Summer Catches: Eric Grintz

As the 2022 summer leagues wind down and the seasons conclude, GoHeels.com will chat with members of the Diamond Heels to catch up on their summer activities heading into the fall.

Rising junior Eric Grintz played for the HP-Thomasville HiToms of the Coastal Plain League this summer, spending time as both catcher and designated hitter. Through July 23, Grintz was hitting .433 (14x29) with five home runs and 21 RBIs in 19 games played. Seventeen of his 29 hits were extra base knocks for an OPS of 1.364 (.513 OBP, .851 SLG). He's hit safely in 18 games and reached base safely in all 19 games.

GH: You're having a terrific summer. What do you attribute your success to?
EG: The things that I learned, how I developed as a player and some of the situations I found myself in during the 2022 season really helped mold me and allowed me to mature as a baseball player. As I got into the summer season, I was able to take what I learned and hit the ground running.

GH: How are you enjoying living in High Point with your host family this summer?
EG: It's been awesome. I'm living with two of our broadcasters and it's been great to be with them and learn their side of baseball because they see it from a different lens than I do, plus they only live about five minutes from the field.

GH. Where are some of the biggest differences between the regular season and summer league?
EG: It's a lot of different faces with guys from all over the country. They all come from different programs that might teach different things. That's another thing I like about summer ball, you can pick people's brain. It's a wealth of information and you learn so much more about the game just by talking to other guys.

GH: What are some of the things you've focused on this summer?
EG: Being a leader. I'm one of the older guys on this team. I played in High Point before with these coaches and they gave me reigns to that role. I want to be a leader and the guy that everybody can lean on.

GH: What's it been like playing against your Carolina teammates this summer?
EG: It's been cool. One guy I've really enjoyed playing against is Dalton Pence. He and I are both very competitive. It's always fun to face him because we are super competitive. I'm really excited to get him back on campus after you know. He's had an unreal summer, and I think he's really going to help us win. Even though he was hurt last year, he was in the bullpen everyday just watching and taking in as much information as possible.

GH: What are some things that you've learned over the summer that's going help you going into the 2023 season?
EG: Confidence is a big thing and I've gotten to experience some success this summer. You must constantly deal with failure so continuing to refine the mental aspect is huge and I think that's really going to help me next season.

GH: What are some of the physical aspects of your game that you worked on over the summer?
EG: From a defensive catching standpoint, I've just tried to become more comfortable behind the plate. Offensively, I just tried to become more consistent; getting into a more consistent position to hit and drive the baseball.

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Eric Grintz

Dalton Pence

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