Swinging for the sky

Polson’s Nick Grogan takes his love for baseball and his

talent around the country

POLSON - If you've seen him out on the diamond playing for the Mission Valley Rockies, you know that Nick Grogan is probably not leaving the field with a clean jersey.

After the Polson junior spent the Fall playing for the traveling select team, Big Sky Baseball, he had more than just some laundry, he came away with a newfound confidence in himself.

Grogan had been battling depression and last summer checked into a clinic for treatment. Since then he's found a new focus in life and has set goals for himself that should set him up for success.

"You forget what it's like to be on a path that isn't depression," he said.

This Fall, Grogan tried out to play for Big Sky Baseball, and made the cut from a group of about 100 players.

"My infield skills were solid but they also needed outfielders on the roster," Grogan said.

While he usually played infield for the Rockies in the spring and summer, switching to a different position wasn't a curveball for Grogan since Mission Valley manager Alan Anderson always liked to rotate his kids through positions so they get a broad experience.

"He just moves us everywhere," Grogan said. "We get time in every position."

For Big Sky Baseball, Grogan found himself playing against some top-flight competition around the country.

"We went to some fantastic schools," he said. "It was amazing how big these schools were and their facilities were great. They had indoor batting cages and their fields were like pro fields."

Grogan said he received lots of help from the Big Sky coaching staff and was able to work on his mechanics as well as his hitting, both of which during the season improved greatly.

"We went to a ton of places," Grogan said. "And it was an opportunity to get in front of a scouts."

Since he was the farthest west kid on the team that drew talent from all around the state of Montana, he couldn't make it to team practices like other players closer to the team's base of operations in Three Forks.

"I would just meet them for the tournaments," Grogan said. "It was kind of nerve-wracking."

There were no shortages of challenges for Big Sky baseball and Grogan as they faced some of the nation's best players.

"When we went down to Arizona, there were kids down there throwing in the high 90s," Grogan said.

He added that he would like to play Division I baseball some day and playing for a team like Big Sky allows for more exposure. Montana does not have baseball as a high school sport.

"I always wished we would have high school baseball," Grogan said. "Baseball in Montana is kind of the underdog."

Grogan feels that Big Sky Baseball has helped him a lot with his confidence, something very important in a game where not getting a hit seven times out of 10 is considered greatness.

"It definitely helped me with my confidence," Grogan said. "When I started out I didn't know anyone there. If you're not going to believe in yourself, you're not going to get anywhere."

After his Fall baseball season, Grogan is now tackling his next challenge... wrestling.

"I'm excited," he said. "I've been working out hard with the goal of state."

As does every wrestler that goes into the season with goals, Grogan has to look at the reigning state champions as guys he'll be competing against.

"There's a couple of state champions out there that you're always wanting to beat," Grogan said. "It's a total mental game, this year is a totally new game."

Grogan said he hopes that his battle with depression is something other kids can see and draw perspective from.

"I see it all the time," Grogan said of depression. "There are so many people out there, it's a very common problem."

Grogan said that while depression is something he still deals with, overcoming it is how you approach life.

"You can get out of it," Grogan said. "You just have to push yourself."