Cliff Godwin salary: How much does the ECU baseball coach make? Contract details, pay structure and more
East Carolina saw six players get selected in last week’s 2024 Major League Baseball Draft, and four have already come to terms with their respective clubs and signed to play professional baseball, according to various reports.
Ninth-round pick Ryan McCrystal, a junior catcher, has signed with the Cincinnati Reds for $147,500. The number is $46K below the ninth-round slot the Reds were given for the pick, but still represents a solid signing bonus for McCrystal, who enjoyed a breakout season for the Pirates on the diamond as a part-time catcher and middle-of-the-order bat. The left-handed slugger hit .346 this past season for the Pirates, with 10 doubles, one triple, and seven home runs.
Tenth-round pick Carter Cunningham signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for $22,500, according to Carlos Collazo from Baseball America. The 307th overall pick was slotted at $180,000, giving the Blue Jays’ significant savings to spend on picks outside the Top 10. Cunningham was the American Athletic Conference’s Player of the Year, but is a fifth-year senior and soon to be 24 with no eligibility left. Despite the monster season, Cunningham was left without leverage – like all college seniors in the draft – and signed for a signing bonus under slot. Cunningham hit a team-best .367 his senior season, with 17 doubles, 17 home runs, and 66 RBIs.
ECU reliever Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman, a junior with one year of eligibility remaining, signed with the Seattle Mariners for $150,000, according to Collazo. Lunsford-Shenkman was one of the best relievers in college baseball this season, but dealt with an arm issue that caused him to miss most of the last portion of the season. Shenkman has a sinking fastball and a swing and miss slider that allowed him to generate one of the best strikeout-to-walk ratios in 2024. The Virginia native went 3-2 with a 1.55 ERA and five saves. He struck out 79 against 21 walks in 46.1 innings of work.
Erik Ritchie, perhaps the most surprising pick given his inconsistency with throwing strikes, inked a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies for $112,000, per Collazo. Ritchie has pro-caliber stuff, with a fastball in the low to mid 90s, and high-spin rate breaking balls. The redshirt sophomore turned down two more years of eligibility to sign and go pro. Ritchie appeared in 28 games with four starts, going 1-1 with a 6.67 ERA. He struck out 33 and walked 27 in 29.2 innings of work.
ECU had two other players drafted, including first-round selection Trey Yesavage (Blue Jays), along with eighth-rounder Jacob Jenkins-Cowart (Marlins). The Pirates also had top junior college commit Michael Carpenter go in the 11th round to the Minnesota Twins. All three players are expected to sign, according to sources, but no finalized deals have been announced at this time.
East Carolina compiled a record of 46-17 last season, earning the No. 16 national seed, before losing in the Greenville Regional championship game to Evansville.
