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BAILEY'S TAKE
ON PIRATE SPORTS
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From the Anchor Desk
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
By Brian Bailey |
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"23" ceremony gets
emotions flowing
By
Brian Bailey
©2010 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
The East Carolina
baseball team certainly
understands the
importance of wearing
the number “23.” Keith
LeClair wore the number
as the head coach of the
Pirates before stepping
down while suffering
from amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis, commonly
referred to as ALS or
Lou Gehrig's disease.
ECU baseball fans
also understand the
significance of the
honor. It was standing
room only for Saturday’s
announcement [Replay
audio clip...], which was
the highlight of the
annual “Meet the
Pirates” luncheon.
Instead of retiring “23”
to honor LeClair's
memory,
the Pirates award the jersey to a
team member each season.
Junior outfielder Austin
Homan was presented with
the “23” jersey on
Saturday.
Former Pirate Brandon
Henderson wore “23” last
season and did a great
job with this year’s
presentation.
Henderson talked about
Homan’s passion for
baseball and about how
hard he worked.
Henderson
shared a story about
Homan missing a fly ball
in a game last season,
and how Homan stayed
late into the night
after the game, working
and practicing so
something like that
would never happen
again.
That’s the character
that goes into the
award. That’s what Keith
LeClair was all about.
“It’s a tremendous
honor,” said Homan.
“It’s great to be a part
of all of these guys.
Ben Sanderson actually
called me a couple of
nights ago and the first
thing that he said was,
‘Welcome to the family.’
"It was hard not to get
choked up right there
when he said that.”
"Austin is a good
player, but he is a
great ambassador for our
program," said ECU Coach
Billy Godwin. "He has
excelled both on the
field and in the class
room, where he has been
on the Conference USA
honor roll for
three-straight years,
and he exemplifies
everything that Coach
LeClair was about.”
Homan was the first
Pirate off the bench
last season. He hit .421
as a pinch hitter in
2009. This year Homan
will be one of the four
East Carolina captains.
Homan first learned
about the meaning of
wearing “23” in his
first year at East
Carolina.
“My freshman year, when
I came in, it was my
first ‘Meet the Pirates’
and it was a little
intimidating, but that’s
when I first learned
about “23,” he said. "It stuck
with me since then, that
I wanted to be able to
wear the number “23.”
It’s been a goal since
my freshman year and
it’s really a tremendous
honor.”
Godwin thought the
emotions of the day
would be easier this
time out, but with every
passing year the
emotions of the day seem
to go deeper.
“I thought I’d be
better,” said Godwin,
“but I think it was
worse. It’s just such a
great day for our
program, to reflect on
what Coach LeClair meant
to this program, this
community and this
university. To honor him
with this each year is
really special.”
The
team keeps a
framed ‘23’ jersey in
the locker room, along
with a plaque that tells
the Keith LeClair story,
and the names that have
worn number “23” since
2003.
The Pirates are just
about a week and a half
away from opening the
baseball season. East
Carolina is ranked as
high as 11th in the
national polls. Opening
weekend opponent
Virginia is a Top 5
team, ranked second in
one of the major polls.
The Pirates are expected
to start Seth Maness in
the Friday game. Lefty
Kevin Brandt will go on
Saturday, with Brad
Mincey scheduled to go
on Sunday.
Baseball is special at
East Carolina, and 2010
got off to a great start
on Saturday.
BB
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Brian Bailey.
Brian Bailey Archives
02/09/2010 01:58 AM |
Replay
Monday night's
Brian Bailey Show with guest DONNIE
KIRKPATRICK. Eastern North Carolina's longest running sports
radio call-in show airs
each Monday night at 7
p.m. on Pirate Radio 1250 and 930.
Coach Billy
Godwin presented
the No. 23 jersey, an annual honor symbolizing
the values of the late coach Keith LeClair,
to
Austin Homan (recorded by Brian Bailey):