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News Nuggets, 10.11.05
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Mazey benched; Godwin to fill in as head coach

Simmering unrest inside the East Carolina baseball program apparently reached the boiling point Monday, resulting in bombshell news out of the school's athletic department that head coach Randy Mazey had been relieved of his duties and assistant coach Billy Godwin would serve as acting head coach for the remainder of the 2005-06 academic year.

Athletic director Terry Holland announced that Mazey, ECU's coach for the past three seasons, has been suspended with pay. The ECU media relations office advised that an 11 a.m. press conference would be conducted at the Murphy Center today to introduce Godwin to accredited members of the media.

The development comes only months after the conclusion of the Diamond Pirates's 2005 season was marked by the exodus of assistant coaches Tommy Eason and Alan Osborne and the transfer of slugger Ryan Peisel, a promising rising sophomore, to Georgia. Sources have indicated the departures were prompted by conflicts with Mazey over on and off the field issues, resulting in scrutiny of Mazey's coaching style by Holland.

ECU did not indicate in its announcement the reason for the coaching change, but Talk 1070's Henry Hinton and WNCT-TV 9's Brian Bailey reported on the Brian Bailey Show Monday night that sources indicated dissension within the team continued.

Godwin, a Rocky Mount native with an ECU graduate degree, was hired as the Pirates' pitching coach in June after compiling a 262-85 in six years at junior college powerhouse Louisburg. During his tenure, he led the Hurricanes to multiple postseason appearances, including a 2002 trip to the JUCO World Series.

"We will assist Coach Godwin in building a staff to provide this year's team with the leadership necessary to compete at the highest level," Holland said in a statement. "We will conduct a national search for a permanent coach at the conclusion of the 2006 season."

ECU's press release noted that Chancellor Steve Ballard said he made the decision to suspend Mazey based on Holland's recommendation.

"These decisions are never easy," Ballard stated. "But I have complete confidence in Terry Holland's assessment of the situation."

Mazey posted a three-year record of 120-66-1 (.644) at East Carolina, extending the Pirates' string of postseason appearances to seven straight seasons. Mazey succeeded ECU Hall of Famer Keith LeClair, who was forced to step down for health reasons after the 2002 season.

Prior to taking the helm of the Pirates, Mazey put in four years as an assistant at Tennessee. He previously served one season on LeClair's first staff at ECU in 1998 after a one-year stint at Georgia and a three-year head coaching assignment at Charleston Southern. He began his coaching career in 1990 as an assistant at Clemson, his alma mater.

In a prepared statement released by ECU, LeClair noted his fondness and respect for the assistant coaches who left the Pirates after last season and issued an endorsement of the move by ECU's administration.

"My heart and prayers go out to all of last season's coaches who are no longer with the program," LeClair stated. "They are good friends and I appreciate everything they did to push our program forward. I support Dr. Ballard, Coach Holland and (Senior Associated AD) Nick Floyd's decisions as they continue to focus the program on our goal of winning the national championship."

Before becoming afflicted with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, LeClair galvanized the fan base and raised the program's sights when he declared the team's ongoing objective is to reach the College World Series.

"I certainly hope that everyone will provide great Pirate support for Coach Godwin and the team this season," LeClair added in his statement. "Our goal remains the same – getting to Omaha."

The College World Series is staged each year in Omaha, NE.

Pinkney earns 3rd career player of week honor

This was the week of heroics by quarterbacks in Conference USA as reflected by the league's weekly honors selections.

East Carolina QB James Pinkney and Southern Methodist signal caller Jerad Romo shared the offensive player of the week award after leading their teams to dramatic wins against conference opponents, while Mustangs Joe Sturdivant (DB) and Chris McMurtray (K) received the defensive and special teams accolades, respectively.

SMU is the first C-USA team to claim at least a share of all three honors since Texas Christian won all three on Nov. 4, 2002.

CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

James Pinkney, Junior QB, East Carolina
Delray Beach, FL (Olympic Heights HS)

Pinkney passed for a career-high 355 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score in East Carolina's 41-28 win over Rice. He completed 22-of-34 passes and ran for a team-high 32 yards as ECU picked up its first conference win of the year.

After falling behind 28-24 early in the fourth quarter, Pinkney engineered the Pirates on a six-play, 68-yard drive for the game-winning score and then added a career-long 81-yard touchdown pass to secure the game.

It is Pinkney's third C-USA Player-of-the-Week honor and the second this season. On Sept. 6, he was selected player of the week for his performance against Duke. In 2004, Pinkney received the accolade for his performance in an ECU victory over Army.

Jerad Romo, Senior QB, Southern Methodist
Tehachapi, CA (Antelope Valley JC)

Romo recorded SMU's first 300-yard passing game since the 2000 season by going 30-of-43 for 333 yards and two touchdowns in a dramatic 28-27 win at UAB. He led the Mustangs on an 80-yard, four-play drive in the final 23 seconds that culminated with a 33-yard Hail Mary scoring pass as time expired to wide receiver Bobby Chase. The SMU win snapped a school-record 14-game road losing streak.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Joe Sturdivant, Junior DB, Southern Methodist
Lilburn, GA (Parkview HS)

Sturdivant had two interceptions and a fumble recovery in SMU's 28-27 win at UAB. It marked Sturdivant's first career picks and his first-ever fumble recovery. He had 32 yards in interception returns and compiled six tackles and one tackle for loss.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Chris McMurtray, Senior K, Southern Methodist
Garland, TX (Rowlett HS)

McMurtray set a new career high, hitting three field goals in SMU's 28-27 win at UAB. He was 3-of-3, hitting from 27, 32 and 22 yards out. McMurtray also hit a PAT and his 10 points scored were the most in a game for a Mustang kicker since the 2002 season.

From staff reports and Conference USA and ECU Athletics releases.

Conference USA standings, scores & schedule

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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