East Carolina Pirates baseball
American college baseball team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The East Carolina Pirates baseball team is an intercollegiate baseball team representing East Carolina University in NCAA Division I college baseball and participates as a full member of the American Conference. The Pirates have made regular appearances in the NCAA tournament. As of 2025, they have the most NCAA tournament appearances without a College World Series appearance.[3]
| East Carolina Pirates baseball | |
|---|---|
 2026 East Carolina Pirates baseball team | |
| |
| Founded | 1907 |
| University | East Carolina University |
| Head coach | Cliff Godwin (12th 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, 2021, 2022 | |
| 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, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | |
| Conference tournament champions | |
| ECAC South: 1982, 1984 CAA: 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2000 CUSA: 2002 American: 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025, 2026 | |
| Conference regular season champions | |
| North State: 1955, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1961[2] SoCon: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1977 ECAC South: 1984, 1985 CAA: 1986, 1990, 2001 CUSA: 2004, 2009 American: 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026 | |
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.
History
Conference
- 1948–1962: North State[4]
- 1963–1965: Independent
- 1966–1977: Southern Conference
- 1978–1981: Independent
- 1982–1985: ECAC South
- 1986–2001: Colonial Athletic Association
- 2002–2014: Conference USA
- 2015–present: American Conference
Head coaches
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | R.C. Deal[5][6] | 1 | 1-5-0 | .167 |
| 1933 | Kenneth Beatty[7][8] | 1 | 3-3-0 | .500 |
| 1934 | A. D. Frank[9][10] | 1 | 5-8-0 | .385 |
| 1935 | Doc Mathis[11][12] | 1 | 7-7-1 | .500 |
| 1936–1938 | Bo Farley[13][14] | 3 (4) | 32-11-3 | .728 |
| 1939 | Gordon Gilbert[15] | 1 | 6-5-0 | .545 |
| 1940 | Bo Farley[16][17] | 1 (4) | 5-4-1 | .550 |
| 1941-1942 | John Christenbury[18][19] | 2 | 13-11-0 | .542 |
| 1946 | Earl Smith | 1 | 7-4-0 | .636 |
| 1947 | John Cameron | 1 | 11-7-0 | .611 |
| 1948 | James Johnson | 1 | 5-10-1 | .344 |
| 1949–1953 | Jack Boone | 5 | 49-39-1 | .556 |
| 1954–1962 | James Mallory | 9 (10) | 146-52-0 | .737 |
| 1963–1972 | Earl Smith | 10 | 186-102-2 | .645 |
| 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 | 12 | 470-238-2 | .663 |
| Totals | 21 coaches | 92 seasons | 2321-1274-16 | .645 |
* 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.[20]
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[21] and the Keith LeClair Classic.[22]
Year-by-year results
| National champions | College World Series berth | NCAA Tournament berth | Conference Tournament Champions | Conference/Division Regular Season Champions |
| Season | Head coach | Conference | Season results | Tournament results | Final poll[a] | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Conference | Conference | Postseason | BA | CB | Coaches | ||||||||||
| Wins | Losses | Ties | % | Wins | Losses | Ties | % | Finish | ||||||||
| East Carolina Pirates | ||||||||||||||||
| 1932 | R. C. Deal | Independent | 1 | 5 | 0 | .167 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1933 | Kenneth Beatty | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1934 | A. D. Frank | 5 | 8 | 0 | .385 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1935 | Doc Mathis | 7 | 7 | 1 | .500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1936 | Bo Farley | 6 | 4 | 1 | .591 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1937 | 9 | 4 | 2 | .667 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1938 | 17 | 3 | 0 | .850 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1939 | Gordon Gilbert | 6 | 5 | 0 | .545 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1940 | Bo Farley | 5 | 4 | 1 | .550 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1941 | John Christenbury | 6 | 4 | 0 | .600 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1942 | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1943 | No games played | |||||||||||||||
