A game against Victor Valley was all Grossmont’s baseball team needed to make itself presentable for all of the county to watch. Coming out with a 7-4 victory on Jan. 31, Grossmont showed how well it could perform offensively by hitting the ball effectively.
Second baseman Tanner Perry showcased his abilities, going 4-5 with two doubles and two singles in a win against Victor Valley. Other players contributed and showcased a stellar performance as well. Center fielder Keith Kruger went 2-4 with two singles and two fly-outs, and first baseman Georges Garcia had a game for himself with a 2-4 hitting performance.
After the game, head coach Randy Abshier discussed his roster and how he feels about this upcoming season. “Our lineup is potent, though, it is a learning process,” Abshier said.
Of the 30 players on the team, 22 are freshmen. “Youth” is definitely a key word that comes to mind. Abshier feels that going young and starting fresh is the route to go. Six seniors went on to play at four-year universities, but Abshier still feels confident in his group of guys to win. He was very excited to talk about his team, and individual players as well, especially the stellar performance of second baseman Tanner Perry. He has great athletic ability to put the ball in play and he has great ball placement. With Perry’s ability to hit the ball effectively, Grossmont can contend for a league title— if Perry consistently hits the ball the way he did against Victor Valley.
What really stood out was the way the pitching staff performed. Abshier rotated through four pitchers throughout the game. To start, right-hander Shawn Walker pitched well through five innings, and the bullpen performance did its job as well. Grossmont allowed four runs on 11 hits, which is exceptional.
Freshman outfielder D.J. Lewis was excited about the team’s performance: “We kept our foot on the gas pedal and never let up.”
Abshier agreed. “With a great mixture of pitching and hitting, the sky’s the limit for what this team can accomplish this season,” he said.
