Goyen fires heat, cools competition

Georgia College & State University pitcher Matt Goyen was named the Peach Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 22.

Goyen threw a five hit complete game shutout against the North Florida Ospreys Feb. 20 to win the honor. It was the first time a GC&SU pitcher has won the award since Feb. 10 last season.

“It’s a nice award,” Goyen said. “I won one my freshman year, but it’s been awhile. You can appreciate it more when you’ve been here longer.”

Goyen, a junior from Athens, Ga., won his first Pitcher of the Week award in 2002.

“The award is a great accomplishment for him,” Coach Chris Calciano said. “When you get guys who receive that sort of recognition from the conference, it is certainly a proud moment for our program.”

Goyen’s performance was just what the Bobcats needed after being swept in a doubleheader against North Florida on Feb. 19.

“It saved the North Florida series for us,” Calciano said. “We really needed him to step up and give us a great outting, and he did.”

Goyen struck out seven batters and did not issue any walks in the victory over North Florida. He retired the first seven and last nine batters in order, never allowing more than one hit in any inning.

“Every time he takes the ball and has a performance like that in conference it gives us a chance to get to the post season,” Calciano said.

Goyen was pleased with his performance, but kept his focus on the entire season and not just one game.

“Our goal as a team is to make the Regionals,” Goyen said. “All of the pitchers want to do the best we can so we can make it to the Regionals with the World Series at the end.”

Goyen came to GC&SU in 2002 and posted a 4-3 record with a 2.78 ERA. In 2003, he was 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA before a leg injury forced him to miss the rest of the season.

The time away from the game gave Goyen an opportunity to reflect on baseball and what the game meant to him.

“You take advantage of the situation when you play everyday,” Goyen said. “When you don’t get to play you realize what you enjoy about playing.”

Goyen came back from his injury and made the most of every trip to the mound. In 2004, he went 4-1 with 2.41 ERA, fourth best in the Peach Belt Conference. He also led the league in opponents’ batting average (.162) and led GC&SU pitchers with 76 strikeouts.

Goyen was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays after the 2004 season, but decided to return to the Bobcats.

“I had two years of eligibility left and thought I could develop more,” Goyen said.

Goyen is 2-0 with a 2.41 ERA and 22 strikeouts in the 2005 campaign.

“He’s a competitor and he’s doing a good job,” Calciano said. “He’s given us a chance to win every time he’s gone out.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Mar 4 2005. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry