Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Travis Gupton

The Selma Times-Journal

From a young age J’Michael Goings has had one thing on his mind and that thing was baseball. As far back as he can remember he has had a baseball and a baseball bat in his hand and has worked hard to be the best player he could be.

But baseball has not been his only passion. Service of others ranks right near the top, too. Goings is a member of the Gospel Tabernacle Church of God in Christ where he has been an active part of the congregation for years.

“I’ve been going to that church since I was born,” Goings said. “I’m a part of the children’s choir. We do food giveaways and I help when I can. If Pastor needs help with something and he calls and asks if I’m available I usually go. I’m there a majority of the Sundays – it’s not an option. You have to go to church in my family and it’s been established in my life.”

Goings has taken his faith and implemented it into his work on the baseball field to help him become an even better baseball player.

“I probably wouldn’t be where I am at now if it wasn’t for God,” Goings said. “I believe in Him. I pray before every game. If people notice in between innings, even if I am pitching between innings, I take my hat off and say a quick prayer and then go to work. I just thank Him because at the end of the day if we win or if we lose, or balls or strikes if it wasn’t for Him I wouldn’t be in the situation I am in now.”

Goings started baseball when he was in pre-k in the Selma city league. In the past four or five years Goings has expanded his baseball time to the travel ball scene where he plays in both the summer and the fall. He transferred from the city schools in the seventh grade to the county where he played for Martin Middle School. Now as a senior the drive and determination to go above and beyond in the game of baseball is one of the main forces that guides him every day.

“My motivation is baseball is all I have,” Goings said. “Because if you ask about me around Selma they know me because of baseball and my parents. My parents have had an impact on a lot of people so when you say my last name they know ‘ok his parents did this,’ but when you say my first name the first thing people think is baseball. That’s all I have done my whole life. When people see me on the field they know me. They know I’m liable to be a impact to somebody or impact the game in a certain way.”

In Goings house there is a running joke about himself and the game of baseball.

“We have a joke in my house,” Goings said. “My mama calls me Mr.Baseball. There are people who are bigger than me at this school so I’m like I’m going to let him be a star but she is like ok he’s the star you’re Mr.Baseball.”

According to Goings, his parents have said that he lives and breathes baseball. His parents Ghytana and Michael Goings have done so much to help him get to where he is now and Goings said without their sacrifices he would not be able to have gotten to where he is now with his game.

“We run up and down the road,” Goings said. “We’ve been to Florida before playing baseball; we’ve been to Tennessee [and] Georgia. They sent me off to Georgia to live with family to play baseball. If it wasn’t for them taking me and putting me in places where I get seen and get better, then I would probably just be a really good kid with a lot of talent in Selma. With them having me on travel ball team and taking me to training in Birmingham and helping me get on the travel ball team I am on now, I wouldn’t be in the same boat I’m in now.”

With all the practice and hard work that Goings has put in over the years, he says that he is putting together his own life’s music every day.

“They have been dropping little notes in my ear to a song,” Goings said. “I’m creating that song right now and they are dropping little tunes and music in my ear to where I don’t know when the song’s going to stop. That’s in God’s hands. The only thing I can do is every day is put a new tune or something into it to make the song. So when the song is done being written and it’s finally done I can say I’ve done everything I can to write this song and I hope it was the best song I could provide.”

“We have a joke in my house,” Goings said. “My mama calls me Mr.Baseball. There are people who are bigger than me at this school so I’m like I’m going to let him be a star but she is like ok he’s the star you’re Mr.Baseball.”

According to Goings, his parents have said that he lives and breathes baseball. His parents Ghytana and Michael Goings have done so much to help him get to where he is now and Goings said without their sacrifices he would not be able to have gotten to the point he has now.

“We run up and down the road,” Goings said. “We’ve been to Florida before playing baseball we’ve been to Tennessee, Georgia. They sent me off to Georgia to live with my family to play baseball. If it wasn’t for them taking me and putting me in places where I get seen and get better, then I would probably just be a really good kid with a lot of talent in Selma. With them having me on the travel ball team and taking me to train in Birmingham and helping me get on the travel ball team I am on now I wouldn’t be in the same boat I’m in now.”

With all the practice and hard work that Goings has put in over the years, he says that he is putting together his own life music every day.

“They have been dropping little notes in my ear to a song,” Goings said. “I’m creating that song right now and they are dropping little tunes and music in my ear to where I don’t know when the songs going to stop. That’s in God’s hands. The only thing I can do every day is put a new tune or something into it to make the song. So when the song is done being written and it’s finally done I can say I’ve done everything I can to write this song and I hope it was the best song I could provide.”