LAST WEEK I CAUGHT UP WITH A PAIR OF CODY CUBS AND RECENT GRADUATES HAYDEN BRONNENBERG AND ETHAN JOHNSTON. TODAY’S FEATURED CUBS ARE ANOTHER PAIR OF LEADERS, TRISTAN BLATT AND JARED GRENZ. BLATT AND GRENZ HAVE BEEN AT THE HEART OF THE CUBS BATTING OREDER ALL SEASON LONG AND HAVE COMBINED TO HIT 24 HOME RUNS AND 21 TRIPLES, TO LEAD THE TEAM IN EACH CATEGORY. TRISTAN SAYS COMING OFF A LOSS AGAINST POWELL, THEY’RE IN THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND BUT ALSO ARE OUT TO PROVE THEY’RE THE BEST TEAM IN CLASS A.
“I THINK WE’RE PRETTY GOOD. AFTER THE LOSS AGAINST POWELL, WE’RE ALL PRETTY UPSET. SO I THINK WE’RE GOING TO COME OUT WITH A LITTLE BIT MORE FIRE THAN USUAL. I THINK THAT’LL BE GOOD GOING INTO THE STATE TOURNAMENT.” I ALSO ASKED TRISTAN HOW THEY’RE GOING TO USE THAT CHIP ON THEIR SHOULDER TO PROVE THEY’RE THE BEST. “JUST LIKE HOW YOU SAID, WE’RE GOING TO PROVE THAT WE’RE THE BEST TEAM AND JUST, WE’RE GOING TO GO OUT THERE AND DO OUR BEST AGAINST EVERY TEAM WE SEE.”
TRISTAN ADDS THEY NEED TO BRING THE ENERGY EVERY GAME AND IT ALL STARTS ON THE HILL.
“I THINK IT DEFINITELY STARTS ON THE MOUND WITH OUR PITCHING. THEN IT GOES INTO DEFENSE. IF WE HAVE SOLID DEFENSE WE’RE GOING TO BE HARD TO BEAT BECAUSE OUR BATS ARE USUALLY PRETTY HOT.”
WITH SO MANY PLAYERS THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR SO LONG PLAYING IN A TOURNAMENT OF THIS NATURE IS NOT NEW FOR ANY OF THESE CUBS. TRISTAN SAYS THAT BODES WELL FOR A STATE TOURNAMENT.
“IT DEFINITELY HELPS A LOT HAVING SO MUCH EXPERIENCE ON THE TEAM. I THINK IT’LL DEFINITELY CALM OUR NERVES A LOT MORE. I THINK A LOT OF THE OTHER TEAMS ARE A LITTLE BIT YOUNGER AND SO I THINK THAT’S DEFINITELY GOING TO BE AN ADVANTAGE FOR US.”
AS FOR JARED GRENZ, THE MOST EXPERIENCED PLAYER ON THE TEAM, HE RETURNED TO THE CUBS FOR HIS FINAL SEASON OF LEGION BASEBALL AFTER ONE YEAR COMPLETED AT COLORADO MESA. JARED ON THE REASON HE RETURNED AND WHAT IT’S BEEN LIKE TO BE BACK.
“I JUST LIKED PLAYING HERE AND FELT LIKE IT WAS THE BEST OPTION TO PLAY SOME BASEBALL THIS SUMMER WHEN COVID HIT AND CANCELED EVERYTHING ELSE. AFTER COVID IT WAS REALLY NICE TO GET OUT WITH SOME FRIENDS AND PLAY A GAME THAT WE ALL REALLY LIKE. BASEBALL IS A GOOD THING TO GET AWAY FROM ALL THE OUTSIDE WORLD AND STUFF. IT’S JUST A LOT OF FUN.”
JARED GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT CODY’S OFFENSE AND HOW THAT CAN BE A DIFFERENCE MAKER FOR THEM THIS WEEKEND.
“I THINK OUR BIGGEST ADVANTAGE IS EVERYONE IN THE LINE-UP HAS SHOWN THAT THEY CAN HIT AND THAT EVERYONE CAN MAKE A PLAY IN THE FIELD. SO WE KNOW THAT NO MATTER WHO THE GAME FALLS ON, WE HAVE A PRETTY GOOD CHANCE OF WINNING JUST CAUSE WE ALL FEEL THAT WE… THROUGHOUT THE LINE-UP, THROUGHOUT THE DUGOUT THAT WE’RE PRETTY SOLID ON THE FIELD AND HITTING.”
AND JUST LIKE HIS DAD JARED BELIEVES COMPOSURE CAN BE CODY’S X-FACTOR TO BRING HOME A STATE TITLE.
“YEAH, FOR SURE. WE JUST KIND OF WORK ON LEAVING STUFF IN THE PAST AND OBVIOUSLY YOU PICK UP ON YOUR MISTAKES THAT YOU HAVE TO KIND OF FIX THEM SO THEY DON’T HAPPEN AGAIN BUT YOU’RE NOT TO WORRIED ABOUT THEM CAUSE YOU KNOW YOU’VE GOT ANOTHER GAME TO PLAY. WE KIND OF DISCUSSED LIKE A MINDSET. SO COMING IN AND HAVING THE CHIP ON YOUR SHOULDER BUT STILL STAYING HUMBLE AND KIND OF JUST STAYING FOCUSED THROUGHOUT THE GAME. WORKING ON PLAYING OUR BEST BASEBALL THAT WE CAN.”
THIS YEARS STATE TOURNAMENT TAKES PLACE IN POWELL AND CODY BEGINS PLAY SATURDAY AT 10 IN THE MORNING VS. TORRINGTON. THIS IS AN EIGHT TEAM DOUBLE ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT AND KODI HAS THE LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY OF CODY CUBS BASEBALL ALL WEEKEND LONG.
