Occasionally we’ll return to our format of profiling top teams at the club and high school levels.  Today, we talk to Head Coach T.J. Goelz about his 16U team which last year came within one run of winning the ASA 14U National Championship.

Check out our Q&A with the coach and how his team has responded to the phrase they say every day: “Get better!”

 

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StudentSportsSoftball.com: When did the team/program start and how/why did it come to be?
TJ Goelz: Our team started in late 2006 as the Suncoast Storm.  A group of talented seven and eight year olds stood out in the local rec league, Miss Manatee Softball, and they were grouped together to start a travel team.  We still have seven of the original players from that team.   In 2012, we were invited to join the Tampa Mustangs organization which is the oldest fastpitch organization in Florida.  We were honored to join.

 

SSS.com: Where are you based?  Where do your athletes come from (all locally, some out of state?)
TJG: We are based out of Lakewood Ranch, Fla.  Ten of our 13 athletes are local and play at rival high schools: five at Braden River and five at Lakewood Ranch.  The remaining three players on our roster are within one hour from us. We are one of the few teams at our level that have such a local based team.  Ten of our 13 kids have played with or against each other since ages 7 and 8.

SSS.com: What was the purpose of creating the team (showcase players, win titles, develop skills, etc.)?
TJG: The purpose of creating the team was to take a group of talented girls and teach them the right way to play the game at the highest level.  We wanted our players to know the game better than everyone else and we focused on that while the talent developed.   The talent sure did develop!

SSS.com: What have been some of your successes in terms of winning or placing at events?
TJG: Our team has been very successful for a long time.  We have won over 70 percent of our games the last five years.   The best part of our success is that our team has always looked to “play up.”  We never classified ourselves as a “B” team or played in the lower level tournaments because we were a first year team.  We always wanted to play against the older teams to get better, win or lose.   That has translated into a few state championships including ASA Gold in 2010 as we have won a state championship in every age group.   On the National level – we finished 4^th in 2012 in the USSSA 14u ‘A’ World Series.  We were the highest finishing first year 14s team that year.  We came in 3^rd at Scenic City Superpool bracket in 2013 and won our brackets in the NFCA and Florida’s Finest tournaments.  Finally, last summer we placed 2^nd at ASA Nationals in Normal, Illinois in 14U.  We lost 5-4 in the championship game to the Impact-Gold (Texas).

 

SSS.com: What makes the organization unique?
TJG: The Tampa Mustangs is unique in that we are part of the oldest Fastpitch organization in the state of Florida.  The founders and directors, Ray and Cathy Seymour, have been excellent partners, advocates, mentors and supporters since we joined.  Ray and Cathy went to Normal, Ill. last summer to watch our championship run.  They are there if we need anything but also allow us complete autonomy in running our teams.   We share the same ideals on attitudes, image, and direction so it makes it a great organization to be a part of.

 

SSS.com: What’s your softball background and how did you get to the point of leading the team?
TJG: I played college baseball at University of North Florida for four years where I met my wife, Liz Voigt Goelz, who was on the UNF Softball team in 1991.  She was two years behind me in school so when I finished playing, I attended many of her college fastpitch games and even helped out the team as a pseudo-grad assistant.   I developed a love of the game early on and in 2007, I was asked to lead the team as the head coach and have loved every minute, well, almost every minute of it.  About 98%.   I believe being around it since 1991 and seeing how it has transformed and being a part of that transformation gives me a good understanding of the game.  However, I say all the time, I am always trying to “get better”… the same words our girls say at the end of every practice and game.

 

SSS.com: How many teams are there in the organization overall?
TJG: I believe the Tampa Mustangs organization has 12 teams in five age groups 10-18 including our team, Tampa Mustangs-TJ, in 16U.

SSS.com: Has there been a key moment or defining experience in the team’s history?
TJG: It would be hard not to say that finishing 2^nd at ASA Nationals was not the key moment.  We know that has put us on the national map going forward and we absolutely loved that experience and all of the opportunities we are getting since then.   Outside of that, we made a decision as a team in 2011 to focus on becoming a nationally known high caliber team that was filled with players who want to play in college and compete for a national championship.  We had some additions and subtractions from that strategy and it was tough, but it was an excellent decision.

 

SSS.com: What is your primary focus or goal with this team?
TJG: Our main focus now is to win a national championship (or many).  That’s what our kids will hear from us daily and they will know that is our primary goal. We believe that playing at the highest level will get our kids the exposure they need to get offers to play collegiately.  It will also keep us in the best showcase and exposure tournaments.  Our secondary goal (or complimentary goal) is to get each of the kids into the college of their choice.

SSS.com: What do you think are the strengths of the team?
TJG: Our strengths are our knowledge of the game, athleticism, and chemistry.  They are not in any particular order but they are what makes us different.  Our kids know the game – they are constantly coming up to me with something they see that might help us now or later in the game – it shows they are into the game and they know you can win games on brains as well as skills.  We are as athletic as any team in the country.  We can play fast, we can play small , we can play big.  Almost all of our girls can play multiple positions well so we run deep at every position.  And finally, our chemistry.  Our kids have grown up together.  They know each other so well and trust each other.  They have had a consistent message for years and we refine it and make it better every year.

SSS.com: If there is one thing you would say that separates you from other club programs, what would it be?
TJG: Our history and continuity.  We have been together for almost eight years now.  The girls have grown up together and know each other and trust each other so well.  Their confidence levels are high and this makes us pretty tough.

 

SSS.com: Anything else interesting or fun that I could use to portray your team as a top organization?
TJG: We have two players verbally committed to D1 programs so far.  We have had six girls take unofficial visits to D1 programs.  We have been accepted to the best showcases and tournaments in the country and are contacted regularly by college coaches checking in on our kids.  I believe we will be one of the most highly recruited teams in the country.