DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Johnny Goodrich, a former Embry-Riddle baseball All-American, was named the 2012 MaxPreps National Coach of the Year after leading the Spruce Creek Hawks (Fla.) to their first-ever baseball state championship this past season. Goodrich adds the national honor to three other Coach of the Year honors he has received this year, including the Daytona Beach News-Journal Coach of the Year, Florida Dairy Farmers Class 8A Coach of the Year and Baseball Coach of the Year.
Spruce Creek went 26-4 this year, beating previously unbeaten and national No. 1 Orlando Olympia in the regional final, Orlando Timber Creek in the semifinals and Miami Christopher Columbus in the state championship game. The Hawks finished the season ranked third in the Xcellent 25 National Rankings (MaxPreps) for the 2012 season.
Goodrich played for ERAU from 1995-96, earning NAIA first team All-American status in 1995, helping the Eagles to two straight Florida Sun Conference titles. Goodrich is 14th in the Blue and Gold's
150-Hit Club with 156 hits.
"What I do is no different than what we did at Embry-Riddle when I was there," Goodrich said. "I had some great influences in Greg and Todd (Guilliams). I try to emulate what they've done, the way they coach and how professional they were, how they treated players, the respect they had for us as student-athletes. If I hadn't had the experience of playing at Embry-Riddle then I wouldn't be where I am today."
MaxPreps Release on All-American Baseball Team
Daytona Beach News-Journal story on Goodrich's National Coach of the Year honor
