Huntington, West Virginia – Ernie Banks never said ” Let’s Play Three ” but yet here we are !
Lawrence Tech made the drive 🚗 down from Michigan and we are ready to give it ago.
Two Golden Bears 🐻 are from nearby Narrows, Virginia ! Aidan McGlothin and Carson Crigger…
Up 2-1, Bottom 5th in the first of three 7 inning games !
6-2 win in opener!!!!
Long time readers will recognize the smile 😃 of Mr Chuck McGill ! My old friend and former Editor, Chuck still calls Huntington home and stopped by to say Hello 👋.
Furman University trails 34 – 31 at the Half. McGowens leads with 9, Alyssa is one of three players with six at the break.
Stuart dropped nine in the third and Alyssa added seven points but the ‘Dins trail 55-50.
Furman University erased a 10 point deficit to pull within 62-61 but Mercer took off again. The close out run was 18-2.
Huntington, West Virginia – 55 years have come and gone since a young Baseball coach at Marshall University ventured to a little town in West Virginia in search of a catcher for his Thundering Herd.
Even today, Sophia has a population of just over 1,100 , so the first question is how did Jack Cook even know about a high school Kid named Joe Goddard?
Joe Goddard Day
Coach Cook didn’t have a home field ( that didn’t change until 2024) back then but he clearly had an eye for talent. He bagged his backstop that day and took him back to Huntington.
In just two seasons of playing for the Thundering Herd, Goddard established himself in a manner that led the relatively new at the time, San Diego Padres to draft him in the eighth round of the Major League Baseball ⚾️ Draft.
Goddard remained the highest draft pick in the history of the program until 2013. Just as fast as Joe was noticed, he made it all the way to the Show in less than two years. For 67 magical days in 1972, Goddard shared the batters box with true legendary players such as 🔨 Hammering Hank Aaron.
Goddard made a name for himself back then because of the depth of his understanding of the game of Baseball. Most folks believe that the Catcher is required to think at a level beyond any other position and Joe was living proof.
The Padres were just getting started and their vision was to have Joe stay in their system and eventually Manage for them, possibly at the MLB level one day.
The club made a managerial change just 11 games into the season and turned the team over to some other young fella named Don Zimmer. Zim didn’t have much success back then but would go on to have a tremendous career and later was tagged with the nickname, Popeye. The Padres, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and finally the Chicago Cubs were all led by Zimmer.
Zimmer thought Joe had a future at the highest level but when it was time to hang up the spikes just a few years later, Goddard passed on the professional game and returned to Huntington and finished his college degree.
The next stop ✋ on the trail is where the story really goes to another level. Degree in hand, Joe returned home and started a Baseball program at a new School 🏫 that was built just 2 miles from his hometown.
36 years of teaching and coaching, instead of staying in Pro Ball…..
Marshall University inducted Joe into their Hall of Fame back in 2015 and today one of their favorite Sons returns to Huntington as a Golden Bears 🐻 Baseball Bench Coach. 75 years old and still married to Angela and still teaching both life lessons and Baseball…
Here is a link to more of the Joe Goddard story that I penned a few years back and was picked up by a few publications across West Virginia and Virginia
The Wrestling tournament continues in Salem later today but yesterday afternoon the curtain came down on the Winter portion of the 2025 – 2026 Carroll County Sports year.
Alex Cruz and Head Coach West Long returned to The Hill after the third match of the day ended for our dedicated Wrestler.
Our hard working Athletic Director, Kevin DeHaven will celebrate the 48 hours of ” down time ” if you will by overseeing an AAU Basketball event on Campus today.
Speaking of Campus, Game Day Central will take place on the historic grounds of Marshall University. While it is still listed as doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday, we will attempt to cram the four game series into an All You Can Play buffet today.
Built in 2024
Our Saved by the Bell 🔔: The Cavalier College Years will be maxed out today as all five of our former players are set to see action 🎬 in three different settings.
In Salem, both Elijah Cox and Katie Lam are set to play as Cox will be part of the visiting team in the opener.
