Good as Gould: Naperville native has been a revelation for Schaumburg Boomers

In his first year of professional baseball, Michael Gould took center stage of any ballplayer’s dream. Bottom of the ninth, tie game and two outs with a runner in scoring position. All under the lights on the Fourth of July and surrounded by a capacity crowd.

The Schaumburg Boomers outfielder took one pitch before delivering a line-drive single to right field, cementing him as the game’s hero and completing a 4-hit day in front of the largest audience he’s seen. Throw in a postgame fireworks show, and the idyllic scene still hasn’t left his mind.

“My family was there, a few of my best friends were there,” Gould said. “That was probably, up to this point in my career, the greatest single day of baseball that I can even remember. I still think about it.”

Gould, a Naperville native and Neuqua Valley High School grad, quickly carved a role for himself in Schaumburg, posting a .333 average to pair with 4 triples and 7 homers, all of which rank within the top three of the team.

To achieve such success, Gould didn’t have to alter his approach but rather embrace his identity as a player. He takes no shame in the “scrappy player” label as his team leads the Frontier League’s Midwest Conference with a 37-20 record heading into the all-star break.

“I’ve never been the big player out there. I’ve never been the strongest player out there,” Gould said. “I still can hit the ball really hard, I can run, play good defense. I can do all these things. I can help any team win. I believe in myself.”

Gould played four seasons with Maryville University, a Division II school in St. Louis, helping the Saints to consecutive NCAA regional appearances in 2023 and ’24. He holds five program records, including all-time hits, doubles, runs and games started, as well as the single-season hits record, according to the team’s website.

Gould said he had a workout with the Boomers last June after he graduated college but wasn’t offered a contract. He kept in contact with manager Jamie Bennett and spent the offseason training in St. Louis. With Major League Baseball cutting down on its minor-league teams and shortening the draft in recent years, independent ball teams have more talent to evaluate. The ladder to the next level wasn’t clear cut.

“It was hard to get in touch with some people,” Gould said. “There are times where you reach out to teams and then you just don’t hear anything back. This is all part of it.”

After signing with the Boomers in April, Gould settled in a new routine. Six games a week, accompanied by long bus rides for road games. Gould said he had a “mini battle with myself” at the beginning of the season, wanting to prove himself to new teammates and coaches.

“At the end of the day, you just have to be yourself,” he said. “You just have to trust the work you put in and the effort you put in up to this point have led you to this spot.”

“I think that he has a really good approach day to day,” Boomers infielder Anthony Calarco said. “He just always stays under control. For being a young player, he’s pretty mature.”

Gould’s professional future is just beginning, but the 23-year-old doesn’t lose sight of the present. He said it could be stressful to have impressive numbers and not garner interest from an affiliated team, but Gould doesn’t let the feeling consume him.

“I’m just trying to keep my feet where they are,” Gould said, “take each day for what it is, and keep moving forward.”