LHS grad helped Vikings reach Region 19 final
By: Jim Green
When Jessica Goodstein graduated from Lawrence High School two years ago, she thought her softball-playing days were over.
Rarely has anyone been so happy to be so wrong.
After a year away from the game, Goodstein once again is pitching this time at the collegiate level for Mercer County Community College. And she’s better than ever, utilizing a newly perfected screwball to go 9-6, helping Mercer post a 20-12 record and battle for a title at the Region 19 Tournament in Lackawanna, Del. The Vikings, on the strength of a 3-2 win by Goodstein over Del-Tech on Monday, reached the region final before falling to Mercyhurst.
"It’s been really surprising," Goodstein said. "Being able to pitch again is fun. It was a surprise to me, but it’s exciting."
Goodstein, who served as the Cardinals’ third pitcher in 2003, had no visions of playing college ball last year while attending the larger Rowan University in Glassboro. But this past fall, she chose to transfer to Mercer, and, once there, she started to feel the itch to return to the pitcher’s circle.
"I missed it," she said. "I didn’t play at all last year, and I really wanted to play. I thought, since I was going to be at home and going to school, it would be fun, and I’d meet a bunch of new people, and that’s what happened."
Something else happened, though. The left-hander, who had been stuck behind two strong pitchers in Kelly Hanlon and Emily Panasowich at Lawrence, suddenly found herself as one of the top two pitchers on her college squad, along with Ashley McHenry. So Goodstein, who went just 4-2 but did pick up the team’s only win in the state tournament mostly as a reliever during her senior season at LHS, has been splitting time with McHenry down the middle.
"It’s been a lot of pressure, but it’s kind of exciting, because it’s just the two of us," Goodstein said.
It hasn’t been all easy for Goodstein, though. She started the year 2-4 as Mercer opened just 4-7. The turning point came April 7, when, with McHenry unavailable to play, Goodstein was forced to pitch both ends of a doubleheader with Camden Community College.
Goodstein rose to the occasion, hurling back-to-back five-hitters as Mercer swept the double-dip, 9-2 and 6-1. She proceeded to win five of her next six starts before losing her first start in the Region 19 Tournament.
"I wasn’t thinking I was very confident at the time," she said. "After that game, that made my confidence go up a lot. I just felt good defensively, and my whole team came together, and we’ve gotten much better since then."
The secret to Goodstein’s success has been her mastery of her screwball, a pitch she learned this season from Mercer pitching coach Katie Banas that tails away from right-handed batters. With the addition of the screwball to her fastball, changeup and curve, Goodstein now finds herself with an impressive arsenal of pitches with which to torment opposing hitters.
"It makes a great difference," Goodstein said. "I was more of a fastball pitcher. With the screwball, it confuses some batters."
And, as with anything else, practice has made perfect for Goodstein, a Robbinsville resident who first began learning how to pitch in 3rd grade.
"I think any time a person has more of a chance to do something, they’re going to be better at it," she said. "I just never thought, once high school was over, I would be pitching for a college team like this. It’s definitely exciting and a surprise."
But she can’t help but wonder if her pitching days are close to ending for the second time. Goodstein, who plans to major in graphic designs, is looking into the possibility of transferring to another school and realizes that would mean she wouldn’t be around for another season at Mercer, even though she does have another year of eligibility.
"Right now, I’d like to come back here, because I’m able to, but it’s a little difficult, because I’m a sophomore, even though I’m in my first year here," she said. "There could be a possibility of transferring out before next season in the fall. But I’d love to come back and play another season."