Bennett Goehner coming into his own for Blue Jay baseball – Jamestown Sun

JAMESTOWN — Matt Goehner has always talked about baseball to his son, Bennett.

“He was very passionate about me trying and playing the sport,” Bennett said of his father. “He also played in high school and would tell me how they won state in 1998. I remember always playing in the yard when I was little, and then I joined T-Ball at age 4 or 5.”

The rest is history.

“I have continued to play baseball because I have a lot of fun playing and I get to play with a lot of my friends,” Bennett said.

Goehner is a three-sport athlete at Jamestown High School playing soccer and hockey, but he holds a special talent for the sport of baseball. The junior said the first time he realized he could be good at baseball was when he was asked to play with a group of older kids for a tournament.

“I was really nervous because everyone was a lot bigger than me, but I played really well in that tournament,” Goehner said in reflection. “My confidence grew and that has helped me a ton.”

That confidence got him on the Jays’ varsity roster as a freshman.

“… My freshman year, the seniors really believed in me and were there for me,” Goehner said. “My role last year as a sophomore was starting to be a leader. I wasn’t very old but I was going to be the starting first baseman so I knew people were going to look up to me.”

Goehner was injured at the start of the 2024 prep season but started every game during last year’s American Legion season. The junior has been seen playing first base and catcher this spring. His natural athleticism and commitment to hard work are probably what landed him on Tim Ranum’s list of players to watch.

“Bennett so far this year has demonstrated that he is a true middle-of-the-order threat with the ability to get extra base hits regularly,” said Ranum, the head coach of the JHS baseball squad. “In the last two doubleheaders he has squared up nearly every ball. Plus, defensively he has the ability to be a plus defender at first and at catcher.

“Any time we have someone as versatile as Bennett, it makes my job that much easier to put guys in the right position to be successful,” he said.

Goehner is .360 at the plate and has collected nine hits — four of which have resulted in extra bases. He has batted in six runs and scored six runs. He has only struck out three times in his 12 doubleheaders played.

Currently the Jays are 7-3 in conference and 8-4 overall. Goehner and the Jays defeated previous WDA leader Dickinson 14-4, 2-0 on April 22 and also handed Bismarck High its first two losses of the season on April 17.

“I knew our team was going to be pretty young, but my goal is for us to make the state tournament,” Goehner said. “That goal hasn’t changed. I know when we are aggressive and attack we are a great team.”

Goehner has done — and is doing — his part to help the Jays stay aggressive.

“I would go to TRAC to throw and hit with some of my teammates during the offseason,” Goehner said. “The JAYBAL program also put on winter skill sessions that would help to get reps and get back into the swing of things.

“I’m happy with where I am right now but I know that I am going to have ups and downs, it’s just how I can rebound from them and find my groove,” he said. “My competitiveness drives me to always want to get better and help my team.”

Katie Ringer is a sports reporter for the Jamestown Sun. Katie joined the Sun staff in the summer of 2019 after graduating from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire with a degree in journalism. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 701-952-8460.