By JOHN LIKANJE
At the start of the calendar year, Ian Goodness had a daily routine that consisted of baseball practice from 6:00 a.m. until 7:45 a.m., school until 3 p.m. and basketball practice from 3:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. This epitomized his success on the diamond by leading Palmyra-Macedon to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Far West Regional. Serving as both the offensive catalyst and team ace, Goodness capped his high school career with the 2023 Section V Class B1 Player of the Year award.
“A lot of hard work was put into that in the offseason,” Goodness said. “Our season started in January, waking up at 6:00 a.m.”
“It was a surprise,” Palmyra-Macedon head coach Bryan Rodman commented on his reaction to his senior infielder winning the award. “There’s a lot of great kids in Class B1. He had a tremendous year both pitching and hitting. It was exciting for him, the school and his family.”
Goodness spearheaded a Red Raiders’ offense which averaged 6.7 runs per game by pacing the squad with a .397 batting average and 27 base knocks, including nine doubles and one triple. The senior infielder accumulated 13 RBI and 23 runs scored as well. Goodness was the Red Raiders’ ace with 67 2/3 innings pitched and a 9-1 record. The senior right-hander whiffed 139 batters, added a 0.62 earned run average and .151 opponents’ batting average. Goodness only allowed 14 runs, including six earned, and 12 walks as well.
“I got to give credit to my catcher, Noah Brooks,” the senior infielder said. “He’s a one-of-a-kind catcher. We’ve been a pitcher and catcher duo since we were 12 years old. We know each other. It’s just been unbelievable. It’s really special and allows me to do what I do.”
Further praising his battery mate, Goodness recalled his no-hitter outing on May 1st at Geneva in which he dominated with 15 strikeouts in a 9-0 victory. The senior infielder retired the first six batters he faced, five on strikes and closed the game setting down the last 10 opposing hitters to come to the plate. The right-hander faced two batters over the limit for the game and allowed two balls out of the infield. This also avenged a matchup from April 11th in which Geneva won, 9-2, and ignited the Red Raiders’ 18-game winning streak.
“I don’t think I shook him off one time the entire game,” Goodness said when reminiscing on his start. “We knew the gameplan the entire time and could read each other’s mind. It was great.”
“He was just locked in,” Rodman said about Goodness’s performance. “He had all his pitches working. We lost to them earlier in the season, so we knew how big this game was. He went out there and competed his butt off. Good sequencing calls by Noah. Noah was able to read the hitters very well, so it’s definitely a very good tandem to have.”
Goodness also recalled his complete game outing on April 26th against Penn Yan as well in which he accumulated 16 strikeouts in a 2-0 win. The senior right-hander retired the last 16 batters he faced and 19 of 20 to close the game. He faced one over the limit.
Newark head coach Mike McGavisk has coached against Goodness ever since the Pal-Mac Red Raider joined varsity as an eighth-grader and praised him for his complete repertoire as a player.
“He stood out at a young age,” McGavisk said. “They had a good crew come through Pal-Mac that has been very successful and he has been an integral part of that group. He stood out this year not only pitching, but offensively and defensively. We watched him pitch in Myrtle Beach. He pitched a shutout and a great game against really good competition.”
McGavisk vividly remembered April 5, 2022 when the senior right-hander flung four no-hit frames in a 15-0 victory for the Red Raiders. Goodness added seven strikeouts as well. The Red Raiders swept the head-to-head matchup with the Reds this season, including a 3-0 win on May 11th in which Goodness went 2-for-3 with a double, walk and two runs scored.
“We couldn’t catch up to his fastball,” the Newark head coach said when reminiscing on last year’s game. “Had a really good curveball. That was his junior year. We didn’t see him this year as a senior on the mound. But offensively, he did very, very well.”
Goodness displayed his senior leadership at the most crucial time: during the postseason. The senior infielder assembled 12 strikeouts in both the sectional semifinals against Livonia and Far West Regional against Depew (VI). Goodness sent down 11 batters in the Far West Regional qualifier against Penn Yan as well. The senior infielder contributed at the plate with two base knocks, including a double, and two runs scored in the sectional quarterfinals against Bishop Kearney.
