West Virginia 'Checked Off A Lot Of Boxes' For Goodacre

Ben Goodacre RHP / Ancaster, ON / 2025

ANCASTER, Ontario - The fan base was just part of what attracted Ben Goodacre to West Virginia.

“Baseball-wise, it’s cool that the entire state of West Virginia are fans of them,” Goodacre said of the Big 12 Conference university. “I like how it’s a baseball school, how the stadium is modern, that it’s close to Canada and that the weather is good. It checked off a lot of boxes.”

A commitment by the Ancaster High School junior came soon after coaches were permitted to talk with 2025s on Aug. 1.

“The first time they saw me was at the Junior Nationals and they followed me around a bit,” the top-rated 2025 right-handed pitcher in Ontario related. “They saw me again at the Future Games. I went to a camp on the 31st (of July) and I toured the campus and did testing on the field. They offered me on the 1st (of August). ”

It did not take long for a decision to be made by Goodacre, who also had interest from TCU, Clemson, Georgia State and Kent State after each saw the hard-throwing right-hander at the Future Games.

“I accepted a couple of days later after I was offered once I got back to Canada and talked with all my coaches about it,” Goodacre said. “The school that was the best fit for me was West Virginia.”

Improvement was important in getting schools to take notice according to the 6-3 170-pounder.

“I’m skinny so I’ve been working on putting on more weight,” Goodacre noted. “I’ve also been working on mechanics and with plyos and J Bands so I can be more athletic overall.”

West Virginia had good things to say about the third-ranked junior in Ontario.

“The first time they saw me they liked my offspeed pitches,” Goodacre related. “They saw me a couple of other times and told me they could see me being a Friday night starter and they decided to take a chance on me.”

It has Goodacre fulfilling a lifelong goal.

“Most of my life I’ve played baseball for fun, but the dream has been college and professional baseball,” Goodacre explained. “A year ago people started to tell me I actually was good so I put my head down and it happened.”

The recruiting process took off once the hard work began.

“This winter was a breakout year,” Goodacre reflected. “I hit 90 at the PBR Trials and that got me exposure. A month or two before Aug. 1 my coaches kept telling me that college coaches were interested and I’d find out when Aug. 1 came around.”

There was help along the way in developing into a better pitcher.

“There were a lot of people in my corner but my Little League coach, Adam Strongman, has had the biggest impact other than my parents,” Goodacre said. “He was my coach for seven years and helped make me a better person on and off the field.”

Goodacre, who will turn 17 on Sept. 13, believes he can be a big part of the program in Morgantown.

“Hopefully, by the time I’m able to attend West Virginia, I’ll have a fastball in the high 9s and have a four-pitch mix,” Goodacre explained. “I’m working on that every day.”

Goodacre points to two areas of focus when it comes to getting better.
“Gaining weight is one and the mental side is the other,” Goodacre said. “If I can gain strength that will make me a better D-I athlete and if I can control the mental game it will make it easier to perform.”

The decision to commit to West Virginia was memorable.

“I talked to all of my coaches and decided with my family that this was a great opportunity,” Goodacre said. “It was a really great day that everyone enjoyed.”

Sport management or general business will be the college major for the 4.0 student, who looks forward to what lies ahead at the university located 51/2 hours from home.

“Playing super high-level baseball has been the dream,” Goodacre concluded. “I’m really looking forward to playing in front of the amount of fans they will have there. I feel the program at West Virginia will help me become a better person and baseball player.”