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Goodall earns starting role at Mount Union
Sophomore wins job as CF at Mount Union
By BRIAN DZENIS
Billy Goodall wasn’t always “Plan A” with Mount Union’s baseball team, but he took his opportunity to start and made himself into an essential piece.
The South Range graduate has emerged as one of the Purple Raiders’ top hitters as a sophomore, earning a starting role in center field and in the No. 3 spot in the lineup. What’s kept the sophomore motivated is knowing he wears a short leash as an underclassman.
“Being an underclassman, you can’t get into a slump,” Goodall said. “I haven’t been counting, but being able to get a hit in every game helps me. If I can’t pull my load, it’s the next man up.”
In 23 games, Goodall is batting .388 with 26 hits, which is the second-best mark on the team and ninth in the Ohio Athletic Conference. He’s tied for first on his team in both doubles and stolen bases with six and seven, respectively and has 12 RBIs.
Goodall started the 2016 with no collegiate stats to his name. He wasn’t sure he would get the starting nod at the start of the year, but he got his chance in the team’s season opener against St. John Fisher (N.Y) in Winter Haven, Fla. Initially, Goodall was a cold hitter in the Sunshine State.
“I started 0 for 7 in the first two games, but I was able to turn it around,” Goodall said. “I just got my bat on the ball, put the ball in play and things are working out for me.”
After collecting his first collegiate hit on Feb. 29, he’s been on a tear. That hit was the first in a 17-game hitting streak that ended on Monday.
The source of his coaches’ patience was his high school track record. At South Range, Goodall was The Vindicator’s 2014 Player of the Year. In his senior season, be batted .600 with 60 RBIs to help lead his team to a 23-4 record, including a district championship appearance and an Inter-Tri County League title. Goodall knew his bat got him to college and after not getting any playing time as a freshman, he needed to spend the offseason honing his craft in the batting cage.
“From high school, they know I have a good bat. That seems to be my strong point and I think they knew I was capable of being one of their better hitters and they just gave me a chance,” Goodall said. “Luckily, I was able to show them I do have what it takes to hit in the three-hole for them.”
Mount Union is 9-12 on the season and has lost five of its last six games.
“We string together hits. We just have to stay consistent and not to do too much with runners in scoring position,” Goodall said. “Timely hitting has been holding us back.”
Goodall is currently studying civil engineering and has kept his long-term plans open-ended while enjoying the moment.
“Honestly my dream has always been to get drafted. Any round, it wouldn’t matter to me,” Goodall said. “Right now, I’m just playing baseball to have fun and get my degree.”