Knoxville police say a prominent youth baseball figure is now facing serious felony counts after an undercover hotel sting landed him in handcuffs.
Christopher Goodrich, 44, the Perfect Game regional director in Knoxville and a longtime Tennessee Nationals coach, was arrested Tuesday by Knoxville police on felony charges that include solicitation of a minor and patronizing prostitution for someone under 15. Officers say the arrest followed an undercover operation at a Knoxville hotel and that the investigation remains ongoing.
According to Knoxville officers running a human‑trafficking sting on Papermill Drive, Goodrich traveled to a hotel on the 6300 block of Papermill Drive to meet two undercover agents and agreed to pay $200 for sex with someone he believed was 14, as reported by WBIR. The station reports that arrest documents list multiple felony counts tied to the encounter and subsequent arrest.
Past roles in local youth baseball
Goodrich has been a familiar name in East Tennessee travel baseball for years. He is listed as the head coach of the Tennessee Nationals' 18U/17U team on Perfect Game. The organization's online team pages show his name on club rosters and event listings, reflecting a long‑running presence in the local competitive baseball scene.
Local reporting and response
Local coverage by the Knoxville News Sentinel, republished on AOL, states that Goodrich was named Perfect Game's Knoxville regional director in 2025 and that he could not be reached for comment. As reported by AOL, Perfect Game had not issued a public statement as of Wednesday evening.
Charges and next steps
The charges listed in arrest reports are felony offenses under Tennessee law and carry significant penalties if prosecutors move forward, according to reporting that reviewed the documents. Available records do not yet indicate whether formal charges have been filed in court or whether bond has been set, per WBIR.
Perfect Game's website outlines a background‑check policy for staff and volunteers and hosts the team and event pages that show Goodrich's coaching ties, according to Perfect Game. We will update this story as court records and official statements from authorities or the organization become available.
