In the locker room with Nicolet HS baseball head coach Jason Grodsky
GLENDALE, Wis. — Jason Grodsky is starting his 10th season as Nicolet鈥檚 baseball head coach, his 12th year overall at Nicolet and 20th year as a high school coach. He has experience and wisdom to share with his 2022 team.
Jason played baseball as a Nicolet freshman (Class of 2001), making the varsity team his junior year. He pitched for the Knights. In 1998 Nicolet won its second state championship, 13 years after that first in 1985. Although Jason was not on the state championship team in 1998, he did play in the state tournament in 2000 (the team fell just short in the semi-finals). It was still 鈥渙ne of the most exciting moments of my baseball career and high school experience. Jason played in men鈥檚 leagues for 12 years post high school, and he鈥檚 got 20 solid years of coaching under his belt.
His second trip to the state tournament happened as an assistant coach for Brown Deer High School in 2008. 鈥淥ur players worked so hard to get to that point. It was amazing to see a group of players come together and mesh so well to meet their goals.鈥� But it was his team鈥檚 trip to the sectional finals in 2013, Jason鈥檚 first year as head coach for Nicolet, that really holds special memories. 鈥淲e played in the sectional championship, the game prior to making the state tournament. We lost 4-3, but it was one of the most exciting baseball games I have ever experienced鈥xhilarating!鈥� Coach Grodsky continues, 鈥淲e began the season with three losses and only one win in our first six games. After a rough start, our players focused on how they could help the team and became one of the best teams in the area.鈥�
Disappointment happens often in baseball. However, Coach quickly refocuses the team on 鈥渙ur goals and the importance of moving forward after disappointment. We always encourage our players to look to the next pitch, play, or game as we know there will be another opportunity to be successful.鈥�
鈥淚t has always been difficult for me to accept a loss, but I have continually learned and relearned that we can move forward from disappointment and that many things are bigger than baseball…it鈥檚 important to remember life outside of baseball. At the end of the day, if everyone works hard and tries hard, we have been successful.鈥�
Success isn鈥檛 always about championships. Such was the 2018 season. 鈥淥ur senior class became the record holders in most of our statistical categories, setting many new program records鈥� says Coach. 鈥淭his group of students entered high school and immediately helped uplift the program, working so hard for four years and taking the program to new heights by scoring 100 runs more than we had in any previous season. We also had three players win 1st team all-conference awards.鈥�
The upcoming 2022 season should hold tremendous opportunity. 鈥淥ur players have continued training throughout the winter. We look forward to competing for the North Shore Conference Championship and have our baseball players work hard each day and game.鈥� With assistant coaches Chad Hofmann, Jordan Bock, Patrick Richert, Blake Elliott, and Alex Unekis, Coach Grodsky will be looking for senior captains Ryan Strunk, RJ Nord and Charlie Bongard along with junior Evan Mortonson 鈥渢o lead through voice and hard work. They constantly push each other and other players with their example of hard work and dedication to the team. They are vocal leaders who are committed to making the program better.鈥� New players are 鈥渨elcomed as brothers and we celebrate each other鈥� as players receive their uniforms. After their games, win or lose, 鈥渨e attempt to honor the team, each position group and each player every game.鈥�
Coach Grodsky 鈥渉opes to leave our players and school with a sense that we learned how to work as a team, compete for each other, love what we are doing, and know that we have honored Nicolet and our community through these athletic activities. I would like for our team to compete for Conference Championships and beyond and show that we are a winning program. Improvements we have made throughout the years have put these goals on the map.鈥�
Nicolet baseball has been one of the most successful programs in school history with two state championships and nine North Shore Conference Championships. The program has had just four coaches (only three) in the past 60 years. Retired head coaches Dick Huxtable and Dick Sykes are in the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
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