Name: Tony Groninger
School: Rochester High School
Grad year: 2022
GPA: 3.0
Summer team: NW Reign
Positions: 3b and 2b
Throw: Right
Hit: Right
1. What are some areas of your game that you have been focusing on lately to improve upon?
The parts of my game that I worked on the most this year was strength & conditioning. You have to run a lot and I did. Practice all the fundamentals everyday. Lately, because I broke my arm doing what I love, pitching, I have been working on my mental game this past month. I do this by going to my NW Reign games and my Rochester High School summer team games injured to support them in the dugout and around the field. Junior year is the biggest recruiting summer for most baseball players and I want to be on the field bad, but I have to be patient and heal the right way. Not being there for my team on the field, this is the mental part that will prepare me for all the failure baseball will bring me.
2. What are some goals and dreams you hope to reach in the next couple of years?
Some goals that I want for the near future are: Being a cool uncle to my new niece and nephew, going back to school normally and being a Senior this year, continue giving back to the community by volunteering at our food bank, getting my 4th & 5th honor roll is important to me, getting back and better for my team and for my coaches, helping us to win a championship of some kind, finding a right fit to continue playing my sport in college, finding the right coach that challenges me to compete at even higher levels. I am open to all levels of colleges but my main goal is finding the right fit and making the right impact for their team and program. I do not have a specific major yet but something athletic related or around fish and wildlife.
3. How long have you been playing baseball and what got you started in the game?
I have been playing baseball since I was very little. When I was 7, I made the Upper Minors league in Grays Harbor and played outfield because I had speed and could catch just about anything. Later that year, I started pitching and had success even when I was 4 years younger than any teammate or opponent. Then, I played with a young team called the Warriors. We won a lot of games and learned the game well because of some of the best coaches around. I knew in 2017 when our all star team won the state championship and went to compete in California against other states that I wanted to play baseball for the rest of my life. I can go back and watch these games anytime I want and learn from them because my dad recorded every game that I have played. Most of my good stuff is on my YouTube Channel for anyone to see. Even when I played little league soccer, my dad was always making team videos that each player took home at the end of the season. We were called The Kickers, we went undefeated 2 years thru 20 games. As a kid, I loved all sports even football, but basketball became my second sport after soccer. I made the high school varsity basketball team as a point guard before I made the varsity baseball team in 2019.
4. What are some of your favorite things about the game of baseball?
My favorite things about baseball are: Being out there with your friends competing. The jokes my coaches say to loosing me up in tough innings. I also like what the game teaches you about life and failure.
5. Who in your life has helped push you to be your best on the field?
The people who have pushed me to be the best on the field are: Dave Edminster, helped me develop my IQ and fundamentals, my two time high school coach of the year Brad Quarnstrom doesn’t hurt right? He always brings out excellence everyday. This year watching my coach Joey Swanson, Asst Coach for Saint Martin’s University baseball out leading our Tacoma NW Reign team to another state championship opportunity this year has been incredible. He has shown me what it takes to play at a higher level and possibly the NCAA and how to have a great team culture. My dad has also been a major part in my development. He knows me the best. He has been there for extra reps, film reviews, keeping me focused in school, pushing me thru tough times and used his former Marine Corps training as the foundation for my strength and conditioning program. He knows what perfection looks like and how important training and repetition means when performing under pressure. My family comes to every game and supports me, that means everything to me.
6. If there is anything else about baseball you want to include or write about include it.
Lastly, what most people don’t know about me is that I am ADHD. I struggled through middle school and also into high school with staying on track and paying attention. My doctor said that it wasn’t that I couldn’t do the work, I couldn’t keep my mind from focusing for longer periods of time. My grades in 9th didn’t reflect my potential at all. That year my sister and my mother had serious emergencies where they spent weeks at a time in the hospital. I didn’t have my parents much and I struggled to be strong. It took until this year to get my GPA back to a respectable level to be recruited. It’s not the best but I have pushed thru this adversity and have been on the honor roll for the last three semesters averaging a 3.4 GPA. I have become a better student who will only get better. Receiving three 1st Team awards this year has given me the the confidence that I am conquering my ADHD and I will continue to tell my story for those who might have it also. You can be human with flaws, have adversity and make mistakes but still inspire people to be great and grind everyday. I just want a chance to show my ability, get better everyday and play for as long as I can. I have many people to thank for that.