Signing day
- Updated: November 4, 2021
Piedmont’s Estes, Munford’s Goodson sign to continue their academic, athletic careers at Alabama JUCOs
Estes determined through tragedy
By East Alabama Sports Today
PIEDMONT – Piedmont baseball coach Matt Deerman said he knows what he’s going to get from versatile Austin Estes every time the player steps on the field.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s practice or a game, whatever. Whatever position he plays at, he’s always thought ‘I can be the best at this,” Deerman said. “If he’s not, he’s always been the kid to try and get to that.
“He’s hard-nosed, 100 percent all of the time.”
That hard-nosed, 100-percent approach has helped Estes reach the next level. On Thursday, the senior shortstop/pitcher/outfielder signed a scholarship with Chattahoochee Valley Community College of Phenix City, where he’ll be reunited with former teammate and Deerman’s nephew, Brant Deerman.
“When I went down there last summer for a workout, Brant went down there and he literally made it feel like home,” Estes said. “He let me look around the campus, the baseball field. It felt like my ninth and 10th grade year, taking ground balls. I loved it. He had an impact on it (decision) for sure.”
It hasn’t been the easiest of years for Estes. His family’s home burned last Christmas Eve. The family lost almost everything, but that hasn’t stopped Estes’ desire to keep working hard for the chance to play college baseball.
He focused on the field and in the spring batted .364 with nine doubles, two triples, a home run, 27 stolen bases, 24 walks, 48 runs and 36 RBIs. He also was 8-0 on the mound with two saves in 44 1/3 innings with 58 strikeouts and a 1.11 ERA.
He was the MVP of the Calhoun County Tournament.
“It’s not something you look forward to, moving into another home again, but it’s very fun (to sign a scholarship),” Estes said. “It’s been difficult driving from Jacksonville to Piedmont every day. Gas is getting higher. I’m not paying for it, but I know it’s hard on my parents, plus they’re trying to buy a new house, things like that. It’s just things you’ve got to do. Tragedies happen.
“I know they’re paying for a lot of stuff, but the community gave a lot of donations and things like that. Besides the stuff I got this year for baseball season, everything was replaced.”
Speaking of replacing things, Deerman said the Bulldogs were in need of a player to play shortstop last season, and Estes “took it to heart.”
“He said ‘We’re going to have a quality shortstop,’” Deerman recalled. “That’s the way he’s been his whole career, whatever we’ve needed. His freshman year, he came out and we went to the state championship (series). He found a way to get himself in the starting lineup. He’s super competitive. I think that’s what gets him to where he’s at.”
And that’s right where he wants to be.
“I’m blessed to be able to sign here with Chattahoochee Valley; it means a lot,” Estes said. “I don’t have to worry about it anymore. As soon as I went to Chattahoochee Valley, I knew it was something I was going to call home for the two years I’m going to be there. I went ahead and signed just to get things off my shoulders.
“Now I’m ready to go win state in football. I’m going to wrestle this year, so we’re going to go win state in wrestling. Then we’re going to go do it in baseball. I’m excited.”– Shannon Fagan, Sports Director WEIS Radio
Goodson signs with Coastal Alabama
MUNFORD – Kelsey Goodson walked into the Munford High School cafeteria to sign her college letter and take a couple pictures to commemorate the event. She didn’t know what seemed like half the town was going to be there with her.
The crowd for the pictures kept growing and growing after Goodson, a senior pitcher for Lady Lions’ softball team, signed to play at Coastal Alabama CC in Brewton.
“I had no clue about that; I loved it a lot,” she said. “I invited some of them, but I didn’t expect all of them to show up. I did not expect all of them to get a photo with me.”
Well, it was an historic occasion. Goodson is Munford’s first college signee for softball since Carleigh Taylor signed with Union (Ky.) in 2016 and gave new Lady Lions’ coach Kathryn Shoop her first college signee before ever coaching her first game.
Goodson was introduced to Coastal Alabama by her private pitching coach, Leslie Pickett, who has sent three previous pupils from the area to the program. She went for a visit and “it just felt like home.”
“When I was little me and my grandfather would watch softball all the time and it was always our dream for me to play, because I loved softball from the beginning,” Goodson said. “Once he passed away (in 2018) it’s always been a goal for me to do that. When I’m out there I love the game and I don’t ever want to stop playing it.”
Goodson went 2-7 with a 3.35 ERA in 56-1/3 innings last season for the regional-bound Lady Lions and her off-speed stuff is expected to be a perfect complement to the power of Munford’s other senior pitcher, Khloe Shears.
“It’s awesome that we have senior pitchers like Kelsey who we’ll be able to lean on because pitchers are so important in high school softball,” Shoop said. “She has a little more off-speed, a little bit more spin. She doesn’t throw it the hardest, but she’s accurate and she’s reliable and those are two things I think will be really, really important as we go through the season.” – Al Muskewitz, East Alabama Sports Today
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