Ex Rams player takes international stage

Former Rockingham Rams player Caleb Goodwin is swapping the Australian coastal life for the American baseball dream.

The 17-year-old is set to join a division one junior college in August next year, signing on with Seminole State College in Oklahoma.

Caleb’s father Glen Goodwin said he was very proud of his son’s hard work and determination to achieve this opportunity overseas.

“He started playing T-ball when he was five with the Secret Harbour Pirates and in his first year of baseball with the Rockingham Rams he got selected to represent Australia in the Cal Ripken World Series in 2016,” Mr Goodwin said.

“At the end of last year, he decided he really wanted to pursue baseball, so he got into all the weights and the lifting national program and now he’s grabbed this opportunity.

“Generally, our boys get picked for division two or three, but a handful get selected for division one, so it’s a really big achievement for him.”

Caleb was approached by a number of different coaches and offered scholarships to five colleges in the US, but after a number of zoom calls, he chose Seminole State College.

“He will spend the next 12 months getting himself to peak fitness and performance levels to walk straight into their program and be competition ready,” Mr Goodwin said.

Caleb’s mother Lisa said the community has been a huge support throughout her son’s journey.

“He has always had the drive to find his potential, and the community has really gotten around and supported him,” Mrs Goodwin said.

“The young kids at the Secret Harbour Pirates are now looking up to him as inspiration to see where they can go with this sport. I think it’s important for kids to get this kind of recognition so that other young ones can see that it really can happen for them too.

“We never thought it would be our boy that would get the opportunity to go to America and play the sport he loves, we just couldn’t be more proud.”