Photo by Luke Zayas/True To The Cru
MARSHALL, Texas–With seven days to go until the 2024 season opener, Rhett Grosz stood just outside the UMHB dugout after one of the final intrasquad scrimmages of the spring preseason.
He talked about leadership, what it meant to be a senior on this team, helping to hopefully guide The Cru back to the conference tournament after missing that opportunity a season prior. How much that hurt to not be playing for an ASC title, and the effort put in from the team in the months that followed. He mentioned The Cru’s goal to win every day, through fall practices, to preseason scrimmages, and of course, in the upcoming series-opener with Austin College.
Then he was asked about maintaining his consistency at the plate through the fall and early spring, having hit a team-high .336 in 2023 with five home runs and 27 RBIs in 35 starts.
“My main focus was to do whatever I could to help the team out,” Grosz said of his mentality through the preseason. “Obviously last year did not go the way we wanted it to go. Even though I had a little bit of personal success, I was not happy with the season. So my main focus was trying to find ways to get all of these guys better. I hope I did. I think I found ways to help some guys out and that’s what I was really excited to do.”
Three months and 39 games later, Grosz is still talking about that approach as he reflects on what has been a senior year for the record books. The Crusaders are back in the ASC Tournament, facing Hardin-Simmons at 1 p.m. on Thursday, and Grosz has led the charge. His batting average of .441 is the best in the ASC, his RBI total jumped from 26 to 47. He hit three home runs in a game against UT-Dallas three weeks ago.
“Going into it, I guess I wasn’t as focused on my own performance as much as I was trying to help other guys with what they had going on in their game. Taking some of the pressure off freed me up a little bit. Our lineup was hitting something ridiculous through the first several games, and it’s easy to hit in a lineup like that. The guys around me definitely helped out. And I’m hoping I was able to help some of them out. I really just felt free for most of the season.”
The Midway High School product opened the year with a 3-for-4 performance against AC, with three runs scored. He went 2-for-4 the following day. Seven games into the season, Grosz already had six multi-hit games. He enters the conference tournament with 22 such performances to his credit.
“Just going up and seeing it as an opportunity to help the team out instead of putting pressure on myself to perform has been huge for me this season,” Grosz added. “It helps you relax so much more throughout the game. That’s really what it all boils down to, in terms of my overall offensive performance.”
It’s been long said that baseball is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. Grosz noted that until you reach the higher levels of the sport, that isn’t a fact you fully understand. But this season, it’s been evident to him. He credits assistant coach Mitch Wilson for that.
“That’s one of the things Coach Wilson has really taken pride in,” Grosz said when talking about understanding the mental side of the game. “He started having mental game meetings for us starting last year. He didn’t want it to be something we had to attend. It’s just for those who wanted to attend. I started going to those and talking about mentality, approach to the game, and what you’re thinking in certain situations. That has benefited a lot of guys on the team, not just me. A lot of the mental game has been cleared up for us that way, and freed us up to play a little more.”
Grosz’s career at UMHB has been unique in the sense that, going all the way back to his freshman year in 2021, he has never come off the bench in a game. He has started every game he has ever played in for The Cru…153 and counting.
His decision to come to Belton in the fall of 2020 meant staying close to home, as the Hewitt native had narrowed down his options between UMHB and a school in Arkansas. Family is important to Grosz, and the ability to stay close played into the decision. As did the ability to be successful on and off the field.
“My family is very important to me and I appreciate their support,” Grosz said of choosing The Cru. “Another thing was the mindset of, ‘If baseball doesn’t work out, do I think I could still succeed here and be a part of things here?’ That’s definitely one of the boxes UMHB checked off.”
When Grosz committed in February of 2020, Mike Stawski was entering his first season as head coach of the program, after a stellar run at Concordia-Chicago. Along with Stawski’s history of success, Grosz was drawn to the approach Stawski had, enjoying the game while pushing hard towards victory at the same time. That balance has factored into The Cru’s success over the last several years.
“I enjoyed Coach Stawski’s recruiting pitch,” Grosz continued. “I love that he has a history of winning and the approach he takes to the game.That’s one of the things we’ve talked about a lot in the last week. Especially in that third game against Sul Ross where we made an adjustment. Approaching the game to have enjoyment in the game, and not take it so seriously all the time. The more you do that, the more pressure you put on yourself.
