Billy Godwin named baseball head coach

Posted on August 08, 2019

Photo of Billy Godwin at UNCG baseball stadium
Head Coach Billy Godwin

UNC Greensboro announced today that Billy Godwin has been hired as baseball head coach. Godwin has spent the past five years with the New York Yankees, overseeing all amateur scouting in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Prior to his time with the Yankees, Godwin was the head baseball coach at East Carolina from 2005-14.

“Billy Godwin cares about student-athletes as people and as baseball players. His North Carolina ties, NCAA success, and MLB experience provide our team with the tools to build on an already strong baseball foundation,” said Director of Athletics Kim Record. “Beyond the diamond, he seeks excellence in academic success and service. We are confident that our baseball team will consistently compete for championships under Billy’s leadership.”

“I am honored to be the head baseball coach at UNCG,” Godwin said. “I look forward to building on the success that Coach Jarrett and the program have established. We plan on competing for championships in the classroom, community, and on the field. This is an exciting time for Spartan baseball.”

Success at ECU

During his nine years at the helm for the Pirates, Godwin won 334 games while leading ECU to five NCAA Regional appearances. In 2009, the Pirates won the Conference USA championship before advancing to the NCAA Super Regional. He was named the 2009 C-USA Coach of the Year as well.

Between the 2009-10 seasons, Godwin guided ECU to a school-record 29 straight weeks appearing in the national polls climbing as high as 10th.

In 2007, Godwin was named North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association Coach of the Year after leading the Pirates to a 40-23 overall record.

Godwin was also instrumental in the Pirates signing two-time American League MVP Mike Trout to a National Letter of Intent before he was selected in the first round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft.

In total, 35 ECU student-athletes were selected in the MLB Draft from 2006-14, with seven having tallied playing time at the MLB level.

First stint as a head coach in college

Prior to his time at ECU, Godwin was head coach at Louisburg College where he led the program to 266 victories and a top eight ranking on three separate occasions from 1999-2005.

Under Godwin’s direction, the Hurricanes earned four regular season Region X titles and two Region X Tournament titles.

During a record-breaking 2002 season, Louisburg won 51 games while Godwin was named NJCAA Regional Coach of the Year and North Carolina College Coach of the Year. The Hurricanes would finish the year in sixth place at the NJCAA College World Series.

From 2000-05, Louisburg had 10 players picked in the MLB Draft.

Additional leadership experience

Before getting into the collegiate coaching ranks, Godwin spent eight years as a high school baseball coach where his teams collected more than 130 victories and won a North Carolina state title in 1994 at Enfield Academy.

Godwin has also been a high school athletic director along with being the executive director of Louisburg’s Hurricane Club.

Additionally, he has been a member of the North Carolina Independent School Board of Managers (NCISAA) and the North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association Executive Committee.

He earned his BS in business administration at Barton College in 1986 and his MS in education administration from ECU in 1995.

What they’re saying about Godwin

“As an alum and member of the UNCG Athletics Hall Of Fame, I am beyond ecstatic to know that Billy Godwin has been named head coach at UNCG. I genuinely believe that UNCG has all of the necessary resources to continue evolving into a stalwart program that contends for conference and regional championships each season. Billy’s extremely well rounded skillset and his experiences as a head coach and scout will pay huge dividends as he charts his course to find elite talent across the country. I am excited to watch the program continue to grow under his leadership and trust that more good times are on the horizon for this program that so many have worked so hard to establish through the years.”

— Mike Rikard, UNCG Baseball alum and current vice president of amateur scouting for the Boston Red Sox 

“Coach Godwin is an outstanding coach and works extremely hard in all phases of his program. He demands the best out of his players and staff. His ability to recruit, coach, and develop both pitchers and position players is exceptional. Great things are in store for UNCG.”

— Link Jarrett, former UNCG Baseball head coach and current Notre Dame Baseball head coach

“We want to wish Billy best of luck at UNCG. We will greatly miss his scouting ability, work ethic, and the professional way he represented the New York Yankees. I don’t think UNCG could have hired a better coach, leader, or person.”

— Damon Oppenheimer, vice president and director of amateur scouting for the New York Yankees

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