Geneva’s Ethan Gronberg and the rest of his senior teammates didn’t get much of a chance to make an impression as juniors.
The Vikings had 17 seniors last season, putting playing time at an absolute premium. It also meant that Gronberg was eagerly anticipating his big chance to become a starter this spring.
Then he struck out in his first four at-bats.
“At the beginning of the year, I had expectations, so it was frustrating in those first few at-bats,” said Gronberg, who plays first base. “But I stuck with it.”
It took until his fifth at-bat of the season, but Gronberg finally made that impression.
With Geneva trailing Bartlett by two runs in the fifth inning Tuesday, Gronberg hit an opposite-field, three-run homer. That swing stood up for the host Vikings in a 6-5 nonconference win.
Nelson Wendell reached base three times and scored twice for Geneva (1-1). Michael Toole added an RBI double, while Miles Dibble and Nick Price each came through with RBI singles.
Brandon Pelz picked up a pair of RBI singles for Bartlett (1-2). Josh Colaizzi, last season’s closer, pitched three innings and struck out seven. He allowed three runs on five hits and a walk.
Gronberg, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief after recording his first hit.
“He was just throwing outside,” Gronberg said. “I knew right away, it was like, ‘OK, once I get the fastball.’ Luckily, I got it. Those big moments are key. It gets the guys moving.
“We have a game every day this week so hopefully this carries over to those games.”
Geneva coach Brad Wendell called Gronberg one of the seniors he’s looking to as far as having breakout seasons. Dibble, Price and Toole are also on that list.
“He didn’t look great at the plate,” Wendell said of Gronberg. “I just told him to stay positive, trust your approach, and a good thing happened for him. You just have to keep doing that.
“It’s so early. He’s a senior leader. He was around last year.”
Gronberg was ready for varsity last season, but he also knew what he was up against on such a veteran team.
“It was kind of rough,” Gronberg said. “We all kind of knew our roles, though. We all stuck with it and tried to help the team if we did get in last year. This year, we’re trying to make it our own.”
With that in mind, Gronberg got to work in the offseason to try to take advantage of his one season as a varsity starter.
“I stayed in the cages, just hitting,” Gronberg said, adding about last season: “I showed a little bit in the times I did get in, so just staying consistent.”
Geneva managed to get to Colaizzi, who left with the game tied 3-3 after not starting a game last season. He struck out nearly two batters an inning as the closer.
Where he winds up on the mound this spring is still up in the air.
“The stuff is there,” Bartlett coach Alex Coan said. “It’s a week-by-week decision for what we need. We’re trying to lengthen out our pitching to see what we have. The more options, the better.
“We definitely are seeing a lot of good stuff from our guys, a lot of positive things. The best answer I can give you on that is TBD.”
Geneva, which trailed 5-3 with one out, found its answer in the fifth inning. Wendell walked and Toole singled to set up Gronberg’s heroics.
The fact that Gronberg and the other seniors stepped up and delivered in a close game is not lost on Geneva’s head coach.
“We always expect that out of our seniors, especially when they’ve been around varsity,” Wendell said. “There weren’t many opportunities for guys to step up last year.
“They have to do their jobs really well and teach the young guys how to get it done.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
