STORYLINE: Goss, lefthanded hitter with pop, emerged last season as UF's starting centerfielder and go-to player on offense. He earned All Region honors, hit .356 and led the Gators in home runs (11), RBI (54), game winning RBI (7) and slugging percentage (.587). The hard-nosed senior adds speed, power and work ethic to the squad. He also made several outstanding defensive plays in centerfield enters the season needing only one HR, nine RBI and six SB to become just the sixth player in UF history to hit 20+ home runs, drive in 100+ runs and steal 30+ bases in a career.
2001: Started 53 games in the outfield (10 in RF and 43 in CF)...Selected to the All South Region Second Team...Named to Alasport.com All SEC Second Team (OF)...Honored with two awards at the team's annual banquet- Coach Fuller Award (timely hitting) and Best Offense Award...Finished with at least one hit in 18 of the season's last 19 games...Hit .444 (4-9) with double, HR, 4 RBI in SEC Tournament...Led team with 11 home runs (eight of 11 HR came in SEC play)...Went on career-high 13-game hit streak, 2/25-3/20...Went on 12-game hit streak from 4/20-5/12...Hit .417 (20-48) with three HR and 16 RBI in May...Hit .385 (25-65) with five home runs and 20 RBI in March...Scored career-high tying three runs vs. Stetson, 5/25...Hit key three-run homer, went 1-3 with four RBI vs. Tennessee in SEC Tourney, 5/17...Went 2-5, hit first career grand slam and drove in five RBI vs. South Carolina, 5/12...Hit .636 (7-11) with six RBI, two game winning RBI, three runs scored and had slugging percentage of .909 in three-game series at Auburn...Broke 1-1 tie, drove in game winning RBI on two-run single at Auburn, 5/6...Went 3-3 with three RBI, three runs, two walks and hit go ahead hit on two-run home run at Auburn, 5/5...Slammed into the CF wall with game-saving catch, then broke a 2-2 tie with a game-ending, two-RBI home run to defeat Mississippi State, 4/28...Went 103 consecutive games and three years (1999-2001) without an error, 3/17/99 vs. Army-4/15/01 vs. Georgia...Finished Ole Miss series hitting .429 (6-14) with three doubles...Hit back-to-back home runs in games at Georgia, 4/13-4/14...Went 3-5 with HR, 2 RBI vs. Florida Atlantic, 3/28....Stole home vs. LSU, 3/16...Hit second home run in three days, went 2-5 vs. Fordham, 3/13...Hit first home run of season, finished with four RBI vs. Tennessee, 3/11...Went 2-2 with two RBI and run scored vs. Central Michigan, 3/2...Drove in game winning run on 10th inning single vs. Florida State 2/25.
2000: Saw action in 33 games with 18 starts (6 in RF, 8 in CF, 3 in LF and 1 as DH)...Hit .319 with three HR and 15 RBI...Hit .333 with two HR and seven RBI in SEC play...Hit pinch hit three-run home run vs. Auburn, 4/29...Had two hits and season-high three RBI vs. Fordham, 3/15...Hit season-high two hits and three RBI at Miami, 2/4...Posted six-game hit streak to start the season...Missed 22 games with a left quad pull suffered against South Carolina...Appeared in first game since 3/18 against South Carolina...Made two pinch hit performances against Auburn and came through big in both including a game-winning two-RBI single, went 2-for-2 on the weekend with a home run and five RBI.
1999: Saw action in 52 games with 38 starts...Hit .288 with five HR and 22 RBI...Tied for fourth on the team with seven doubles...Had a season-best seven-game hit streak to start the year and also had a six-game hit streak...Five assists from center field...8-for-9 in stolen bases...Knocked four hits with a triple, two HR, and seven RBI against UNC-Greensboro...Hit home run in first collegiate game against Miami.
SUMMER BASEBALL: Played for Harrisonburg (Va.) in the Valley League in 1999...Hit .333 with two HR and 16 RBI over 29 games...Ranked second on the team in batting average.
