By John Manuel
July 1, 2002

Randy Mazey helped Keith LeClair rebuild East Carolina's program. Now, the Pirates have turned to Mazey to keep the program at the Top 25 level.

East Carolina hired Mazey, most recently an assistant at Tennessee for four seasons, as head coach Monday, replacing LeClair, who stepped down because of his struggle with Lou Gehrig's disease.

Mazey was recruiting coordinator and pitching coach for the Volunteers the last four years, but was LeClair's first recruiting coordinator in Greenville, in 1998. In that year, he signed several future Pirates stalwarts, including infielders Lee Delfino, Nick Schnabel and Chad Tracy, outfielders Eric Bakich and James Molinari and righthander Jason Mandryk.

"Randy Mazey is uniquely qualified to take over the helm of ECU’s baseball program," East Carolina athletic director Mike Hamrick said in a statement. "He comes highly recommended from some of the top baseball people in the country. Randy understands what it takes to get to Omaha because he has been there before."

The Pirates have been close, losing a super-regional to Mazey and Tennessee in 2001. LeClair missed most of the 2002 season with complications from ALS, and assistants Kevin McMullan and Tommy Eason split duties in operating the team, with McMullan handling the offense and dealing with the media as de facto head coach while Eason handled the pitchers.

"Randy is an outstanding coach and will carry on the vision to go to Omaha," said LeClair, after whom Conference USA has renamed its coach of the year award. "He had a big part in bringing the first recruiting class to Greenville that started our tradition. I feel the program will be in good hands."

Mazey, who also coached at Georgia (1997) and Clemson (1990-93), does have prior experience as a head coach. He was Charleston Southern's coach from 1994-96, and the '96 Buccaneers made the program's first (and only) regional appearance.