The Godwin Report: Cliff Godwin’s Take on ECU’s Doubleheader

GREENVILLE, N.C. – After splitting their season-opening doubleheader against George Mason, ECU head coach Cliff Godwin shared his thoughts on the team’s performance, key moments, and adjustments made between games.

On Splitting the Doubleheader:

"Yeah, I just, I thought we played uncharacteristic of ECU baseball in the first game. Even Norby ( Ethan Norby) , even though he gave us a chance to win, like, he wasn't as sharp as he's been in the preseason. You know, he tries to do so much sometimes instead of just being himself. I grabbed him afterwards and said, ‘Hey man, I need you to go close out the first inning next Friday,’ and just keep going. I think he tried to pace himself and he hit a couple guys.

We didn’t do a good job with our game plan, which was to not let the leadoff guy get on. I felt like the leadoff guy was on a lot for them in both games. But some good pitching performances for sure. I thought Norby gave us a chance to win. I thought Lance Williams was good in the first game. Obviously, Zayac was good today, and then Brad Pruett was good. Colby gave us a little bit, and Ian being out there as a freshman to close out the game was big.

Just proud of the way our guys battled in the second game, because it wasn’t easy. It’s hard to win college baseball games. I know everybody thinks that, but just proud of our guys for getting that second win. We’ve got a chance to win the series tomorrow."

On Dixon Williams’ Three-Run Homer in Game 2:

"You know, Dixon, one of your veteran guys, getting a big swing off in a big moment. Yeah, I mean, for sure. Dixon’s one of the best players in the country. And, uh, you know, he got a pitch and hammered it to center field. And when you go out to center field, that's big-boy baseball. So, very happy that he hit that one out."

On the Message Between Games:

"To go out there and be aggressive and win. You can play our brand of baseball and not play tentative and tight. And, you know, you can talk about it all you want, but you can put a crowd out here, put a different uniform on, and some guys try to do too much, and swings get long. I thought offensively, we weren’t very good in the first game because we were just trying to do too much."

On the Mix of Veterans and Young Players Stepping Up:

"One of the messages I told them between the games is to stop breathing into this damn narrative that everybody talks about—the big damn new players we got—because we're talented and we're connected with anybody in the country. But if they keep leaning into what all you guys want to talk about—the fans—then we're going to play tentative and uptight like we did in the first game. So that was the real message since you’re bringing it up right now."

On Walker Barron’s Growth Since Last Season:

"Well, he was behind two good catchers last year and obviously didn’t get a lot of opportunities. He worked his tail off. He broke his jaw in the conference tournament, so he couldn’t go play summer ball. Coach Lartigue has worked with him a ton on his catching.

And, you know, we told him he's going to have a lot of workload this year, so he has to make sure he takes care of his body. He did a good job today."

On the Absence of Ryley Johnson:

"Yeah, it’s actually not his shoulder. I’m sure that’s what you guys thought. He tweaked his legs in practice this week, and I don’t think he’ll play tomorrow. Hopefully, we’ll get him back next weekend, but we’ve got to be careful.

As I told him, ‘Hey, it’s not like your shoulder popping out and just popping back in. If you strain that more, you could be out a month.’ So we’ve got to make sure we take care of that guy."

On Colby Wallace’s First Pitching Appearance of the Year:

"Yeah, I mean, Colby is a winner. You know, he's a competitive dude. I think he got behind 3-1 or 3-0 and came back and, you know, just filled it up. I just didn’t think he was in the zone enough there at the end, so we had to go to Ian, and Ian did a great job."

On Coaching From the Dugout Instead of Third Base in Game 2:

"Yeah, there’s a reason behind it. As a leader, you gotta evaluate your team, and I think it’s better suited for me to be in the dugout with this team this year than be coaching third base.

I got a ton of confidence in Coach Palumbo. We’ll communicate about what we’re trying to do offensively, but I need to be in the dugout with this team."

On the Bullpen’s Performance in the Doubleheader:

"Oh yeah, outstanding. And we’re not even at full strength. We’ve got some guys banged up on the mound, so once we get those guys going, we’ll be even deeper."

On Freshman Braden Burress’ Performance:

"Well, he’s just played his tail off in the preseason. I think he’s probably played in maybe five scrimmages over the past six months in left field. So we threw him out there, especially when Ryley got hurt.

He brings a toughness to our lineup, and he did a really good job in the first game."