HIGH SCHOOL: A 1998 graduate of Bartow High School where played four years and was coached by Daniel Coomes...Three year starter...Team advanced to regional playoffs three years in a row...Set school records for season extra base hits (18), season home runs (9), and career home runs (15)...Two-time Florida Sunbelt Classic All -Star Tournament selection and named first team All Tournament in 1998...Second team all-state (4A) selection and first team all area choice...Hit .440 as a senior with nine home runs and 40 RBI...Also had 18 stolen bases...Hit .416 as a junior with six home runs and 30 RBI in earning first team all-area honors.
| GOSS' CAREER STATISTICS |
| Overall Season Statistics |
| Year | AVG | GP-GS | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB-A |
| 1999 | .288 | 52-38 | 153 | 35 | 44 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 22 | 16 | 32 | 8-9 |
| 2000 | .319 | 33-18 | 69 | 18 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 3-5 |
| 2001 | .356 | 60-53 | 208 | 52 | 74 | 11 | 2 | 11 | 54 | 31 | 27 | 15-19 |
| Career | .326 | 145-109 | 430 | 105 | 140 | 20 | 4 | 19 | 91 | 54 | 68 | 26-33 |
| SEC Regular Season Statistics |
| Year | AVG | GP-GS | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB-A |
| 1999 | .210 | 27-20 | 81 | 15 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 4-5 |
| 2000 | .333 | 9-4 | 18 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1-1 |
| 2001 | .333 | 30-28 | 111 | 24 | 37 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 31 | 15 | 19 | 6-8 |
| Career | .286 | 66-52 | 210 | 43 | 60 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 45 | 25 | 43 | 11-14 |
| SEC Tournament Statistics |
| Year | AVG | GP-GS | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB-A |
| 2000 | .400 | 3-1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 |
| 2001 | .444 | 3-3 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0-0 |
| Career | .429 | 6-4 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0-0 |
| NCAA Postseason Statistics |
| Year | AVG | GP-GS | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB-A |
| 2000 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2001 | .300 | 3-3 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1-2 |
| Career | .300 | 3-3 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1-2 |
| Career vs. Opponents |
| Year | AVG | GP-GS | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB-A |
| Alabama | .400 | 3-3 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1-1 |
| Arkansas | .210 | 6-6 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2-3 |
| Auburn | .692 | 5-3 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0-0 |
| Florida St. | .250 | 12-9 | 32 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3-3 |
| Georgia | .292 | 7-6 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0-1 |
| Kentucky | .125 | 6-3 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1-1 |
| LSU | .333 | 8-6 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4-4 |
| Miami | .382 | 10-10 | 34 | 9 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1-1 |
| Mississippi | .387 | 8-7 | 31 | 5 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 1-1 |
| Mississippi St. | .250 | 7-6 | 24 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2-2 |
| So. Carolina | .200 | 9-6 | 25 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0-0 |
| Tennessee | .240 | 7-6 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 0-0 |
| Vanderbilt | .263 | 6-4 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0-1 |
GOSS' CAREER HIGHSAt Bats: 6 vs. Ole Miss, 4/21/01;
Runs Scored: 3 four times, last vs. Stetson, 5/25/01;
Hits: 4 vs. UNC-Greensboro, 3/3/99;
RBI: 7 vs. UNC-Greensboro, 3/3/99;
Bases on Balls: 2 11 times, last vs. Auburn, 5/5/01;
Multi-hit games: 32;
Multi-RBI games: 21:
Hit Streak: 13 games.
GOSS UP CLOSENickname: Goose
Best player I've ever played against: Brad Cresse
If I won a million dollars, I would: invest it and never work again
Favorite movie: Tommy Boy, Gladiator
Favorite sport other than baseball: basketball
Favorite home-cooked meal: Grandma's pot roast and mashed potatoes
When I was a kid, I pretended to be: a pro athlete
ALL AROUND SUCCESSMatt Goss is attempting to become just the sixth Florida baseball player to record 20+ home runs, 100+ RBI and 30+ steals in a career. Only five other players in school history have accomplished this feat: | Player | HR | RBI | SB |
| Brad Wilkerson (1996-98) | 55 | 224 | 46 |
| Mark Ellis (1996-99) | 36 | 164 | 56 |
| David Eckstein (1994-97) | 23 | 135 | 95 |
| Scott Ruskin (1982-84) | 25 | 122 | 43 |
| Mike Stanley (1982-85) | 22 | 153 | 31 |
| Matt Goss (1998-02) | 19 | 91 | 26 |
