Greg Goff has memories of playing pepper and long toss with his daughters, and one even spent a few years as his bat girl.
And there's also that trip to an out-of-town Wal-Mart to buy clothes.
Spending time on the baseball diamond is not just a passion for Goff and his family, but an avenue to creating lifelong memories.
One that has led the family to Purdue, where Greg Goff just finished his first season — albeit shortened — as head coach of the baseball team; while one of his four daughters, Kiley, has signed to play softball for the Boilermakers beginning with the 2020-21 academic year.
It's a scenario that would have been hard to predict a few years ago for a family that was entrenched in the southern part of the country. If Greg's accent doesn't give that away, his resume will.
Goff has led the resurrection of three programs: NCAA Division I Campbell and Louisiana Tech and Division II Montevallo. He guided all three programs to NCAA regional bids and won 40 games with each program at least once.
But that trip to Wal-Mart? Well, it coincided with a nice two-game road trip for Goff during his time at Campbell.
Kiley was going to travel with the team for its midweek game at North Carolina State. And she wanted to make a deal with her dad: If Campbell wins, Kiley gets to continue on the next part of the road trip at Virginia Tech.
"To be honest, I did not think we could beat N.C. State at their place," Greg says. "We go up there, we play fantastic and beat them in a close game. So, I'm excited and fired up. But my wife, Tina, is looking at me strangely, and I'm like, 'What's wrong?'"
Greg didn't think his daughter really wanted to go to the next stop, but his wife pointed to Kiley. She was ready to hop on the bus to Blacksburg.
"She loads up with us and we ended up going up to Virginia Tech and winning that game," Greg says. "I've got memories of going to Wal-Mart to buy her clothes to get her through the day. Those are some awesome things that you share with your children."
That success took Goff to Alabama, but he was let go after one season and a 19-34 record. Goff joined Purdue as a volunteer assistant coach, with hopes he would once again earn a head coaching position somewhere.
"I always knew when that door at Alabama was closed, I hoped and prayed God would open another door for me," Goff says. "I'm a man of faith and I think people that know me know that, so I'm not afraid to put that out there. I think God had an opportunity for me to go somewhere and do something, which is what I did."
After two seasons with the Boilermakers in the volunteer assistant position, Purdue head coach Mark Wasikowski took the head coaching position at Oregon.
That opened the door for Goff to stay at Purdue.
"When I came here, I saw the national reputation of Purdue, and everywhere we go, there is a good fan base of support," Goff says, also noting the commitment to facilities and academics. "Those are the underlying things that made Purdue very attractive and why we stayed."
Goff's first season as head coach was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted athletic events across the country. Purdue was 7-7 when its season ended.
The goal for Purdue under Goff is simple, but difficult: win a Big Ten championship. Ask Goff what that will take, and he will throw out common themes for winning teams, such as good pitching and defense.
"And we're going to create an offense that people are very uncomfortable with," Goff says. "We want to be really aggressive. We don't lay back and try to have a three- or four-run inning. We try to score every inning and put guys in motion and put people on base."
Goff's coaching style is rooted in family, specifically his mother, Cora, who coached him until he was 14.
"I learned passion from her and she loved all of us as players," Goff says. "I saw how much love and affection she would give our guys. It's something that has always been with me, and I'm very thankful for our time together. I think it's why I continue to do what I do. It's just that love and what we shared together as a son, mom and coach. It's something that made a huge impact on my life."
The sport has been a mainstay in the Goff family. Greg and Tina have three other daughters: Kara, who plays softball at LSU, Kolby and Kenzie.
Kiley has grown up on the fields and chuckles when thinking about her father coaching third base, especially how animated his arms get — he is known as "the windmill" — when he's trying to get a runner to take an extra base.
But the one aspect of her father's coaching she takes away the most is his positive attitude.
"My dad is a very outgoing person and I think that's very visible whenever anyone watches him coach," Kiley says. "How he handles his team, himself during games, practices, on or off the field – he's a very positive person. If it's not a player's game or day, he's very encouraging and positive to that player."
Goff finished her high school career at Harrison High School in West Lafayette, where she was a catcher. She will join Purdue as a catcher/utility player. She had planned to commit to the Boilermakers even though her father didn't think he would still be on campus.
"I do feel like Purdue is most definitely a home to me," Kiley says. "When I was offered by Purdue, hands down I knew I wanted to come here. And after living here for a couple of years, I was excited for the opportunity.