Former WSU baseball player dies in apparent drowning
Aug. 5—Garrett Gouldsmith, who played two seasons for the Washington State baseball program, died in an apparent drowning Sunday just outside of his hometown of Reno, Nev. He was 22.
Gouldsmith apparently drowned while boating with some family friends at Donner Lake, which is 36 miles west of Reno in Truckee, Calif., according to a social media post from the family Wednesday.
Gouldsmith played for two seasons with WSU, finishing with a career .217 batting average with two home runs and 17 RBI. He played in 64 games for the Cougars, starting 62 of those, mostly as a middle infielder. His best season came as a sophomore in 2019, when he hit .225 with both of his home runs and 17 of his RBI.
"Although we do not have the particulars, Garrett and his brother Gunner were enjoying a day of boating with our dear family friends, that ended most tragically," the post read. "The outpouring of support and condolences from all have been comforting but the hole in our hearts is deep and will take an enormous amount of time to mend. It has been great to hear from so many of you on the impact he has had on your lives."
Washington State coach Brian Green took to Twitter on Tuesday to express his condolences.
"Unbelievable loss," Green tweeted. "Prayers to the Gouldsmith family. Hard to believe. On behalf of my family and the @wsucougarbsb family we are sending support and prayers during this beyond difficult time."
Andrew Trygg with the Nevada County Sheriff's office confirmed the death to the Reno (Nev.) Gazette Journal.
Gouldsmith is the son of former UNLV baseball coach and Nevada assistant Buddy Gouldsmith. Gunner is a sophomore-to-be on the Cougar baseball team.
Garrett was an all-state player at Reno High School in his freshman and sophomore seasons before moving to New Mexico after his dad got a job as an assistant at New Mexico.
There, he was a Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game All-American and a first-team all-state honoree as a senior, hitting .465 with four home runs, 22 RBI and 28 steals with Rio Rancho High School. The year before, Garrett was the New Mexico District I Class 6A player of the year.
He signed with New Mexico after his high school career and hit .270 with one home run, 10 RBI and 12 runs scored as a freshman before deciding to transfer to the Pullman school.
The Lobos also released a statement through Twitter.
"We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Lobo Garrett Gouldsmith (2018), who passed away unexpectedly this weekend. Our thoughts and prayers go out to former Lobo assistant Buddy Gouldsmith and the entire family during this difficult time," the statement read.
This is the not the first time misfortune has come upon the family.
The mother, Heather, recently was diagnosed with breast cancer.
In 2011, Garrett donated bone marrow to save the life of his sister, Gabby, who was diagnosed with aplastic anemia.
In lieu of flowers, those who wish can donate money to the newly established Garrett Gouldsmith Foundation, which has been set up at Wells Fargo Bank. The family said any proceeds from the campaign that are not directly used to help Heather and Garrett will be used to establish a scholarship in Garrett's name.
Walden may be reached at (208) 848-2258, dwalden@lmtribune.com, or on Twitter at @waldo9939.
