By Jeff Markle
Assistant State Director

The early college signing period has come and gone and Colorado had great representation among in-state and out of state schools.  Prep Baseball Report Colorado would like to bring you a closer look at many of the schools who have signed 2015 Colorado baseball players.  Our next Q&A College Coaches Edition features The Colorado School of Mines and Coach Jerod Goodale.  Located in Golden, Colorado, Mines is coming off of a 2014 season that saw them go 22-16 in the RMAC and 24-23 overall.  The Orediggers added RHP, Daniel Ciraula from Rocky Mountain High School as part of their early signings.  

PBR:  Describe Mines Baseball to those who have not seen you play?

Goodale:  We expect our guys to play hard and compete with a lot of energy on a daily basis.  We place a lot of emphasis on pitching and defense every time we take the field.  Offensively, we are very aggressive and want to put constant pressure on other teams to make plays. 

PBR:  What do you look for in players during the recruiting process?

Goodale: For our school the first priority is academics.  We have to first figure out if a guy can get into our school and then whether or not they can play.  From a skill standpoint we don't get too caught up in numbers and what you did or didn't do in high school, instead we look for the tools and skills that project to being successful at the college level.  Then we try to figure out a recruit's makeup.  We want to bring in good people who are mentally tough enough to handle the academics and still be able to compete every day on the field.

PBR:  Who are some the most notable Colorado ballplayers you've recently had play for you?

Goodale: Tyler Thornton (SS, Thomas Jefferson HS) graduated in 2012, was one of the toughest players I have ever coached.  Christian Rooney (RHP, Green Mountain HS), Nate Olinger (OF/LHP, Pomona HS), and Tommy Rodgers (RHP, Chatfield HS) are all Juniors this year and have had a big impact on our program there first two years.  Cody Marvel (OF, D'Evelyn HS) was the RMAC Freshman of the year last season and continues to develop at a high rate.

PBR:  What advice do you have for prospects about the recruiting process?

Goodale: Talk to players in the programs you are looking at.  Unfortunately, coaches can sometimes tell recruits what they want to hear or leave out little details.  Players on the team will tell you what they like and what they don't like and usually give an honest assessment of the program.  We tell all our recruits that it is good to get input from family, coaches and people who have helped them out along the way but it is ultimately their decision.  Weigh all the positive and negatives, and go somewhere you are certain is the right fit for you.  If there is any doubt and guys feel like they are settling on a school they will never achieve their full potential both academically and athletically.

PBR:  How do you view Colorado baseball and our players?

Goodale: I have always thought that Colorado has been one of the best untapped recruiting areas in the country.  That has changed in recent years as more and more high profile schools from all over the country are signing guys from here.  We really try to get the best players from Colorado that would be a good fit in our program first before we start branching out to other states because they are used to playing in the conditions and elevation that we play a majority of our games in.

PBR:  If possible tell us your fondest Mines baseball memory to date:

Goodale: My first year in 2012 we swept a double header from a very good Colorado Mesa team on the last day of the regular season to make the RMAC tournament.  None of our guys had ever played in the postseason so it was special to see our guys earn that opportunity and also very important for our program moving forward.

2017 and 2018 get noticed at the first pbr Colorado event of the year