Goodrich becomes new head baseball coach
By: JASON JAMISON
Staff Writer
When head coach Tony Dattoli stepped down Nov. 11, 2013 as the Archers baseball coach, Scott Goodrich stepped up to take on a new role with the team.
“I’m up for the challenge,” Goodrich said.
After 11 years as an assistant coach for the Archers, Goodrich said that he is most looking forward to leading by example and that his coaching philosophy is straight-forward.
“Let players play. We want to play hard, smart, aggressive baseball,” Goodrich said. “We’ll run freshman out there and give them a chance to be successful, and at the same time it allows them a chance to deal with adversity.”
Goodrich said his players will compete against each other in practice and that playing time will be earned.
Baseball is something Goodrich has lived and breathed since his childhood. He wanted the game to be a part of his career. Sports are a part of Goodrich’s family life, as well. His wife was a collegiate softball player; he has two daughters, ages 14 and 10, and a 5-year-old son, all of whom are involved in competitive sports.
“The game was always part of me. Everyone’s playing days are numbered. I knew that, so I wanted to find a way to keep from separating from the game altogether,” Goodrich said. “I always wanted to transition to coaching; it made it easier when my playing days came to an end.”
Since many sophomore players are familiar with Goodrich as assistant coach, the transition has been smoother than expected, according to Sophomore Catcher Kyle Nuetzel. “The biggest difference is that communication used to be with coach Dattoli and now it’s with coach Goodrich,” Nuetzel said.
Nuetzel said Goodrich is a players’ coach, not just on the field but off the field as well.
“He has first-hand life experience, so outside of home I would definitely go to coach for advice,” Nuetzel said.
Goodrich said that he wants to instill in his players preparation and adaptation, not just in the game of baseball, but preparation and adaptation in all walks of life. Goodrich said he is a coach who wants to endow his team with sportsmanship, respect for the game and baseball fundamentals, but he also wants to build with them, a foundation on which they can be successful long after their Archers careers are over.
Some players new to the program have taken notice.
“He wants to make us men first,” Freshman Pitcher Austin Meiny said. “Baseball players second.”
