Box Score | Highlights
Game 8: No. 6 East Carolina 6, No. 2 Charlotte 5 | Box Score | Highlights

Friday, May 23
Game 9: No. 4 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 1 UTSA | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Game 10: No. 3 South Florida vs. No. 2 Charlotte | 47 minutes after Game 9 | ESPN+

Saturday, May 24
Game 11: No. 5 Tulane vs. Winner of Game 9 | 9 a.m. | ESPN+
Game 12: No. 6 East Carolina vs. Winner of Game 10 | 47 minutes after Game 11 | ESPN+
Game 13: Loser of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 11 | TBD (if necessary) | ESPN+
Game 14: Loser of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 12 | TBD (if necessary) | ESPN+

Sunday, May 25
Game 15: Semifinal Winners | Noon | ESPNEWS and ESPN+

All times listed are Eastern.

Top Headlines

Justin Verlander’s loss could be Carson Whisenhunt’s gain

Could now be the time we see East Carolina University baseball alum Carson Whisenhunt get called up to the majors? The San Francisco Giants announced Justin Verlander will go on the injured list with nerve irritation in his right pectoral muscle. It’s an issue that...

South Florida stays alive, Florida Atlantic eliminates Rice

South Florida bounced back from its loss to East Carolina and eliminated Wichita State in Wednesday's play at the AAC Tournament. Florida Atlantic also won to keep the season alive, sending Rice home after a win. Both teams have Thursday off and will play the losers...

NCSU on ASU game: ‘We don’t want to play that game on the road’

The NC State football team apparently isn’t that interested in playing Appalachian State either. The two teams were slated to play this fall, but NCSU paid ASU $300,000 to move the game to 2028. According to On3.com’s The Wolfpacker, head coach Dave Doeren has reasons...

The Danny Beal Show: ECU Baseball Associate Head Coach Jeff Palumbo

The latest edition of "The Danny Beal Show" on Pirate Radio gets you ready for the AAC Tournament and East Carolina baseball. Beal welcomes ECU Baseball Associate Head Coach Jeff Palumbo to the show. Palumbo was with the team in Clearwater, Fla., for the start of the...

ECU meets USF Tuesday in AAC Tournament opener

Eat Carolina's baseball team will look to start the AAC Tournament off on the right foot with a game against No. 3 seed South Florida on Tuesday. The Pirates, the No. 6 seed, will face the Bulls in the last game of the day on Tuesday. More information on the game can...