| 1944 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1945 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1946 | Earl Smith | Independent | 7 | 4 | 0 | .636 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1947 | John Cameron | 11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1948 | James Johnson | North State | 5 | 10 | 1 | .344 | 3 | 7 | 1 | .318 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1949 | Jack Boone | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 4 | 6 | 0 | .400 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1950 | 7 | 7 | 1 | .500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1951 | 11 | 10 | 0 | .524 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1952 | 9 | 9 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1953 | 16 | 5 | 0 | .762 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1954 | James Mallory | 15 | 7 | 0 | .682 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1955 | 20 | 5 | 0 | .800 | — | — | — | — | 1st | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1956 | 18 | 5 | 0 | .783 | — | — | — | — | 1st | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1957 | 16 | 7 | 0 | .696 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1958 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1959 | 16 | 3 | 0 | .842 | — | — | — | — | 1st | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1960 | 17 | 5 | 0 | .773 | — | — | — | — | 1st | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1961 | 23 | 4 | 0 | .852 | — | — | — | — | 1st | — | NAIA National Championship[23] | — | — | — | ||
| 1962 | 11 | 10 | 0 | .524 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1963 | Earl Smith | Independent | 25 | 6 | 1 | .797 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NAIA World Series | — | — | — |
| 1964 | 18 | 7 | 0 | .720 | — | — | — | — | — | — | District 3 Playoffs | — | 23 | — | ||
| 1965 | 16 | 7 | 0 | .696 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966 | Southern Conference | 17 | 10 | 0 | .630 | 12 | 3 | 0 | .800 | 1st | — | District 3 Playoffs | — | 28 | — | |
| 1967 | 23 | 6 | 0 | .793 | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | T–1st | — | — | — | 23 | — | ||
| 1968 | 21 | 11 | 1 | .652 | 10 | 1 | 0 | .909 | 1st | — | District 3 Playoffs | — | 19 | — | ||
| 1969 | 15 | 14 | 0 | .517 | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3rd | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970 | 20 | 13 | 0 | .606 | 13 | 6 | 0 | .684 | 1st | — | District 3 Playoffs | — | 25 | — | ||
| 1971 | 12 | 18 | 0 | .400 | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 4th | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972 | 19 | 10 | 0 | .655 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 2nd | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973 | James Mallory | 16 | 8 | 0 | .667 | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | T–2nd | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1974 | George Williams | 17 | 13 | 0 | .567 | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 1st | — | District 3 Playoffs | — | 25 | — | |
| 1975 | 17 | 12 | 0 | .586 | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 3rd | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976 | 22 | 7 | 0 | .759 | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 4th | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977 | Monte Little | 30 | 12 | 0 | .714 | 15 | 1 | 0 | .938 | 1st | — | Atlantic Regional | — | — | — | |
| 1978 | Independent | 27 | 18 | 0 | .600 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1979 | 25 | 19 | 0 | .568 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980 | Hal Baird | 28 | 7 | 0 | .800 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Northeast Regional | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | 28 | 15 | 0 | .651 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982 | ECAC South | 34 | 14 | 0 | .708 | 6 | 3 | 0 | .667 | 3rd | 1st | East Regional | — | — | — | |
| 1983 | 21 | 17 | 1 | .551 | 2 | 3 | 1 | .417 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984 | 34 | 13 | 0 | .723 | 7 | 2 | 0 | .778 | 1st | 1st | South I Regional | — | 20 | — | ||
| 1985 | Gary Overton | 32 | 14 | 0 | .696 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1986 | CAA | 40 | 10 | 0 | .800 | 13 | 5 | 0 | .722 | T–1st | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1987 | 26 | 17 | 0 | .605 | 8 | 7 | 0 | .333 | 4th | 1st | Atlantic Regional | |||||
| 1988 | 33 | 14 | 0 | .702 | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | T–2nd | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989 | 37 | 11 | 0 | .771 | 12 | 3 | 0 | .800 | 2nd | 1st | East Regional | — | — | — | ||
| 1990 | 47 | 9 | 0 | .839 | 11 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 1st | 1st | Atlantic Regional | — | — | — | ||
| 1991 | 30 | 24 | 1 | .555 | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 3rd | 1st | Midwest Regional | — | — | — | ||
| 1992 | 25 | 24 | 0 | .510 | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 5th | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993 | 41 | 19 | 0 | .683 | 11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 3rd | 1st | Atlantic Regional | — | — | — | ||
