7 minute read
BUILDING A BASEBALL LEGEND
by ROBBIE McCOMMAS
Pictured, both fathers and their sons coached and played for the Stroud team.
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PHOTOS PROVIDED
Take me out to the ball game!
Take me out to the ball game! Springtime, breezy weather, cool rains and longer days are indications baseball season is underway. Daily practice has started, tournaments take over a family’s calendar and game days are several times per week. Along the Corridor, from Oklahoma City to Tulsa, fields are groomed for hundreds of players to shine like stars. If we head east a little, in the town of Stroud, where a high school coach of 10 years handed his baton to his son and nephew, we’ll find more lessons are being taught than a grand slam! Decades of experience give the Gooch family an edge when it comes to coaching. Generations have inspired the next until there is a dynasty of ballplayers. Kenneth Gooch, Kenneth Gooch Jr., Kenneth Gooch III, Randy Plunkett, his son Rance Plunkett and his nineyear-old son, Lawyer Plunkett, all love the sport! And, it should be noted Kenneth Gooch IV is three years old! (I’m sure he wears a ball cap too!) Kenneth Gooch Jr. coached his son Kenneth III and his nephew Rance in little league, then later, finished his teaching degree, enabling him to obtain a teaching and coaching job. He was hired by Stroud about the time the boys were in middle school in 1998. The cousins, who had played together for years, were going to be back under the guidance of a great mentor by the time they would play high school ball. “I learned a lot of baseball from him,” says his son,
Kenneth III, also called little Kenny. Both my parents were teachers, and dad being a coach, really influenced me. Our family members are huge St. Louis Cardinals fans. Every summer dad would take us to see them play.” Four years of guidance continued for the two young men under Kenneth Jr. It isn’t surprising that both young men were selected to represent college teams while earning their university degrees. Meanwhile, in 2008, Kenneth Jr. had stepped out of the baseball coaching position. Then, straight out of college, in 2009, Rance landed the coaching position at Stroud. When faced with the need to hire an assistant coach, he sought his uncle who gladly accepted. Kenneth Jr. assisted for the next three years. “It was awesome,” says Rance. “I was young, 23 years old, Uncle Kenny is a patient man. I couldn’t ask for a better guy to get started with. He let me make every decision. He stepped back and let me grow like I should.” “My dad is super laid back and calm,” says Kenneth III. “It was awesome having him as a coach all those years. I learned to be calm in tough situations. To be as even as possible, not too excited or too down—to stay a happy medium.” “In baseball, if you have a bad day, you ‘flush it’ and go back to work to get better for the next time,” Kenneth III explained. “And, we recommend that same concept for life. Sports participation offers great lessons that help you handle failure, which makes you tougher.”
Younger Years ...
There can’t help but be a connection between two young cousins who spent their lives as close as brothers. “Whatever we needed to get better at, we did together,” explained Kenneth III. “Whether it was practice in the batting cages or playing catch, it was good to have him to do that with.” In the early years, both fathers, Kenneth Jr. and Randy Plunkett, coached their little league team. One year, several dedicated boys from surrounding towns formed a fall ball team. The young enthusiastic players had an icon from the Seattle Mariners so they called themselves the Davenport Mariners, right here in the midwest! Oh, the stories they can tell! The cousins excelled in middle infield. When one pitched, the other played short stop and vice versa. Additionally, they played second base. “They could just look at each other and know what was going to happen,” says Kenneth Jr. “People called them twins from different mothers! They were such good players, they made coaching easy. They were a pleasure and still are. It was the best time of my life, coaching them and watching them grow. They were great boys, and they became fine, young men.”
Both Became Teachers and Coaches...
While Rance filled the Stroud coach position and teaches art, little Kenny served at Sand Springs for nine years, and now is in his first season at Mannford, where he also teaches seventh grade geography. With families of their own now, they both see the picture a bit clearer. Life experiences via baseball are etched in their minds. And, they both are eager to teach youth to play ball, and use it as a tool. “My goal for the kids is for them to get better everyday,” says Rance. “I ask them to work hard. I tell them that they will fail sometimes, but learning to overcome that failure is the reward. The hardest thing in sports is how you react when things don’t go your way, and when you learn this, you become pretty good. “I like to connect with the kids, I’ve learned when I communicate the right way, it’s not hard to get them to react. Ultimately, I’m helping these kids to be ready for life when they’re done playing baseball.” “I think the most valuable thing baseball teaches is that it isn’t always about winning,” says Kenneth Gooch Jr. “The players learn to deal with pressure, failure, successes and it teaches camaraderie and dedication. Baseball isn’t always about winning, in the end, it makes better men.”n
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