Wasilla senior relishes return to diamond

WASILLA — When Josh Grissom finally got to fire a pitch in the 2012 prep baseball season, it had a lot more behind it than just speed. Grissom was making up for lost time.

Grissom is a team captain in his first year playing for the Wasilla Warriors. More importantly, Grissom is back on the field after sitting out the 2011 season due to an Alaska State Activities Association regulation.

Grissom is a top hitter for the Warriors and leads the team in RBI from the cleanup spot, but he’s also the team’s leader from his position behind the plate, where he’s the starting catcher when not on the mound.

Grissom’s baseball crossroads started when his family’s choice of schools didn’t parallel an opportunity to play baseball

Grissom’s family, which moved to Alaska from Idaho in 2010, wanted Josh to go to a Christian school and had heard about an ASAA rule that would allow him to play baseball at another school of small enough size.

“Houston High School fit the bill,” Grissom said by cellphone Wednesday.

Grissom performed well as sophomore during his one season playing for the Houston Hawks. He even threw a no-hitter and hit a home run.

But the rule that allowed Grissom to compete in the sport he loved changed enough to rob him of the chance to play the following season. In 2011, ASAA changed the rule and Grissom was sidelined.

“I found out about it while I was playing in the 2A regional playoffs for basketball for Wasilla Lake Christian School. I was devastated. It took a lot out of me,” Grissom said.

The rule states that this exception would only be made for students within the school district. Since Wasilla Lake Christian is a private Christian school, Grissom could not play baseball and attend Christian school at the same time. Once again, the Grissom family was faced with a decision balancing Josh’s education, his passion and his faith.

Grissom continued to play American Legion baseball in the summer and enrolled at Wasilla High School in the fall. He chose to attend public school for the first time in order to follow his passion of playing baseball.

“I definitely miss the one-on-one aspect that the teachers had (at Wasilla Lake Christian). Sometimes I’m in a classroom with 30 or 35 kids now. It’s a lot different style of teaching,” Grissom said.

Local American Legion head coach Myrl Thompson has had the luxury of coaching Grissom more than any other coach in the Valley with the Alaska Road Warriors.

“He’s an undoubted leader. He knows the game well enough a coach doesn’t have to worry about trying to micromanage him and giving him signals. He can take care of the game on his own. I’ve never heard of a kid becoming team captain his first year at a school, and I’ve been around baseball for nearly 30 years,” Thompson said.

Grissom said he fits in well with the Warriors.

“I love this group of guys,” he said. “As a team we are tight like glue. It feels incredible to walk out on the field as a Warrior.”

On May 14, the Warriors faced Valley rival Houston. Many Valley baseball players share a diamond in the summer playing for the Road Warriors, including Grissom and his former Houston teammates, current Hawks standouts Scott Kramer and Russ Ruta.

“While I was there, (head coach Bill Kramer and assistant coach Dave Porter) were great. They taught us not just how to better yourselves, but how to better the team,” Grissom said. “It was definitely weird to see them as the opposing team, though. It reminded me of where I came from. Everybody has their own path through high school. I was glad to be able to spend a little bit of mine with them.”

Grissom said he believes his story can be a lesson for others. Despite missing a season, Grissom continues to strive for a chance to play.

“Pursue your passion. Baseball is my passion and I did what I needed to do to get into the baseball program at Wasilla,” he said. “Different school environments give me a different perspective on life. I would tell anyone in a similar situation to follow his dreams see what he can do to make it happen.”

When Grissom stepped on the diamond in Kenai on Thursday for the start of Southcentral Conference tournament action, he was playing with two years anticipation, and more than anything, love for the game of baseball.

Grissom graduated earlier this month from Wasilla High School summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA.

Contact Tim Rockey at 352-2252 or timothy.rockey@gmail.com. Follow @trockeynews on Twitter.