The Smoot Brothers will be playing down in North Carolina and even further down the road, Alyssa Ervin and Furman University will play in South Carolina.
Out in St George, Lin will have an opportunity to cheer on the Lady Trailblazers as a warm up act to her Duke versus Michigan tilt.
This handsome fella is getting his beauty sleep 💤 but his Bible Verse of the Day will appear here shortly !
Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Tomorrow afternoon at Hillsville Elementary School 🏫 is the Main Event of the weekend. Come out and support our Special Olympics Basketball program as they get ready to take the floor at both Virginia Tech and VMI in the month of March !!!
Vickey Ritchie is a NEAT, NEAT Lady 👩. Maybe as neat as they get. It’s now Friday night and I have finally made it all the way to Marshall University, which will be our ( West Virginia Tech University Baseball) weekend home.
I was actually able to spend a few minutes at this one place I kinda like…
And checked in at the Office 🏢 at this place.Tomorrow morning 🌄 I will be holding a 🎤🎙🎤 for a long time as we try to squeeze in an ultra rare tripleheader of College Baseball.There was even a stopover at Timmons Arena to watch our All-Time scoring leader, Alyssa Ervin. I didn’t trouble her because it was her work day but it was neat to visit with her Mom before hand and Dad briefly after.
Why add things to do on what was already going to be a long trip to and from Utah ? Easy one to answer there because last time I flew back across the country, we had to fly right back to beat the storm.
I wasn’t sure if my Brain could handle it if we had a second empty trip. Adding two other Big Ticket 🎟 items would protect my psyche ( Vickey will later tell me if I misspelled that word.)
I had to pick an Airport to fly into and the choices were RDU and use our tickets to watch the Duke University Women play North Carolina State or Ashville and make the 45 minute drive 🚗 to Travelers Rest. Easy Choice there…
We were supposed to host Lawrence Tech (Georgia ) on Saturday and Sunday afternoon in Beckley at our home stadium but that was moved to Marshall University ( 2 hour drive 🚗 each way) and condensed to an All You Can Play ▶️ One Day event because…….. they are calling for Snow ❄ and a bunch of it, starting Saturday night at Midnight.
I have been nervous about looking at the Hillsville forecast because there’s nothing I can do about it now.
5:00 am Flight ✈️ back out of TRI Airport in Blountsville, Tennessee could be interesting when its all said and done.
This brings me back to why someone would fly 5,000 round-trip twice just to hold a 🎤 for a few hours ?????
The first time that I was told by a Doctor ( Dr Dale in Luray) that I was on the brink of a stroke and about to Kill myself, Doc told me to stop ✋ pushing the envelope for people. He said, I want you to close your eyes 👀 and ask yourself how many of these people you are doing things for are attending your funeral ??
Doc got my attention and I moved to an Island 🏝 and lost 140 pounds 💷. Silly me, I thought I could do better the second time around. Driven is the word I choose but others would say loony tunes…
I have simply never met another human being that I believe is chasing the EXACT same thing I am – Inclusion, 24 /7, across the board ♥.
If Doctor Dale was here, I would tell him that Vickey Ritchie would attend my funeral, hopefully 🙏 not anytime soon !
Seeing Alyssa play Ball was terrific, starting our 18th season of Golden Bears 🐻 Baseball is way Cool 😎. But the reason for this trip is to stand beside Coach Vickey on Sunday afternoon !!!
Beckley, West Virginia – the Home 🏡 office of Golden Bears 🐻 Baseball ⚾️.
Assistant Coach, Issac Wengert. Former player and Proud Papa !The Hub of all things Golden Bears 🐻 Athletics…The Bosses office 🏢
The 2025-2026 Roster and correct pronouncing notes….
I believe that Mr DeHaven has some tales about NAIA baseball ⚾️ from his time in school. For the love of the Game has a truly different meaning at this level !
Noah Lukas has joined the Staff after his playing days.
A.S.P.N on The Hill 