St. Louis picks Russellville coach's son in 33rd round of MLB draft

By Staff
Scot Beard
In sports timing is everything.
If a quarterback releases the throw a second too soon or too late the other team might intercept the pass.
In baseball a split second in reaction time could be the difference between a grand slam and a strike out to end the game.
Russellville football coach Doug Goodwin's timing was off last Thursday. His son Devin, however, was in the right place at the right time when the St. Louis Cardinals called to tell the shortstop they were selecting him with the 999th pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft.
"I thought the draft was starting up around noon, so I was at the school for summer workouts," Doug Goodwin said. "He called me while I was at the track to tell me he was drafted by the Cardinals."
The call ended weeks of speculation for Devin, who completed his senior season at Delta State this year. During his 210-game career with the Statesmen, Devin had 260 hits including 57 doubles, 37 homers and six triples for a career batting average of .332. He scored 201 runs and had 185 RBIs.
His 675 career assists is a Gulf South Conference record and he is top 10 all-time at Delta State for his career totals in hits, runs scored, homers, doubles, games played, total bases and RBI.
Members of the St. Louis organization spoke with him during the Gulf South Conference Tournament. The Goodwins did not hear from the organization again.
Meanwhile the New York Mets were also expressing interest in Devin.
"The Mets said they would take him the second day of the draft, but that didn't happen. They called to say they would select him on the final day," Doug Goodwin said. "They called the third day and said they wanted to pick him, but the Cardinals got to him first."
Doug Goodwin said the Cardinals told Devin they wanted him, but were afraid to make that knowledge public because they were weary of another team selecting him before they had the opportunity.
The celebration was short lived, as Devin had to get to Batavia, N.Y. to report to the Cardinals' Class-A Short Season team – the Batavia Muckdogs – in the New York-Penn League.
The Times reached Devin briefly, but he was too busy to talk and has not had an opportunity to return a call to comment on his recent accomplishment.
While Doug Goodwin was not home when his son was drafted, the father and son do share another special sports moment. Doug coached Demopolis High School to the 2004 Class 4A state title. Devin was the quarterback of the team that finished the season with a 15-0 record.
"His biggest asset is that he is a competitor. He is fearless at times," Doug Goodwin said. "If he saw a small window he would take the chance because he saw the positive outcomes, not the negative outcomes."
Devin earned a full football scholarship to Delta State and he picked the program because the coach would also allow him to play baseball. When a new head football coach was hired, Devin felt pressure to choose between football and baseball.
He picked the diamond, but his gridiron dreams have not ended yet. Ultimately, he wants to follow in footsteps of his father and older brother Dustin – who is one of Goodwin's assistant coaches at Russellville – and coach high school football.
"He is definitely interested in doing that," Doug Goodwin said. "He wants to play baseball as long as he can, but when he's done, he wants to be a high school football coach."
Doug Goodwin said he and his wife, Donna, are happy Devin has the opportunity to chase his dream and noted the odds against being drafted.
"We're excited for him. Not a lot of people get the opportunity to do what he is doing right now," Doug Goodwin said. "A lot of kids dream of what he is doing, but not a lot get to do it."