Richmond Hill High School baseball standout Jeremey Goolsby has signed on to play Division III baseball at Maryville College in Tennessee on a scholarship.
Goolsby’s reputation as a power hitter sealed the deal for the Maryville Scots. The Scots won the Great South Athletic Conference in 2006, but lacked the heavy hitters necessary to take them all the way last year.
Maryville coach John Rypel is banking on Goolsby’s abilities to put the team back on top. He first scouted Goolsby at a showcase last fall.
"We’re very excited to get Jeremey," Rypel said. "He’s solid defensively and we know he can swing the bat. We’re looking at making him a four-year starter and we expect big things from him as he develops."
"Another thing that attracted us to Jeremey is his character and his grades," Rypel continued. "By all accounts, he is a quality person and will be an asset to our school."
Goolsby said one of the things that attracted him to Maryville was the opportunity to play his very freshman year."I’m ready," Goolsby said. "I can’t wait to get started. I’ve always loved playing baseball and I knew I’d play college ball after I talked to college players who have said they love playing at that level."
RHHS head baseball coach Mitchell Curry said he believes Goolsby will make an immediate impact at the next level.
"His work ethic will see to it," Curry said. "I’ve also had Jeremey in class and I can tell you that he is intelligent in addition to being an intelligent student of the game. He’s one of those guys that, when the game is on the line, he knows what needs to be done. His intelligence and hitting abilities will carry him as far as he wants to go."
RHHS assistant coach Sean Strickland has watched Goolsby play since the age of 12.
"To see him get the chance to play at the next level is phenomenal," Strickland said. "He’s put in some serious effort to develop from a timid small ball player to a serious power hitter."
Strickland called Goolsby "one of the best power hitters we’ve seen in Richmond Hill" and reflected back on many of his "monstrous home runs - tape measure shots." He said Goolsby’s power at the plate became abundantly clear his junior year to where everything he touched was for the distance. He said it was inevitable for college coaches to come knocking.
"I mean, a power hitting first baseman – that’s what you want as a college recruiter," Strickland said. "You can build teams around that. He can hit for average and he can hit to all fields which is a huge plus."
Strickland said Goolsby’s talents can be found beyond what can be seen in the stat book.
"He always has a smile on his face and something to say to keep his teammates up," Strickland said. "He’s the first one to pick up a teammate up when they’re struggling. He will be sorely missed in Richmond Hill. Not only can he do it physically, but what he brought to the table as far as being a leader and being vocal – those are hard things to replace."
"He used to sleep with a ball instead of a teddy bear when he was little. He’s been playing ball his whole life," his father Doug Goolsby said. "He was playing T-ball at four-years-old and always played up in age. This has always been a dream of his and it’s great to see it come true."
Goolsby said he hopes to improve enough while at Maryville to have a shot at the pros. He also plans to study pre-law to become a lawyer.