Jackson Gooch has wasted little time in making an impact with the McNeese State University varsity men's baseball team.
The junior college transfer from Ladner has the Cowboys off to a 17-9 overall record and leads the team in almost every offensive category including batting average (.349), hits (37) RBIs (25), home runs (3), runs (25) and total bases (58). The team's starting left fielder went four-for-nine on the weekend with three walks in a sweep of Northwestern State.
Gooch signed with the Louisiana school for his junior year of eligibility after an outstanding 2012 season at Lamar Community College in Colorado.
The 6-foot-4 Delta secondary graduate led the nation among junior college pro-grams with 78 RBI. He also had a region's best 18 home runs and batted .417, earning all-conference honours in helping Lamar capture the league and regional championship.
The 21-year-old grew up in the Ladner Minor Baseball program before shifting over to the B.C. Premier Baseball League. Gooch also was a standout hockey player and was a member of the 2007 South Delta Bantam A1 Storm team that qualified for the provincial tier one championships and now four players under contract with NHL teams.
Gooch played one season in the Pacific International Junior Hockey League with the Richmond Sockeyes before shifting his focus full-time to baseball.
