Brother Rice junior Gavin Triezenberg was fired up for his chance to square off with his good friend, Lincoln-Way East’s Tyler Bell, in a battle of two of the state’s top shortstops.
There was also the opportunity for Triezenberg, an Arizona recruit, to showcase himself in front of the pro scouts that Bell, a senior committed to Kentucky, always attracts.
About a dozen were in attendance for Wednesday’s game.
“He’s older than me, obviously, but I’ve played up with him in the past and we work out together,” Triezenberg said of Bell after the two shared a moment following the game. “When I woke up this morning, it gave me more motivation because I want to play good competition like him. It’s awesome.”
Triezenberg has bragging rights over Bell for now. He went 3-for-4 with an RBI single to help lift the visiting Crusaders to a 5-1 win over Lincoln-Way East in Frankfort.
Heartland recruit Casey Giemzik threw six innings, striking out seven and allowing one unearned run on five hits to earn the victory for Brother Rice (6-7), which extended its winning streak to three. Derrick Holmes reached base four times, scored twice and drove in a run.
Bell went 1-for-3 for the Griffins (6-6), while Zach Beecham singled and walked. Virginia recruit Jack Bauer allowed two earned runs over three innings.
Triezenberg had a huge sophomore season last year, helping Brother Rice finish as the Class 4A state runner-up. He hit .336 and was second on the team with 29 RBIs.
But while he could sit back and let the seniors take the lead in 2023, Triezenberg knows he’s now being looked at to set the tone for the Crusaders.
“I moved up to the three hole this year and that’s obviously a big spot,” Triezenberg said. “Hitting in the first inning is important and I want to try to jump-start our team.
“Last year, I was younger, and now I have to be more of a leader and lead by example.”
Brother Rice coach Sean McBride saw Triezenberg feeling a bit overwhelmed by that responsibility at the start of the season, but now believes he is settling into the role.
“Early on, you saw him go through some struggles, and I felt like he was putting a big burden on himself,” McBride said. “Over the last seven or eight games, he’s really been good.
“As a coach you get that feeling like, ‘Let’s get it to Gavin,’ because you have a feeling he’s going to come through.”
Triezenberg is now hitting .395 with a team-best 11 RBIs. As he surges, so do the Crusaders.
“It was almost rock bottom our last day in Kentucky,” McBride said of Saturday’s 9-3 loss to St. Xavier Kentucky. “It was one of those days. We stranded 16 runners. But we have really good players. Our expectations are really high and our guys understand that. They’ve worked through some of those struggles.
“We’re too good to not play well for a long period of time.”
Triezenberg singled his final three at-bats Wednesday, with his run-scoring base hit in the fourth inning giving the Crusaders a 4-1 lead.
He also continues to impress second baseman Jackson Natanek, his double-play partner.
“Me and Gavin have been playing together since we were 9 years old,” said Natanek, an Illinois State recruit. “We live down the street from each other and we have that chemistry together, so I think all year we’re going to be great up the middle.
“Gavin is just a great baseball player. He can do everything.”
At the same time, Triezenberg is looking to emulate his idol, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper.
“Just the way he goes about things with a swagger,” Triezenberg said. “I’m trying to have some of that.”