“I really enjoyed that type of play, because I didn’t grow up playing that way. I grew up hearing ‘If you want baseball to be your job someday, you’re going to have to treat it like a job right now.’ But playing in this program doesn’t feel like a job a lot of the time. It’s fun being around the guys and the coaches.”
Watching the team chemistry this season, it’s not especially hard to see how this team won 24 regular season games for the first time since 2014. While cohesiveness doesn’t always lead to success, when that chemistry is combined with exceptional talent, winning is a frequent result.
“I said this to someone earlier, that I don’t think I’ve ever been on a team that’s as cohesive as this group of guys is,” Grosz said. “When we were having our slump in the middle of the season, we were looking around like,’ Why is this happening? We think we have a really good team.’ But falling back on each other and having each other’s back is something that’s been really positive for us. Having that bond has been incredible.
“We have a big group of seniors and I think that is a big part of it. They’ve really instilled that [mentality] as part of what the program is, and that is to be there for your teammates, pick your teammates up, and that has created a strong bond between all of us. I’m really thankful for that as well, the opportunity to play with this group of guys and be around them every day.”
For as much as Grosz has accomplished on the field, he’s made an exceptional impact off the field during his time with The Cru, which is worthy of mention. He has served as the Student Athlete Advisory Committee President since September 2022, leading a group of student-athlete representatives (one representative from each sport) who work closely with the administration on behalf of UMHB’s student-athletes. He has also played a key role in the growth of UMHB’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes group over the last year, continuing to positively impact those around him, both in and out of baseball.
“Rhett was one of the key catalysts that took that group from being 12 people last spring to this fall and spring we’ve had at least 50 (we’ve never had less than 50) and we’ve had as many as 107,” said Kyle Shipp, who leads UMHB’s FCA, and is a UMHB baseball alum and play-by-play broadcaster for Cru Baseball. “If that just kind of tells you the magnetism Rhett has and the leadership he has, I think you start to see why this team has galvanized after a year when they very well could’ve collapsed after 14 wins last year.”
“You get into those things to help impact other people, but in the end, more often than not, you feel an impact from all of the people you’ve been around in those types of things,” Grosz noted when asked about his involvement in the SAAC and FCA. “The community I’ve felt from the school this year has been incredible. FCA has been a massive part of this year for me. I’ve enjoyed it so much and I think God has provided so many wonderful things for us through that. The community aspect that has come through that and SAAC (student athlete advisory committee) bringing together all of the teams for certain events has been really cool. The UMHB community has been super supportive of us this year and I’m super thankful for that.”
Faith has been a centerpiece of Grosz’s senior year at UMHB. Sure, there have been plenty of high points on the baseball field as he has put up an All-America caliber campaign this season. But he has maintained a strong sense of humility in the success, and an understanding that his identity isn’t found in a batting average or home run total, but in Christ alone.
“This year, I really feel that my faith has grown the most this year out of any other year,” Grosz said Wednesday evening, less than 24 hours before the first game of the ASC Tournament. “At FCA, we talk a lot about identity and what we’re supposed to find our identity in. Releasing the feeling that baseball is all I have to do in life is such a freeing feeling. That’s another thing that has helped me so much. Realizing that if I don’t have a great game, if I hit in the four-hole, and go O-fer with runners in scoring position and have no RBIs, I’m fine because I know that The Lord still loves me.
“But also giving my performances, giving away my pride, and playing truly for the glory of God has also freed me up so much. The game at UTD, when I had three home runs, I couldn’t tell you anything about those at-bats. I tried to give the game to God that day. I pray between every inning, and I specifically said that day, ‘Let me give this to You. Let it not be a byproduct of me but let it glorify You the Lord in any way that it can.’ And I couldn’t tell you anything about those at-bats. Believe what you think, but I don’t think that was me playing on the field that day. I think I had a little bit of a helping hand, for sure.”
That is a remarkable testimony from a remarkable player. In a sport where failure is inevitable and pressure can be a constant challenge, Grosz has lived out his faith exceptionally well. As a player, a teammate, and a leader, he has certainly left a lasting impact on the UMHB program. And his senior year isn’t over yet. UMHB battles Hardin-Simmons at 1 p.m. on Thursday in the opening round of the ASC Tournament, hoping to begin a tournament run that ends in an ASC title.
