When Henry Godbout came to Baylor School from Brooklyn, New York, he said he wanted to experience southern culture and great baseball.
While his “y’all” could use a little work, Godbout has fit right in with the Red Raiders baseball machine, helping the program claim its third consecutive Division II-AA state championship last spring and on Tuesday becoming Baylor’s third Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association Mr. Baseball award finalist in as many years.
Godbout was joined locally by Sale Creek’s Jakob Elrod in Class A and Silverdale Baptist Academy’s Turner Junkins in Division II-A. Elrod is batting .435 with 28 RBIs, while Junkins, a Middle Tennessee State University commitment, is 7-1 on the mound with 67 strikeouts and also has six homers, 10 doubles and 31 RBIs.
“This is definitely one of the goals I set for myself before the season started,” said Godbout, a University of Virginia commitment who is also projected as a possible early-to-mid round Major League Baseball draftee.
“At the end of the day I really care most about winning another state title, but this is a great accomplishment and I’m honored. I worked pretty consistently on my power – I’ve added some muscle during the offseason – and my approach at the plate and I think that’s paid off so far this season.”
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Godbout, who plays shortstop and bats leadoff, is batting .523 with 13 doubles, nine home runs, 33 RBIs and 32 runs scored so far to help Baylor get within one more series win of returning to next week’s Spring Fling state tournament. The Red Raiders (20-7) host Christian Brothers Wednesday in a best-of-three series.
“The great thing about Henry is he waited his turn to be our spark plug and once he got that chance he’s thrived,” said Baylor co-head coach Greg Elie. “He was an all-region player at second base last year and had solid numbers, but he’s really taken that next step this season.
“He has anchored us defensively and performed at his best against the best competition. He’s just a really fun player to watch.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.