| 1994 | 36 | 18 | 0 | .667 | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 5th | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995 | 29 | 26 | 0 | .527 | 5 | 13 | 0 | .278 | 6th | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996 | 22 | 24 | 0 | .478 | 10 | 11 | 0 | .476 | 5th | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997 | 29 | 27 | 0 | .518 | 10 | 11 | 0 | .476 | T–4th | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998 | Keith LeClair | 30 | 29 | 0 | .508 | 10 | 11 | 0 | .476 | T–4th | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1999 | 46 | 16 | 0 | .742 | 14 | 6 | 0 | .700 | 2nd | 1st | Baton Rouge Regional | 18 | 19 | 23 | ||
| 2000 | 46 | 18 | 0 | .719 | 14 | 7 | 0 | .667 | T–1st | 1st | Columbia Regional | — | 29 | — | ||
| 2001 | 47 | 13 | 0 | .783 | 19 | 2 | 0 | .905 | 1st | — | Kinston Super Regional | 11 | 11 | 11 | ||
| 2002 | CUSA | 43 | 20 | 1 | .680 | 16 | 13 | 1 | .550 | 6th | 1st | Columbia Regional | — | — | 24 | |
| 2003 | Randy Mazey | 34 | 27 | 1 | .556 | 17 | 13 | 0 | .567 | 5th | — | Atlanta Regional | — | — | — | |
| 2004 | 51 | 13 | 0 | .797 | 25 | 5 | 0 | .833 | 1st | — | Columbia Super Regional | 8 | 13 | 9 | ||
| 2005 | 35 | 26 | 0 | .574 | 18 | 12 | 0 | .600 | 4th | — | Tempe Regional | — | — | — | ||
| 2006 | Billy Godwin | 33 | 26 | 0 | .559 | 10 | 14 | 0 | .417 | 6th | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2007 | 40 | 23 | 0 | .635 | 14 | 9 | 0 | .609 | 2nd | 2nd | Chapel Hill Regional | — | — | — | ||
| 2008 | 42 | 21 | 0 | .667 | 13 | 11 | 0 | .542 | 5th | — | Conway Regional | — | — | — | ||
| 2009 | 46 | 20 | 0 | .697 | 17 | 7 | 0 | .708 | 1st | — | Chapel Hill Super Regional | 17 | 16 | 15 | ||
| 2010 | 15 | 27 | 0 | .357 | 11 | 13 | 0 | .458 | 6th | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011 | 41 | 21 | 0 | .661 | 14 | 10 | 0 | .583 | 3rd | — | Charlottesville Regional | 25 | — | — | ||
| 2012 | 36 | 24 | 1 | .598 | 13 | 10 | 1 | .563 | 6th | — | Chapel Hill Regional | — | — | — | ||
| 2013 | 31 | 26 | 0 | .544 | 14 | 10 | 0 | .583 | 3rd | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014 | 33 | 26 | 0 | .559 | 16 | 14 | 0 | .533 | 6th | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015 | Cliff Godwin | AAC | 40 | 22 | 0 | .645 | 15 | 9 | 0 | .625 | 2nd | 1st | Coral Gables Regional | — | — | — |
| 2016 | 38 | 23 | 1 | .621 | 15 | 8 | 1 | .646 | 2nd | — | Lubbock Super Regional | 15 | 15 | 16 | ||
| 2017 | 32 | 28 | 0 | .533 | 7 | 17 | 0 | .333 | 8th | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018 | 44 | 18 | 0 | .710 | 14 | 10 | 0 | .583 | T–3rd | 1st | Greenville Regional | 23 | 29 | 23 | ||
| 2019 | 47 | 18 | 0 | .723 | 20 | 4 | 0 | .833 | 1st | — | Louisville Super Regional | 12 | 15 | 12 | ||
| 2020 | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | — | Cancelled | Cancelled | 24 | — | — | ||
| 2021 | 44 | 17 | 0 | .721 | 20 | 8 | 0 | .714 | 1st | — | Nashville Super Regional | 13 | 12 | 13 | ||
| 2022 | 46 | 21 | 0 | .687 | 20 | 4 | 0 | .833 | 1st | 1st | Greenville Super Regional | 17 | 13 | 12 | ||
| 2023 | 47 | 19 | 0 | .712 | 18 | 6 | 0 | .750 | 1st | 2nd | Charlottesville Regional | 24 | 26 | 23 | ||
| 2024 | 46 | 17 | 0 | .730 | 19 | 8 | 0 | .704 | 1st | — | Greenville Regional | 16 | — | 16 | ||
| 2025 | 35 | 27 | 0 | .565 | 13 | 14 | 0 | .481 | T–5th | 1st | Conway Regional | — | — | — | ||
| 2026 | American | 38 | 24 | 1 | .611 | 17 | 10 | 0 | .630 | T–1st | 1st | Chapel Hill Regional | — | — | — | |
| Total | 2,321 | 1,274 | 16 | .645 | ||||||||||||
Notes
- Collegiate Baseball began team rankings in 1959. Baseball America began during the 1981 season.
NAIA tournament
In 1961, the Pirates won the NAIA World Series championship to claim their first national championship in baseball. The 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 Virginia 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 UNC Wilmington in the Greenville Regional. |
| 2019 | 4–3 | .571 | Won Greenville Regional; Lost to Louisville in the Louisville Super Regional. |
| 2021 | 3–2 | .600 | Won Greenville Regional; Lost to Vanderbilt in the Nashville Super Regional. |
| 2022 | 4–3 | .571 | Won Greenville Regional; Lost to Texas in the Greenville Super Regional. |
| 2023 | 2–2 | .500 | Lost to Virginia in Charlottesville Regional. |
| 2024 | 3–2 | .600 | Lost to Evansville in Greenville Regional. |
| 2025 | 2–2 | .500 | Lost to Coastal Carolina in Conway Regional. |
| 2026 | 2–2 | .500 | Lost to North Carolina in Chapel Hill Regional. |
| Total[3] | 56–75 | .427 |
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, 3 Pirates have been selected in the first round: Pat Watkins was selected 32nd in 1993, Jeff Hoffman was selected 9th in 2014, and Trey Yesavage was selected 20th in 2024.
- A total of 22 Pirates have gone on to play in the MLB, 4 of which are active players.