Goodreau’s season a success
Two at-bats for BC catcher just a small part of journey back from cancer
Pinch-hitting for Boston College on Feb. 16, before the season ended prematurely because of COVID-19, former Southwick Regional star Jake Goodreau could hardly lift his arms in the batter’s box from the nervousness he felt.
The stakes were low; Northern Illinois led 12-3 in the eighth inning. The senior catcher wasn’t new, either, admitting it wasn’t normally a situation to sweat over.
But this wasn’t just any normal situation.
Goodreau stood at the plate in a daze of emotion, batting in a meaningful game for the first time since thyroid cancer derailed his junior season and threatened his future. He laughs about it now, but after a year of hard work to get back to speed, grounding out to first couldn’t dull the thrill of returning to action.
“When I swung, my arms felt like pool noodles,” he said. “Coach called my name and said to get ready for an at-bat. I go, ‘Oh my God.’ My heart stopped. You would’ve thought I was getting ready for my first at-bat in Omaha or something. My parents were there … we really weren’t expecting an at-bat that weekend at all – we got one.”
It was a few days after Christmas in 2018 when Goodreau’s mother took the call that tossed the family into a frenzy. While Goodreau feared “the absolute worst” in waves, he also thought about baseball often.
A malignant swollen lymph node helped reveal thyroid cancer, so the chances of playing soon looked bleak. Those chances dimmed further when scans found the cancer metastasized for about two years into his upper chest and right shoulder – his throwing arm – which required doctors at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to remove 165 lymph nodes. He’d also need a one-time radioactive iodine treatment following surgery.
Between that and the damaged motor function in his shoulder, he would require significant time to recover. Telling head coach Mike Gambino before the surgery wasn’t easy. Addressing all his teammates proved even harder.
“I cried. I cried most of the time when I talked about it, it was just really scary,” Goodreau said. “Just having the words, ‘I have cancer,’ come out of your mouth is just really scary for anyone to hear. It was very emotional for everybody. I really hated putting a damper on everything, but obviously you can’t not tell them.”
While Goodreau had to take a step back, the team still played a major role alongside friends and family to power him through.
Catching home games over weekends helped ease the frustration of constant exhaustion, a lost voice and body changes. His heart jumped when he got to surprise the Eagles in Kentucky during spring break for a mid-week series after the surgery, just about as much as when he met them in North Carolina for the ACC Tournament semifinal in May. And when he felt alright enough to take batting practice sometime in April, his dad’s and teammates’ support made it that much more fulfilling.
Between them, professors patiently helping him stay on track, and the BC and Southwick communities fundraising about $40,000 for his medical costs, Goodreau is extremely grateful for all the support as he navigated recovery.
So is his coach.
“The thing that was amazing for me to see was just every one of those guys went to (him) and said ‘I’m here for you, what do you need,’” Gambino said. “The idea of a brotherhood is a very important term in the Jesuit education and tradition, and these guys believe in that. For them, one of their brothers was sick, one of their brothers needed them … and they were there all the way through.”
Goodreau wasn’t done rehabilitating his shoulder until the end of the summer, which meant missing summer ball for the first time in years. He got back on the diamond for the fall, but even after throwing out a runner trying to steal a base in his first action, he’s adjusting to his compromised shoulder. He knew he wouldn’t hold a large role this spring, either, even before the season was cut short.
But Goodreau isn’t done playing. He plans to play through a master’s degree with his two remaining years of eligibility. He’s uncertain where, he just knows he’s not ready to give it up after all the help he received to get back.
“I would love for this to be some good story,” he said. “Just be able to acknowledge everybody who’s there for me and everyone who helped me. … I’m really lucky that – I don’t even know how to put it. I’m lucky to have every single one of those people (that helped) in my life.”