The Legacy of Mason Goodnight Lives On

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A few weeks ago, the Bowling Green Purples and Greenwood Gators squared off on the baseball diamond in the annual “Playing for Mason Goodnight” game. News 40’s Cole Scott spoke to Mason’s parents and teammates to learn more on the legacy he has left behind.

“Every kid here that still comes up through East Little League or South Little League, they know who Mason is,” Mason’s father Jef Goodnight said. “They know what ‘MG-11′ stands for. You’ll see it in the community. You’ll see a Mason Cup hat or an MG11 and people know that’s Mason Goodnight. And you know, as his dad, I love to know that.”

Mason Goodnight grew up as a child with dreams of playing both baseball and golf professionally. But in 2017, he passed suddenly at the age of 10. After his Little League teammates, now juniors and seniors, played for him on April 16th, they shared what he was like, and what the game meant to them.

“I will say he was a dominant lefty pitcher back in the day when we were younger, a lefty batter too,” Bowling Green Baseball’s Grayson Newman said. “I remember his first home run like it was yesterday.”

“I still remember how happy he was after that home run,” Bowling Green’s Hudson Nottmeier said. “He wasn’t really fast on the base paths, though, he was pretty slow.”

“I mean, it means everything to me and all of us, obviously, because we all grew up with him. You know, we want to play for him, because we wish he was there for us,” Greenwood’s Canon Jaggers said. “But we feel his presence when he’s there.”

“I mean, he was on my first travel baseball team, some of my first basketball teams, and playing at BG East with him,” Greenwood’s Whitt Glosick said.  “I mean, just with that whole environment, I mean, just always having somebody there and then when they’re not, it’s just, just a huge loss, so not having him here, but we know he’s still here.”

“I played basketball with him, and he was a big competitor,” Greenwood’s Zach Davis said. “He was funny on the court, talked a lot of trash, but it was only right to compete for him, you know, compete against friends from across town because he was competitor.”

Mason has left a lasting impact in the community through a foundation created by his family, and while it has led to many projects, the basis is that all kids should have the opportunity to play sports.

“So, we started the foundation also in 2017. There was just an outpouring of support for him,” Mason’s mother Janna Goodnight said. “We’ve always been an advocate for kids’ sports, and any kid that doesn’t have the funds to play a sport can get expensive, we will pay for that.”

Although it’s been seven years since his passing, Mason Goodnight will be remembered and live on throughout Bowling Green forever, and his parents appreciate seeing his legacy grow over time.

“I’m amazed at how much his legacy has lived on, and kids come to me all the time and they know of Mason Goodnight,” Janna Goodnight said, “like they never knew him, never met him, but they know of him, and that means so much to me. I don’t know if they’re getting this from the older generation or if they just see the ‘MG-11’, it’s kind of a staple in baseball for sure. My hope for these kids is that they will learn friendship and having a good time.”

“His legacy is just, you know, have fun, enjoy every day because we’re not guaranteed any day,” Jef Goodnight said, “And his legacy is just go enjoy every day and live every moment to the fullest.”