Another 1 of our Rockstars!!!

JCOnline:
For three years, Central Catholic's Reed Drysdale manned the infield for one of the state's best Class A programs.

When Knights coach Tim Bordenet first floated the idea of moving Drysdale to catcher for his senior season, the four-year starter didn't love the concept.

"He wanted me to try it on the Legion team last year, and I didn't end up doing it, because I didn't tell the coach, because I didn't really want to," Drysdale said.

It didn't take long for Drysdale to put team concerns above his own. He enters Saturday's Class A semistate against Fort Wayne Blackhawk as Central Catholic's No. 3 hitter and an increasingly solid presence at catcher.

"I knew I probably wasn't going to win anything being behind the plate, individually," Drysdale said. "I had to put away all the individual awards so we can win another state title. Which, I'm fine with. I love that we're in our position right now, and the awards don't mean anything anymore."

Drysdale started at third base as a freshman and sophomore, and opened last year as the starting shortstop before moving to second base. Though Drysdale had caught sparingly at younger levels, and not at all since junior high, Bordenet saw his potential.

"He has great hands and good feet, and a strong arm," Bordenet said. "Those are the three biggest things that you need behind the plate. And the fact that he had so much experience. The catching position is a leadership position and he definitely brings those things to our team behind the plate."

Drysdale said the biggest adjustments to his new position were the pitchers' increased velocity and learning to block balls in the dirt. He also had to build the stamina necessary to catch two games in one day.

Yet Bordenet said that after just a week of catching bullpen sessions, Drysdale began to adapt.

"He's athletically smart," CC senior pitcher Taylor Glaze said. "He knows what to do. He's a great athlete and he just gets it right away. That's what's great about him because he can just fill in any spot."

Drysdale batted second in Central Catholic's 2007 state championship victory, and has spent to bulk of his career at the front or middle of the Knights' order. But the extra physical and mental toll hampered Drysdale's offense early, and he opened the season with an 0-for-12 slump.

By making another adjustment, Drysdale is batting .368 since.

"In past years, I'd go up there and I'd have the energy level to be a swinger and just hit it," Drysdale said. "Now you've really got to focus, because you're exhausted when you go up there as a catcher, because you've been working so hard."

Drysdale's baseball career will end this summer as he prepares to study business at Indiana. He didn't expect to go out as a catcher, but he embraces the position he initially resisted.

"Being in on every single play, and having a chance to catch these great pitchers, it's been great," Drysdale said. "I've really grown to love it, honestly."