Baseball Walk-On Earning His Stay

By Alex Horowitz

EVANSTON, IL - Jim Grieco has everything working against him. He’s a walk-on player, he’s not on scholarship, and he’s far from 6 feet tall. But the Glenview native shows up to baseball practice for Division I Northwestern every single day and does every single little thing right.

“I know that I can play with these guys and I just try to do everything I can to keep it that way,” said Grieco, 19. “If it means being so small and what not, and not being a big-time starter, the way to get your name out there and get some playing time is to be ‘Mr. Hustle.’”

Growing up, Jim was swinging a bat ever since he could hold one. He played all year round, starting with tee-ball and Little League, until he got to high school. There, he quit football to keep playing baseball in the fall. After struggling through his first few high school seasons, he came into his own as a senior. He decided to attend Division III John Carroll upon graduation, but his stay there did not last long.

“I went to a DIII school, John Carroll, and there were some politics issues there about playing time,” said Grieco. “They had some seniors that were not performing, really, and I kind of rode the pine. It wasn’t really a good fit for me, and I put in a transfer app and decided to see if I could walk on here.”

Standing at just 5-foot-7, walking onto a DI team full of 6-foot-somethings was no small task. Neither is his quest for playing time now. Jim, though, has risen above the doubts and questions.

“If you look at a line, it’s like 6-foot-3, 6-foot-3 and then me, so it’s kind of funny,” said Grieco, a current sophomore. “I really don’t let it get to me. I swing the bat and I can hit the ball just like everyone else.

“Baseball, it’s not a game of brute, individual, one-on-one strength. It’s who can perform and who can’t,” he said.

Matt Havey, a Northwestern and former high school teammate of Jim’s, agrees that size in baseball is nearly insignificant. The 6-foot-4 relief pitcher says that Jim is mentally tough and can overcome any physical disadvantage.

“I personally don’t think it really matters all that much how tall you are or how much you weigh or anything,” said Havey, 20. “It’s what you put into the game. [Grieco] plays like he’s the biggest guy on the field sometimes.”

As of April 1^st, Grieco has been to the plate just 11 times despite reaching base safely on five occasions. With talented scholarship players hitting in front of him, Jim realizes that his climb to this level has already been a bit of a surprise, and that now every chance counts.

“I would say that people probably are looking at Northwestern’s roster saying, ‘Wow, I can’t believe Jim Grieco’s on that team,’” said Grieco. “I guess I just have to work that much harder in practice and see if I can compete at that level. And in terms of playing time, when I do get opportunities, I have to perform.”

As a walk-on, Jim admits that he could very easily be cut next year despite his hustle and performance. The hours of dedication that he gave for just 11 plate appearances so far this season could be disregarded without a second thought. But this North Shore native could not possibly imagine having it any other way.

“I could never see myself at this point in my life not playing baseball,” said Grieco. “It’s just something that every time spring rolls around, I’m always playing … I don’t know what summer is without baseball. I’ve never had it.”

(Written April 3, 2007)