Collegiate athletics can be instrumental in the molding of young men and women because it teaches them the importance of determination, sportsmanship and — perhaps most importantly — accountability. The East Carolina University baseball team saw that last principle on display this week as Head Coach Billy Godwin accepted a two-week suspension for an apparent violation of NCAA rules.

The governing body of intercollegiate athletics boasts a list of statutes so arcane and numerous that it nearly puts the United States tax code to shame, but coaches are expected to know them inside and out nonetheless. Godwin’s infraction may not have been inadvertent, but taking responsibility and accepting punishment demonstrates an admirable commitment to always playing by the rules.

The baseball and softball season is a special time in Greenville, as the sport dominates local headlines and occupies the minds of the city’s youth. Throughout the summer, area diamonds are a flurry of activity and a place where the community gathers to watch its boys and girls learn and grow by testing themselves against one another. At the heart of that culture sits Clark-LeClair Stadium, home of the East Carolina Pirates, where the quest for the College World Series will soon begin anew.

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