Saints ace Goodloe will play for Tribe

St. Anne’s-Belfield pitcher Brett Goodloe had options, and lots of them.

“A long time, ago Brett and I spoke, and I told him he was good enough to have a choice of the best when it comes to baseball and the best when it comes to academics,” said St. Anne’s coach Eric McGrane.

McGrane’s prediction proved dead-on, as Goodloe weighed interest and offers from schools as wide-ranging as baseball power Florida State and Ivy League academic power Harvard. The senior found a perfect medium in his eventual choice, William and Mary.

“I couldn’t really decide what way to go because I love baseball and I take pride in my academics, but William & Mary felt like it was a good mix,” Goodloe said. “I love the coaches and I felt really comfortable when I was on the campus.”

The right-handed hurler who throws a deadly sinking fastball went 7-1 and posted a 1.41 earned run average as a junior. Goodloe picked up first team All-State honors and first team All-Central Virginia honors during the campaign, and that led to a great deal of interest by baseball teams across the nation.

“I think Brett has a very unique profile,” McGrane said. “He’s got a big frame, he’s got a projectable body, he’s got the potential to throw a fastball in the low 90s, he’s got a polished set of pitches and perhaps the most impressive thing about Brett is his intelligence and his baseball IQ.”

Goodloe, who also plays basketball for the Saints, will get a chance to shine again this spring with STAB bringing back a number of players under new leader McGrane. McGrane took over for Alan Swanson, who retired.

The senior had a number of people helping him in the decision-making process, including parents Carol and Jim Goodloe. He’s also had the advantage of St. Anne’s pitching coach Larry Mitchell developing his skills during his high school career.

“He did a really good job helping me become a better pitcher,” Goodloe said.

Goodloe, for one, is happy to have the decision done.

“The whole summer was a lot of chaos really — a bunch of different schools and coaches talking to you,” Goodloe said. “It feels great to have it decided.”

Western cross country poised for postseason

If Western Albemarle can stay healthy going into the postseason, the Warriors could be looking at a strong showing.

The Group AA runners-up in 2007 took a big step in the right direction with a third-place finish at the Albemarle Invitational behind AAA squads Albemarle and Colonial Forge.

Tyler Stutzman led the charge for the Warriors with a time of 15:28 to take home the individual title, but Stutzman didn’t do all the heavy lifting on his own. Kyle Satterwhite ripped off a 15:42 to finish in the top 5 and James Howard-Smith finished 10th out at Panorama Farms.

The Warriors’ road to the state title will kick into high gear Oct. 22 at the Jefferson District meet at Panorama Farms. From there, Western would need a strong performance at the region tournament to advance to the state meet Nov. 8 at Great Meadow in Warrenton.

That could be a big day for Central Virginia boys teams if Albemarle’s strong squad can advance to Great Meadow too—Albemarle won the Invitational, led by fourth-place finisher Luke Noble.