Riley Goodman Ready for Return to the Mound

Riley Goodman can’t wait to get back on the mound. The redshirt freshman pitcher from Memphis had Tommy John surgery in May of his senior year of high school, which meant he couldn’t compete last year for the Gamecocks while rehabbing.

“The week before it happened was probably my best outing of the year,” said Goodman, who is studying sports psychology. “I had a great week. Then I was pitching in a game against my rival team in high school. I got through four or five innings and was throwing great. Then I went out there, and I was little tight in warmups. I threw a fastball that was a lot slower than normal. I kind of knew what it was, so I had my coach come out there and took myself out. It was hard. I came out of there crying because I knew it was the last time I would be playing for my high school. It was rough.

“At the start, it was pretty scary. I hadn’t been around a lot of people that had the surgery because I was still in high school. My family and my high school coach helped me through that. Then the coaching change happened (at South Carolina), and that was a little scary because I had committed under the previous staff. Having (assistant coach) Monte (Lee) here helped. Then Coach (Paul) Mainieri told me he wanted me here. That put a lot of faith in my heart. I started my rehab, and it was great.

“In that fall, I didn’t think too much about it. I was nine hours away from home and was excited for a new journey. It was tough when we first started having scrimmages and I had to sit out and watch. I really wanted to be out there. I had to realize that I was in this situation for a reason, and God’s got me. I need to take it and learn. It was hard, but in the end, it was worth it because I felt like I learned so much from the guys and the coaching staff.”

Now he’s ready without any hesitation about his arm.

“My fastball is up there, but my slider is my go to. That’s my strikeout pitch,” Goodman said. “I have one hundred percent confidence, otherwise I wouldn’t go out there. Physically, I’m back to where I should be. With that surgery, it’s harder mentally than it is physically. Not being in a competitive atmosphere for over a year, it was weird getting out there for the first time in a game, mentally. That’s what I’ll have to work on the most – my mental preparation.

“(Pitching) Coach (Terry) Rooney is a big mental guy, and a lot of the things we do around practice have to do with the mental side of the game. He always tells us that your stuff can only get you so far. Being competitive and your mentality when you go out there are the biggest things. My high school coach was a big help with that, too.”

Goodman started pitching when he was 5 years old as he recalls playing the pitching position even during coach’s pitch games as a youngster.

“I love competing. This past fall, I pitched in the College of Charleston (exhibition) game,” Goodman said. “I got myself into a jam, and my competitive side took over, and I got out of it. I take a lot of pride in my competitiveness.

“It’s going to mean everything to be back out there this spring. I go to sleep some nights and think about how it’s going to be. I know it’s going to be a big moment. I’m excited for it. I’m looking forward to winning. I think we have a great group of guys who get along really well. I think we’ll have a lot of fun this year.”