Marysville Elite 17U head baseball coach Corey Gould talks to some of his players during a recent game. Gould began his playing career on the youth level and advanced all the way to college baseball.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
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There is no question that baseball has played a big part in Corey Gould’s life.
From serving as a bat boy for the American Legion Post 79 team coached by his father, Chuck, to starting to play himself in area youth leagues as a little guy, there never seems to have been a summer gone by without baseball for a marjority of Gould’s 22 years.
“I think I started playing when I was about three-years-old,” said Gould, who is the head coach of the Marysville Elite 17U team. “Dad got me going and I’ve been playing for the past 19 years.”
Gould’s playing days came to an end earlier this spring with the conclusion of his senior season at Mt. Vernon Nazarene University.
To fill some of the void of no longer playing, Gould is coaching the Elite 17U team. The squad’s latest venture was a runner-up finish in the Omaha Classic this past weekend.
Gould said coaching the summer Monarchs was a natural progression.
“Marysville baseball is in my blood,” said Gould. “It’s cool to be able to come back and influence these guys and give back to a program that did so much for me.”
Gould played the infield and pitched for the Monarchs before graduating from MHS in 2013.
After that, he played in the outfield and infield at Mt. Vernon Nazarene. He was a second baseman as a freshman and worked in left field during his junior and senior campaigns.
He served as the Cougars’ designated hitter as a sophomore.
He was a two-time Crossroads League player of the week twice during his junior season and played in the NAIA regional tournament as a freshman and sophomore.
“That was a lot of fun,” he said.
Gould finished his collegiate career with a .300 batting average. More importantly, he was also a scholar-athlete as he earned a degree in biology, with a minor in chemistry.
Gould has about a month left in the 2017 summer season and then he will put baseball on the back burner for a while.
“I’m not going to be able to come back and coach summer ball here for the next four years,” he said.
The reason?
Beginning on July 31, Gould will begin medical school at Kent State University.
“I will go to med school all year round with some breaks for the next four years,” said Gould. “I won’t be able to come back and coach.”
While he will miss the sport, Gould said he’s preparing for the future.
“I don’t have any regrets as my college career ended on a high note,” he said. “I’m ready for the next phase of my life.”
The former Monarch athlete (who also played basketball) said he wants to specialize in podiatry and may branch out into sports medicine, since “I still want to stay close to athletics.”
Following four years of medical school, Gould said he will spend two-to-three years in residency and/or possibly go on to become a surgeon.
“I’ve got some time to think about that,” he said.
Although Gould will soon be giving up baseball, he wants to get back into it at some point.
“After I finish med school and get established, I’d love to eventually come back here and help with Marysville baseball any way I can.”