January 26, 2015

Nine Innings with Louisiana Tech Coach Greg Goff

By Sean Ryan

CollegeBaseballInsider.com Co-Founder

Eight Division I programs have topped 40 wins each of the past three seasons. Campbell, led by Greg Goff, would be the toughest to name.

Goff, who also led Montevallo to the D-II College World Series, chose to leave the Camels in favor of Louisiana Tech, which went 15-35 (5-25 in league play) in its first year in Conference USA.

The decision to leave Campbell wasn’t easy; but as Goff said in his introductory press conference, he felt Louisiana Tech was where his family was meant to be.  

He took time to answer questions from CBI about leaving the Camels for the Bulldogs.

First Inning – What attracted you to Louisiana Tech?

I felt like with the opportunity to play in a very competitive conference and the opportunity to get in the south and have a university that is nationally known – I felt like those are some things that really attracted us to come to Louisiana Tech. I felt like it was an opportunity to go to a place where hopefully we can rebuild, reload and try to continue to be successful.

Second Inning – How difficult was it to leave Campbell, especially after the two best seasons in program history?

It was very difficult, very tough; a lot of prayers and a lot of tears. My wife and I prayed about it and felt like it was an opportunity and it was time if we were going to make the move with our kids, we needed to do it now. But I knew we were going to leave the program at Campbell in great hands with my assistant Justin Haire taking over the program, so I knew Campbell was going to be just fine without us. That really kind of solidified us being able to leave.

Third Inning – What were some of the keys in guiding Campbell to 40 or more wins in three straight seasons?

Players for sure. We had great players there. We had the first All-Americans in the history of the program. We also had great coaches – the best coaches I have ever been around in Justin Haire and Rick McCarty and Aubrey Blackwell. Those guys really did a tremendous job. The third thing was our administration. The support they gave us at Campbell really was something that was amazing to me, and it is the reason we had success there.

Fourth Inning – What are some of your immediate goals for the Bulldogs?

Our biggest goal is to create a different, more aggressive culture. Our first goal this year is to win the conference tournament. You’ve got to win the conference and get in the conference tournament. That is our immediate goal here, to continue to work hard in recruiting and get quality players it takes to build a program.

Fifth Inning – What are some of Tech’s strengths heading into the 2015 season?

We have great senior leadership. We have 12 seniors that I feel like are ready and really made a commitment to what we have done here as a new coaching staff. I think our biggest strength is the 12 seniors we have and their willingness to change and do the things we have asked them to do; their commitment to what we are asking of them.

Sixth Inning – Describe what kind of pitcher you were in college at Jackson State Community College and Delta State.

Not a very good one. No, I was an average pitcher that had to work hard for everything I got. I was blessed with the opportunity to play at the college level and then go on to a four-year school. I had great coaches that gave me an opportunity and I thank the good Lord every day to have had that opportunity to play and get me where I am today.

Seventh Inning – What are three things you look for when recruiting pitchers?

No. 1 is the ability to throw strikes on both sides of the plate. We want guys that can command the fastball and then have some pitch-ability. We are really looking for guys that are competitive in nature, aggressive in nature, that are not afraid of contact. We definitely want guys that can pitch, but we are not real concerned with velocity as we are the ability to locate and change speeds and do those types of things.

Eighth Inning – You guided Montevallo, a D-II program in Alabama, to the College World Series. How did those four years at Montevallo and that World Series experience shape you as a coach?

It helped me understand that you can when people say you can’t. That program had never been to a World Series before and we did that in three years, so it really gave me the understanding that you can do some things that people maybe don’t believe you can. Maybe on paper it does not look like you can, but if you surround yourself with good people, hire good coaches and recruit good players, good things can happen. I tell our players that all the time. Good things happen to good people. I learned that from Montevallo. It was a great experience for me as a young coach to have the opportunity to watch guys grow and win a bunch of games.

Ninth Inning – How does Louisiana Tech challenge for Conference USA titles in the future?

Get good players. I know from times we have taken over other programs that it is about the players. It is about getting players that have a passion and desire to win a championship. That is the bottom line with me. Recruiting across the country and bringing in guys that want to buy into our system, have a dream of getting a great degree, playing for a championship and hopefully having professional potential. Those are the kind of guys we want to challenge for conference titles with, as well as having the support from our administration.

(photos courtesy of LT Media Relations)