Baseball, 3/26: Cadet duo earns bigger diamond

by Stephen M. Lewis
DigitalSports Richmond
slewis@digitalsports.com
(804) 240-2191

By the time Benedictine hangs up its baseball jerseys this summer, which may be a while in this young unbeaten season, two Cadets will have left an undeniable mark on the program.

It’s been a while since Will Swoope and Mike Goldberg have made their college choices.

Swoope will play at Maryland, while Goldberg will head south to Davidson in North Carolina, the school basketball star Stephen Curry is making famous on the athletic scene.

The duo has started since their ninth-grade seasons at Benedictine, piling up numbers that might not be sniffed by a Cadet in a long while.

Swoope, a play-anywhere-you-need power hitter, and Goldberg, a mound technician and infielder, are on pace to start 100 straight games.

It’s all possible because of Benedictine’s large schedule and baseball success, but don’t forget Swoope and Goldberg’s excellent play.

Coach Sean Ryan can’t take them off the field. That’s just the way it was planned in the Swoope household.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to play in the ACC. I think I’m talented enough to play in the ACC,” said Swoope, who doesn’t care where he plays once he becomes a Terrapin. He’s primarily a shortstop now. “It doesn’t matter. My dad [Billy Swoope, also a Chicago Cubs scout] always told me to be very versatile. I play infield, outfield, I caught when I was little.”

Goldberg is little compared to most pitchers that dominate the high-school landscape. But his resume is still lengthy, on and off the field.

Goldberg is third in his class with a 4.1 grade-point average and scored an astounding 1380 on his SAT. He chose Davidson first because of academics, baseball just fit.

“Two or three years ago, it started with academic institutions,” Ryan said of Goldberg’s college search. “He found a great spot. I think it’s going to be a great fit for him.

“He’s been a model player and a model student.”

Now, only if Ryan can find two more like them for the 2010 season and beyond.