2017 College Preseason Top 25 Capsules: No. 6 East Carolina

6. East Carolina

2016 Record (Ranking): 38-23 (15). RPI: 27.
Coach (Record at school): Cliff Godwin (78-44-1, 2 years).
Postseason History: 28 regionals (active streak: 2), 0 CWS trips, 0 national titles.

In his first two seasons as East Carolina’s head coach, Cliff Godwin has been tasked with trying to mold a group of players he didn’t recruit into a winning unit.

It hasn’t been easy, but the Pirates have made two straight regional appearances, and came within one win of going to their first-ever College World Series last season, before falling to No. 5 national seed Texas Tech in the final two games of the super regional.

The Pirates have largely done it on grit and guile, exceeding expectations while molding holdover players and new recruits, such as sophomore outfielder Dwanya Williams-Sutton, into a cohesive unit.

But this season? This season is an altogether different beast. For the first time, Godwin will have depth at his disposal, returning the bulk of last year’s super regional squad. ECU also brings in the nation’s No. 23 recruiting class, with several freshmen poised to make an immediate impact. For those reasons, the Pirates will enter 2017 with their highest preseason ranking in program history.

“It’s a luxury as a coach,” Godwin said. “For the first two seasons, there’s been a lot of question marks, and you go in this year, at least on Opening Day, you feel like there’s a lot of answers.”

It all starts with several holdovers from the roster Godwin inherited, including three key seniors. Two make up the Friday night battery in lefthander Evan Krucyznski and fifth-year senior catcher Travis Watkins—two of the team’s three captains, along with senior third baseman Eric Tyler. Krucyznski, a crafty, strikethrowing southpaw, has a stranglehold on the Friday starter spot after back-to-back eight-win seasons, including an 8-1, 2.01 season last year. And he has an equally capable senior lefthander behind him in Jacob Wolfe.

Behind the plate, Watkins has long drawn rave reviews for his defense and leadership, but he’s also shown offensive growth, particularly in the postseason, when his simplified swing led to a four home run flourish. He’s considered by most of his teammates to be the heart and soul of the team.

Around the horn, the Pirates return their entire starting infield from a season ago, and outfielder Williams-Sutton, who led the team in hitting as a freshman, possesses the best raw tools on the team. Williams-Sutton had labrum surgery in the summer, but he is projected to be ready by opening day.

Those returners are complemented by several promising freshmen, who comprise the first true recruiting class that Godwin and his staff can call entirely their own.

“This is the one we actually got to put together from start to finish,” Godwin said. “So we’re really excited about this group and the future as we continue to move on.”

The powerful Spencer Brickhouse and Bryant Packard figure to start immediately after putting up strong showings in the fall, and they’ll form what Godwin called “a three-headed monster” with the equally powerful, though inconsistent, senior Bryce Harman.

On the pitching end, freshman righthander Trey Benton has power stuff and projects to pitch on the weekend—but he’ll have competition in the form of fellow freshmen Tyler Smith and lefthander Jake Agnos. And junior righty Joe Ingle returns to anchor the bullpen, having made 64 appearances in his first two seasons while averaging 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

Godwin said he’s noticed an increased air of confidence in his locker room—and for good reason, after coming so close to the team’s first-ever Omaha appearance last season. The Pirates have their eyes on finally breaking through that barrier this season.

“We talk about it pretty much every day,” Godwin said. “I’m not somebody who hides and says, ‘Hey, we’re not going to talk about it.’ But our guys understand, just like with the preseason rankings, that Omaha is a goal, and it’s a vision, but we’ve got to get caught up in the process.”

2017 LINEUP
Pos.	Name, Yr.	AVG	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SB
C	Travis Watkins, R-Sr.	.326	.407	.476	7	44	3
1B	Bryce Harman, Sr.	.242	.379	.376	4	25	2
2B	Charlie Yorgen, Sr,	.262	.346	.326	1	22	6
3B	Eric Tyler, Sr.	.306	.381	.426	5	36	9
SS	Turner Brown, Sr.	.281	.379	.352	3	34	9
LF	Dwanya Williams-Sutton, So.	.360	.455	.551	5	27	7
CF	Andrew Henrickson, Jr.	Tr.—Pitt (N.C.) CC
RF	Bryant Packard, Fr.	HS—Greenville, N.C.
DH	Spencer Brickhouse, Fr.	HS—Bunn, N.C.
Pos.	Name, Yr.	W	L	ERA	IP	SO	SV
LHP	Evan Kruczynski, Sr.	8	1	2.01	117	95	0
LHP	Jacob Wolfe, Sr.	6	4	2.95	88	57	0
RHP	Trey Benton, Fr.	HS—Cerro Gordo, N.C.
RP	Joe Ingle, Jr.	6	3	3.59	53	75	12