Fresh start for Glacier Twins

Jarod Grubb begins first full season as head coach of AA team

Jarod Grubb was named head coach of the Glacier Twins Class AA American Legion baseball team last year in the midst of a disastrous 1-23 conference campaign.

The 26-year-old University of Portland alumnus is back at the Twins' helm, but he's now navigating much calmer waters.

Grubb described last season as chaotic, citing the inherent disorder of taking over in the middle of the season after Jack Helber's resignation.

"I knew exactly what we needed to work on," Grubb said. "But the challenge was the kids, the guys. How they reacted to Helber and then how they reacted to me was completely different. There was a long grace period of 'Is this OK?'"

Grubb's tenure began with the Twins' dreadful showing at a Yakima, Wash., tournament. The team's

"I remember the day I thought, 'Well, we'll just finish the year out and then hit it next year,'" Grubb said. "And then we got done with the game and I'm going, 'Man, let's start right now.'"

The Twins practiced and ran for two hours after that loss, laboring under the lights at Glacier Twins Field at Memorial Park. The late-night workout was arduous and unexpected, but the Twins didn't complain.

"Guys were fired up about it, actually," Grubb said.

The Twins' resolve to improve hasn't lessened from a year ago. They began training at Kalispell Athletic Club last November.

The team assembled a batting cage in the club's tennis bubble. Grubb worked tirelessly with hitters while Twins alumnus Josh Fields coached pitchers. The Twins fielded grounders on tennis courts - again without complaint.

Grubb said the Twins' enthusiasm and commitment are obvious.

"They're all jacked up," he said. "We're all very excited. I'm excited to have this group of kids, and I think they're excited to have me."

Glacier's athletes didn't look far for inspiration and expert instruction during the offseason. Fields pitches in the Chicago White Sox organization, and Grubb played professional baseball across the East Coast and Ohio before recently becoming Northwest Region Associate Scout for the Boston Red Sox.

According to Grubb, the Twins have gained confidence through preparation.

"Last year we made six, seven, eight errors a game," he said. "And we scrimmaged about 18 innings the other day with one throwing error."

The Twins spend most of their time honing baseball skills, followed by strength and conditioning, which, in turn, builds mental toughness.

"Baseball is an analogy for life and it will instill in these kids … the skills that you need to succeed in life, which, I think, is your character," Grubb said. "If you have strong character then you can get through any situation."

The Twins open their season today at Belgrade with plenty of savvy veterans aboard. Brad Bell, Ryan Caron, Josh Peterson, Weston Chambers, Byron Whitcomb, Roo Grubb, Scott Yogodzinski and Rusty Hill return from last year, hoping to pace Glacier's turnaround.

The 6-foot-4 Yogodzinski looks to be Glacier's mound ace. He is complimented by Justin Collom - another big right-hander (6-4, 190), who recently moved from Seattle to Columbia Falls. Lefties Michael Hader and Chambers balance the rotation, with Zane Ridings (Fields' cousin) in the mix.

Bell and Caron will share catching duties and contribute in the infield.

Chambers has swung a hot bat at practice and figures to man first base, along with Peterson.

Ridings' sure hands make him a favorite at second base, but Caron will see action there as well.

Roo Grubb was a bright spot at shortstop last year. He returns there, along with Brad Nielsen.

Peterson appears too offensively potent to keep out of the lineup. He will push Nielsen and Collom for playing time at third base.

Whitcomb should contribute in the infield once he returns from a knee injury.

Glacier's outfield is loaded with Yogodzinski, Scott Palmer, Hader, Collom and Hill.

Coach Grubb is particularly excited about the addition of Palmer - a speedy Columbia Falls athlete - and Hill, whom he describes as the outfield leader.

"He's just like a coach out there now," Grubb said regarding Hill's knowledge of outfield positioning.

Grubb isn't familiar enough with the Twins' Montana/Alberta competition to estimate his team's chances for a state tournament berth.

"All I really know is that we're going to play solid defense, our pitchers are going to get outs, we're going to get a lot of hits, and we're going to be a little smarter all the way around," he said. "That's all I can expect from the kids, and if we do less than that, then we've failed."

Today's opener comes earlier than usual as Grubb scheduled about 10 extra non-conference games to prepare for Western AA play.

"I'm honestly not worried about W's and L's until conference," Grubb said.

The Twins begin conference play May 23, at home against the Kalispell Lakers.

2007 Twins AA Roster

No. Name Age Pos. Hometown

2 Josh Peterson 19 INF/P Columbia Falls

3 Roo Grubb 19 INF/OF/P Kalispell

4 Adam Pisk 17 INF/OF/P Kalispell

5 Scott Palmer 18 OF/P Columbia Falls

7 Byron Whitcomb 19 OF/INF/P Whitefish

8 Brad Nielsen 18 INF/P Whitefish

10 Brad Bell 19 C/INF/P Bigfork

11 Ryan Caron 18 C/INF/P Columbia Falls

12 Michael Hader 18 P/OF Columbia Falls

14 Justin Collom 19 P/INF/OF Columbia Falls

17 Scott Yogodzinksi 18 P/OF Whitefish

19 Zane Ridings 17 P/INF Columbia Falls

21 Wes Bougher 18 OF/P Whitefish

23 Weston Chambers 19 P/1B Kalispell

25 RJ Beasley 18 1B/P Whitefish

32 Rusty Hill 19 OF/P Whitefish