When Connetquot won the Suffolk Class AA Championship in 2019, they did so in large part to their core of upperclassmen led by Paul Gibson Award winner Joey Savino, All-State LHP Matt Goodis, large-school playoff MVP Matt Brown-Eiring, All-State catcher Josh McGee and a trio of Division-I players like Alex Ungar as well as the Yalon twins.
But to win a championship you win a full team contribution and you also need stout defense. Middle infielder James Goff was a crucial piece to their championship team. He was a starter for much of the season as a sophomore. If they were going to defend their crown in 2020 it would’ve been with him at the top of the lineup and he will certainly be a key piece again in 2021. He announced his commitment to Adelphi University this week and their coaching staff will be getting a gritty, hard-nosed, middle infielder that will be a contributor right away.
I had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say…
Can you explain what it was like during the month of May 2019 during Connetquot’s run to the Long Island Championship? Do you feel like you could’ve repeated?
The 2019 playoffs was a great experience for me and an unforgettable time with that team. That 2019 Connetquot team was a true family. Everyone on the team bought into the culture that was formed throughout the season. We put in work everyday from right when the 9th period bell rang to 7 o’clock at night when we ended practice. I absolutely feel like we could of repeated this in 2020. Unfortunately, we did lose big names like the Yalons, Joey Savino, and Josh McGee, but other teams also lost good players as well. We were already prepared with new players who were ready to go and fill the spots that were vacated by the seniors who left.
How was your summer team’s performance? Who were some players that stood out?
During the summer I played for Titans Quattrini, we were 29-1-1 with all our tournaments and league play combined. Some players that stood out on my team were Matt DeStefano from Clarke, Cole Maucere from West Babylon, and Ryan Ferremi from East Islip. The pitching staff was led by JT Raab from MacArthur and Tommy Ventimiglia from Longwood – who shutout opposing teams. Our team was just a great bunch of guys with a really good coaching staff that just clicked when we played together.
Can you explain your experience with the college recruiting process and why you chose Adelphi?
