NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks head coach Mark Goodman walks off the mound after making a pitching change in the Mavericks 12-3 loss against the Swift Current 57's at Athletic Park.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Mark Goodman had a whirlwind 24 hours after Sunday afternoon’s Medicine Hat Mavericks game.
After the Mavericks beat the Moose Jaw Miller Express 4-2, the Mavs’ head coach received phone call from his home state of Colorado. On the other end of the call was a pitching coach job offer from the Colorado Rocky Mountain Vibes of the Pioneer League. It’s an opportunity Goodman says he couldn’t look past.
“I’m beyond excited to get the opportunity to coach on a professional level and to be close to home, it’s a win-win situation,” Goodman said. “I love Medicine Hat and I’ve enjoyed my time here, it’s sad to say goodbye.
“But I’m excited for the opportunity of working close to two hours from my house so I can go home if I need to, be with my one year old – it’s gonna be nice to see my kid and my wife.”
Goodman’s final game as Mavericks head coach was Monday night, an 8-5 loss against the Miller Express. He joined the Mavericks from a pitching coach role at the Colorado School of Mines, a D2 NCAA school, and the Mavs played to a 12-13 record with him at the helm. Goodman couldn’t narrow down what he would miss about his short time in Medicine Hat.
“This whole town, the stadium, the field of fans, everybody has been so nice to me here,” Goodman said. “It’s one of the few places I’ve felt like I’ve been wanted.”
Goodman says he is going to be the biggest Mavericks fan from afar for the rest of the season and plans to continue helping with recruitment next season. His message to the team on his way out was to not give up and joked he’ll be sending them his ring size at the end of the summer.
“Don’t give up, I’m just the head coach, you guys are the ones that do it, you don’t need me,” Goodman said. “Don’t think it’s over because I’m gone, it’s just started. I will 100 per cent follow the guys all the time, I’ll reach out when I can. I’m going to be the biggest fan they have because I love these guys.”
With Goodman hitting the road Tuesday, assistant coach Kevin Mitchell has been selected to take the reins for the rest of the season.
“This wasn’t on my summer 2023 bingo card,” Mitchell said. “I’m certainly excited for Mark, he’s been a mentor and a friend. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t feel so ready.”
Mitchell joined the Mavs from his high-level club ball coaching gig in Summit County, Col. He says Goodman has left some early lessons with him on in-game management and also maintaining relationships with players.
“A lot of it is having some foresight within the game, thinking not just about the next pitch but the next inning, the next batter, being prepared for just about anything,” Mitchell said. “The game happens fast and if you get caught on your heels, things can get out of hand quickly.
“I consider myself a player’s coach, I always have. For me, it’s about the relationships and I think it is for Goody as well, and we’ve done that with these guys. They know we care about them as people, not just baseball players. That makes a big difference.”
Mavs’ assistant coach Chad Martin and owner/general manager Greg Morrison will fill in on the bench until a new assistant coach is found. Morrison, who spent Monday’s game in the dugout with the team, was excited for Goodman to get the opportunity in the same league he and the Medicine Hat Blue Jays used to play in.
“It’s not just for players, but for staff, this is a step hopefully for people to get to the level they want to be,” Morrison said. “Big congratulations, very appreciative of him and, onwards and upwards. That Pioneer League, we’re very familiar with it being in the Medicine Hat community. We’ll be following him to see how his team does.”
Goodman’s departure marks the second year in a row the Mavericks have graduated a member of their organization to the pro-level mid season. In the 2022 season, infielder Adrian Salazar was well on his way to an all-star season when he signed with Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League. Morrison says it speaks to the league that people can find that next level while playing in the WCBL spotlight.
Looking forward with 26 games remaining on the Mavericks schedule, not including their double-header Tuesday night at Regina, Morrison says Mitchell was his choice because he has a strong rapport with the players and knew he would be the guy to take over.
“They respect him and he was a head coach at his high school in Colorado, it’s not new to him,” Morrison said. “It is a different thing than being a pitching coach but he’s a great leader, he’s very detailed. There’s really no other option that I wanted, it was him, he was the guy.”
