Billy Godwin
Head Coach
UNC Greensboro announced in August of 2019 that Billy Godwin has been hired as baseball head coach. Godwin had spent the previous five years with the New York Yankees, overseeing all amateur scouting in North Carolina and South Carolina.
Prior to his time with the Yankees, Godwin was the head baseball coach at East Carolina from 2005-14.
“Billy Godwin cares about student-athletes as people and as baseball players. His North Carolina ties, NCAA success and MLB experience provides our team with the tools to build on an already strong baseball foundation," said Director of Athletics Kim Record. “Beyond the diamond, he seeks excellence in academic success and service. We are confident that our baseball team will consistently compete for championships under Billy's leadership."
“I am honored to be the head baseball coach at UNCG,” Godwin said. “I look forward to building on the success that Coach Jarrett and the program has established. We plan on competing for championships in the classroom, community and on the field. This is an exciting time for Spartan baseball.”
Success At ECU
During his nine years at the helm for the Pirates, Godwin won 334 games while leading ECU to five NCAA Regional appearances. In 2009, the Pirates won the Conference USA championship before advancing to the NCAA Super Regional. He was named the 2009 C-USA Coach of the Year as well.
Between the 2009-10 seasons, Godwin guided ECU to a school-record 29 straight weeks appearing in the national polls climbing as high as 10th.
In 2007, Godwin was named North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association Coach of the Year after leading the Pirates to a 40-23 overall record.
Godwin was also instrumental in the Pirates signing two-time American League MVP Mike Trout to a National Letter of Intent before he was selected in the first round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft.
In total, 35 ECU student-athletes were selected in the MLB Draft from 2006-14, with seven having tallied playing time at the MLB level.
Additional Leadership Experience
Before getting into the collegiate coaching ranks, Godwin spent eight years as a high school baseball coach where his teams collected more than 130 victories and won a North Carolina state title in 1994 at Enfield Academy.
Godwin has also been a high school athletic director along with being the Executive Director of Louisburg’s Hurricane Club.
Additionally, he has been a member of the North Carolina Independent School Board of Managers (NCISAA) and the North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association Executive Committee.
He earned his B.S. in Business Administration at Barton College in 1986 and his M.S. in Education Administration from ECU in 1995.
Greg Starbuck
Assistant Coach
Coming to UNCG after spending four years as a Assistant at Clemson, Starbuck joined the Spartan baseball staff in September of 2019, returning to his home state to work under first-year Head Coach Billy Godwin.
The Tigers collected two ACC Championships with Starbuck on staff, in addition to making four NCAA Regional appearances and producing 12 All-American honors. The Kernersville native coached first round MLB draft picks Logan Davidson and Seth Beer while helping the Tigers collect 40-plus wins in three of his four campaigns with the side.
Prior to his time at Clemson, Starbuck spent 17 years at nearby Elon, standing as the Phoenix' Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for 12 of those seasons. Under Starbuck, Elon reached NCAA Regionals for the first time in program history in 2002, going on to make the tournament five more times in the next eight years. The club produced five Southern Conference championships with Starbuck, including a sweep of the conference's regular season and tournament titles in 2008. Players at Elon have benefited from the UNC Asheville grad's coaching, with the Phoenix earning a pair of Southern Conference Freshman of the Year honors, two Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year accolades and a Southern Conference Player of the Year selection with Starbuck on staff.
Before his first season at Elon, Starbuck was the head coach at Carver (N.C.) High School from 1991-98. He also served as the head coach for the Kernersville (N.C.) Legion team from 1988-97, where his team won a pair of American Legion State Champion titles.
Starbuck received his Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Winston-Salem State in 1991. Born June 11, 1964 in Winston-Salem, N.C., Starbuck and his wife, April, have three sons, Mac, Banks and Jackson, and a daughter, Brettlyn.
Hunter Allen
Assistant Coach
A former player under Head Coach Billy Godwin, Hunter Allen joins the UNCG coaching staff as an Assistant Coach.
While playing at ECU, Allen was a team captain his senior year (2015) and received the AAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player in that same season. He is a former Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Candidate and was a NJCAA All-American during his sophomore year at Brunswick Community College.
Prior to coaching at ECU, Allen spent back-to-back years as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for Brunswick and Louisburg College. Allen earned his Bachelor of Science in Recreation Park Management during his years as a student-athlete in Greenville.
