GREENVILLE, N.C. – ECU baseball’s 2017-18 recruiting class picked up another Top 20 national ranking after being selected No. 20 overall by D1Baseball Wednesday afternoon. The ranking marks the second-straight year that head coach Cliff Godwin and his staff have produced a pair of Top 20 standings. The Pirates were tabbed No. 19 by Baseball America in September, and a year ago they were picked No. 19 by D1Baseball and No. 23 by Baseball America.
"Jeff Palumbo, our recruiting coordinator, Dan Roszel and our entire support staff have put together another exceptional incoming class," Godwin said. “We are excited about the talent, character, and competitiveness that this group brings to the program. This class will continue to represent ECU baseball in a first-class manner on and off the field, while taking the program to new heights!"
The 2017-18 recruiting class consists of two infielders (Connor Litton and Collin Watt), three outfielders (Chandler Jenkins, Josh Netterville and Jeremy Whitehead), two catchers (Seth Caddell and Spencer Smith), one utility player (Bryson Worrell), one two-way player (Alec Burleson), and seven pitchers (Zach Barnes, Cole Beavin, Austin Covers, Noah Jones, Jake Kuchmaner, Willy Strong and Gavin Williams).
During his three years at the helm of the program, Godwin has guided ECU to a pair of NCAA Regional berths, a Super Regional appearance, an American Athletic Conference Tournament title and a 110-72-1 (.604) overall record. Five players have earned All-America honors, five were named to the Charlottesville All-Regional Team, eight took home all-conference honors (eight first-teamers), nine were selected as American Player-of-the-Week, while three were drafted by Major League Baseball teams.
The Pirates return 20 letterwinners, including 2016 Freshman All-American Dwanya Williams-Sutton, 2017 Freshman All-American Spencer Brickhouse and 2017 AAC All-Tournament Team selection Jake Agnos. In all, the roster consists of 11 freshmen, 10 sophomores, 11 juniors and four seniors.
What D1Baseball Says About ECU’s Recruiting Class
Overview: An outstanding, balanced group that figures to make an immediate impact on the pitching side, as well as on the position player side of things. There’s some polish among the junior college players they’ve brought in, but the ultimately the strength of this class is going to be the high upside group of power arms and athletic bats. This is a group that could end up yielding some very high-end draft prospects.
The Stars: East Carolina may have another pitching star in the pipeline in 6-foot-6 freshman right-hander Gavin Williams. A fascinating projection case who has impressed this fall with his rapidly improving pitch-ability, Williams works at 90-95 mph, has solid curveball and a developing changeup. They also added a power hitting backstop into the fold in righty swinging Spencer Smith. He has the ability to stick behind the plate and contribute as a middle of the order type bat. Junior college transfer Chandler Jenkins also looks like a potential impact bat right out of the gate. He shows gap power and good athleticism.
The Sleepers: ECU also has another backstop to keep an eye on in this group, Seth Caddell, who has shown intriguing arm strength from behind the dish. Two-way star Alec Burleson could be one of the most useful players in this group, as he shows a projectable lefty arm on the mound as well as a smooth, powerful left-handed stroke. He could be a potential middle of the order bat.
Biggest 2018 Impact: Chandler Jenkins
Best Long Term Prospect: Gavin Williams
