American Athletic Conference announces suspensions for Cliff Godwin, Dixon Williams

East Carolina will be without its head coach and starting third baseman for Friday’s elimination game against Rice, and the Pirates could potentially be without skipper Cliff Godwin in the first game of the NCAA postseason as well.

Godwin has been handed a two-game suspension, the conference announced on Friday morning. Dixon Williams, who was ejected for a slide into second base in Thursday’s 14-4 loss to Wichita State in the conference tournament, has also been suspended for a game.

The ninth-ranked Pirates are scheduled to face the Rice Owls in an elimination game on Friday at 1 p.m. ET inside BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida. Associate head coach Jeff Palumbo will be the acting head coach for the next two games.

Matt Neader was the umpire who ejected Godwin, who came onto the field after the Williams’ slide in an effort to get Williams off the field as emotions were flaring. Neader is the same umpire who ejected ECU pitcher Josh Grosz in last season’s conference tournament for feeding a sandwich to his teammate Jacob Starling just outside the dugout after a home run.

According to the league, Godwin violated NCAA Rule 2-26-h, which states that “no team personnel may continue to argue or to continue to excessively express themselves with prolonged action or offensive language after an ejection.”

Williams was deemed to violate NCAA Rule 8-7, which prohibits “unnecessary and violent collisions with the catcher at home plate, and with infielders at all bases.”

Williams is hitting .293 on the season with eight home runs and nine doubles, to go along with 23 RBIs. Godwin, who has now been ejected twice this season, has compiled a record of 392-184-1 over his 10 years at East Carolina, leading the Pirates to seven NCAA regional appearances.

“Dixon slid late. It was not intentional. We don’t play dirty,” Godwin said. “I can see why they thought it was a little bit egregious, because his right leg, his cleat, was up in the air a little bit. I don’t know if that warrants him to get ejected. But that’s what they did. I was trying to get Dixon off the field. Some of their players were of course intense. I was trying to get him off the field. I got thrown out. I had my back turned. I was walking off the field and somehow got suspended, so we’ll see how that goes.”If ECU loses to Rice on Friday, Godwin would be suspended for the opening game of the NCAA regionals next weekend. If the Pirates win, they will have to beat Wichita State twice on Saturday in order to advance to Sunday’s conference tournament championship game. ECU is currently considered a bubble regional host according to the latest projections from D1Baseball and Baseball America.