By TIM TAYLORValley Sports Report
ATHENS — It wasn’t a snap decision by any means, but Athens senior Nick Grazul may have hit the nail on the head when he signed his National Letter of Intent on Tuesday to attend Lackawanna College and play baseball.
“It was a pretty long process for me,” he said. “I was close to committing to another school in September, and it just fell apart, and it happens with the transfer portal and all that.”
Grazul had previously been talking to Lackawanna before taking some time off to focus on baseball.
“Come December, I just got this light bulb in my head and I was like, ‘it's Lackawanna,’ so I called up coach (Mike) McCarry and he was like, well, I'm going to let you sleep on it, and I called him the next day again, and I was like, ‘I want to come here coach,’ and he and coach (Josh) Boggs welcomed me with open arms.”
Grazul is capable of playing a variety of positions, and he believes that will be a plus for the program.
“I feel like I'm a player. I can play pretty much any position you put me in,” he said. “I'm going to pitch down there and I'm also going to play in the field. I'm very versatile. I'll grind. I'll do whatever they need me to do and, at the end of the day, I just want the team to win. Stats are nice, but banners, trophies, history, that's all, it's better.”
He also realizes there is room to improve in order to make an impact for the Scranton-based Falcons.
“On the hitting side and fielding side of things, I think, just consistency,”Grazul said. “I feel like consistency is the name of the game. If I can get more consistent hitting, I'll find myself getting more opportunities at that level, fielding-wise as well.
“In pitching, probably command and developing a third pitch. I have a fastball and slider I'm confident in, but I just haven't found that third pitch yet. If I can find that, gain a few miles per hour in velo, I think I'll be doing good.
Coach Charlie Havens called Grazul “one committed baseball player.
“He was a four-year starter for us so he went through the ups and downs. That's what I like. We just had a lot of success. I don't know anybody that loves the game like he does, and he's turned into a leader, turned into actually like another coach. The guys listen to him. When he sees anything he talks to them — he could have a future in coaching too. He's very smart. He's down to earth. He's been a great player for us. It's going to be tough to not have him next year.”
Havens doesn’t see the need for a lot of improvement in his skill set, but saidGrazul will have to figure out where he can best help out in the lineup.
“He's played at high levels all the way, all his entire life,” the coach said. “He's traveled all summer long with really impressive prospect teams. d say the biggest thing he needs to work on is really just finding out what position they want him to play. We have him playing second base.
“He's done a great job there, but he started as a freshman with us in the outfield so he does have a willingness to play anywhere and, and he pitches well too. I don't know if that is something they want to look at, but once he figures out what defensive position he's going to be at, just keep putting his work into that. Hitting, there's no worries there.”
Lackawanna competes in NJCAA Region 15.
Grazul has chosen to major in Finance and Business Administration.
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PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.