“The beginning of the game, we knew the team was going to be good,” Goodness explained about the Far West Regional in which he hurled 120 pitches. “At the same time, me and Noah still wanted to challenge them with my fastball. We don’t want to think too highly of teams. We always want them to beat us first and make contact with the fastball and then we’d make adjustments. That was our gameplan throughout most of the playoffs.”
“He was definitely able to change up his gameplan,” Rodman explained about Goodness’ postseason run. “He faced Penn Yan in the crossover match and that was his third time facing them. If his fastball isn’t working or they’re jumping on it, he’s able to mix it up and throw a first-pitch offspeed. He was able to keep everyone off-balance all year.”
“They were able to get his pitch count up early,” the Red Raiders head coach said about his senior right-hander’s outing in the Far West Regional. “I think in the first inning, we were at 30 pitches. They were tough outs, but he was still able to stay mentally tough and grind out at-bats. Staying composed and understanding that their job was basically get him out of the game, he was able to stay with his gameplan and keep competing.”
Overall, Goodness led the Red Raiders to a 21-3 record, which included an 18-game winning streak between April 11th and the Far West Regional.
“It’s got to be the Hornell game, man,” the senior infielder said about the most memorable contest during the Red Raiders’ streak, referencing the sectional final. “On SportsCenter and all over the news. It was unbelievable to get that kind of recognition.”
“It was not the kind of baseball we had been playing. It was 5-1 coming into the last inning. We were just trying to treat it like another inning where we would get runs on the board and then we got in that situation. We were playing smart and until the final out. That’s why we pulled off the win.”
Goodness credited basketball for developing the athleticism he required to be an elite baseball player as well. The senior infielder is set to attend Finger Lakes Community College this upcoming fall to continue his baseball career and study mechanical engineering. He will join his older brother, Paul, who garnered last season’s Player of the Year award.
The other members of the 2023 Section V Class B1 team were Mike Bartkowski (Bishop Kearney), Alex Benitez (Livonia), Conner Benitez (Livonia), Gavin Brignall (Geneva), Noah Brooks (Palmyra-Macedon), Cole Grazioplene (Batavia), Kyle Kumkey (Midlakes), Hayden Linehan (Waterloo) and Gates Miller (Hornell).
Brignall hit .574 with 15 RBI for the Panthers. The senior catcher posted a .644 on-base percentage, .803 slugging percentage, eight doubles and a trio of triples.
Brooks matched Goodness with a .397 batting average and finished with 29 hits, including seven doubles, four homers and three triples. The senior catcher racked up 18 runs batted in, 32 runs scored and 29 swiped bags.
Alex Benitez posted an efficient .441 batting average and compiled 26 base knocks, including five doubles and three home runs for the Bulldogs. The senior catcher drove in 25 runs and crossed the plate 23 times. Conner Benitez led the pitching staff with a 7-2 record, 3.02 earned run average and 83 strikeouts in 58 innings. The senior pitcher held his own at the dish with a .408 batting average and 31 hits, including seven doubles. Benitez recorded 20 RBI and drew nine walks as well.
Miller pitched to a 7-2 record with a 1.58 earned run average while adding a .294 batting average and .465 on-base percentage at the dish for the Red Raiders. The senior pitcher stole eight bases as well.
Grazioplene paced the Blue Devils with a .381 batting average (24 hits in 63 at-bats), .452 on-base percentage, .540 slugging percentage, 15 stolen bases, 15 RBI, 15 runs scored, three doubles, two triples and one home run in 19 games played.
Kumkey stepped up to lead the Screaming Eagles with a .397 batting average, .406 on-base percentage and .444 slugging percentage. The junior first baseman notched 48 strikeouts and a 2.16 earned run average in 50 innings pitched as well.
Bartkowski ignited the Kings from the leadoff spot with 39 base knocks in 63 at-bats (.619 batting average), including three home runs (1 grand slam), four triples and three doubles. The senior utility player amassed a .730 on-base percentage, 24 runs batted in and 14 swiped bags. Bartkowski was solid on the mound as well with a 2-0 record and 0.39 earned run average.
Linehan raked for the Indians with a .443 batting average, including a .477 clip in division play, and banged 27 hits, five doubles, one homer, scored 23 runs and collected nine RBI.
*Section V coaches decided the All-Class teams.
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