Vanderbilt left-hander Richie Goodenow has decided to take the mound for Lipscomb University during his final year of college eligibility.
Goodenow, a former standout at Nashville’s John Overton High School, is transferring and will enroll in graduate school at Lipscomb, according to Bisons’ baseball coach Jeff Forehand.
“Lipscomb was one of my top choices,” Goodenow said. “It is a real good school. It is close to home. It has a good baseball program. It is a good opportunity for me to come here.”
Used primarily as a reliever in his career with the Commodores, Goodenow will be given a chance to earn a spot in the weekend pitching rotation as a starter, according to Forehand.
“I’m excited about the opportunity,” Goodenow said. “It is something I will work for. I just want to help out the team any way I can.
“I think I am a real good teammate. I am going to compete in any circumstances. My best pitch is my slider.”
Goodenow, 6-foot-2, 202 pounds, started one time in 31 appearances for the Commodores last season. But that lone start, only the second of his college career, was against Louisville in the NCAA Regional Tournament. Expected to give the Commodores three or four innings of pitching, Goodenow threw a complete game, allowing only two hits on the way to a 7-0 shutout. It was his longest outing of the season eclipsing his 4.2 innings of relief work against Oklahoma State Feb. 28.
The win kept the Commodores postseason drive alive for another day. They would beat Louisville one more time and advance to the Super Regional.
Based on Goodenow’s performance in that game Forehand says he is encouraged about the prospects of having an experienced pitcher as a possible addition to the starting rotation.
“I think everybody comes in and the roles kind of define themselves during the fall,” Forehand said. “I would think as Richie comes in that he is looking to push for one of those starting spots. Based on the Louisville game you would think he is capable of being a starter. We hope he can come in and solidify our staff on weekends.
“We are excited about what he brings whether it is in a relief role or a starting role. He has pitched in every role at Vanderbilt for set up to closer and he started that huge regional game. He is just a good baseball player. “
Goodenow finished the season with a 3-1 record and one save. In 44.1 innings he gave up 31 hits and struck out 47. His earned run average was 2.23. Opposing batters posted a .207 batting average against him.
“He has pitched against us a couple of times and we didn’t have much success against him,” Forehand said. “He has pretty good velocity from the left side. The slider is definitely the out pitch for him.
“You can’t teach experience. He has had experience, not in our league but in the Southeastern Conference, arguably the toughest conference in the country. We think that will translate into good things for us.”
Goodenow red-shirted at Vanderbilt during the 2007 season. He has also served as a designated hitter for the Commodores.
“He wants to be here,” Forehand said. “He wants to help our team.”
Goodenow has known Forehand for many years. Goodenow’s brother, Ryan, worked with a snack food company that supplied the Trevecca Nazarene baseball concession stands when Forehand was the coach there. Goodenow had just signed with the Commodores.
“It is funny how paths cross,” Forehand said. “We got to know him by buying snacks for the concession stand. Now he has the chance to come over here and play for us.”
Forehand stressed that the decision by Goodenow was received well by Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin.
“I talked with Tim on the phone to make sure there were no hard feelings,” Forehand said. “I wanted our professional relationship and friendship to be stable.
“Coach Corbin understood that Richie had to go. He had nothing but great things to say about Richie not only as a good player on the field but as a person. He will be one of our hardest workers and, hopefully, one of our leaders.”
Written by Mark McGee, senior publisher/director of Media Relations. See more stories at www.lipscombsports.com.