Ex-Gator Grose reflects on CWS run at Nebraska

Spencer Patterson

Wednesday, June 26, 2002 | 9:39 a.m.

For the first part of John Grose's first baseball season at Nebraska, it didn't look like the former Green Valley Gator would earn a regular spot in the lineup, to say nothing of playing in the 2002 College World Series.

Yet there was the sophomore catcher last week, standing at the plate in Omaha, Neb., and driving home a run in his team's season-ending 10-8 loss to eventual World Series runner-up South Carolina.

"It was crazy -- a dream come true," Grose said. "It's something I grew up dreaming about, playing in a College World Series. The night before, we had opening ceremonies and they had a fireworks show and called all of our names out. I was getting goosebumps."

Just four months earlier, such a scenario would have been hard to predict for Grose. Expected to be the Cornhuskers' starting catcher in his first season after transferring from Chandler-Gilbert (Ariz.) Community College, the 2000 Green Valley graduate struggled to impress his coaches.

"I wasn't playing well when I first came in," Grose said. "It took me 15-20 games before I finally caught on and got into the whole team chemistry."

Nebraska coach Dave Van Horn called Grose into his office, where the Southern Nevadan received a brutally honest assessment of his play to that point.

"He laid it all out for me; he's not the type to sugar-coat anything," Grose said. "He said they brought me in to be an impact guy, and I hadn't been. I realized then I needed to step it up."

Grose did just that, playing his way into the starting lineup for 37 games down the stretch. His .384 average led all Nebraska players, and he contributed 14 doubles, four homers and 38 RBIs despite getting just 125 at-bats.

Best of all, when the regular season ended, Grose found himself in the midst of a long playof run -- one that didn't end until the Cornhuskers reached nearby Omaha for the second straight year.

"We started off slow, but we all knew where we wanted to end up," Grose said. "The ride along the way was amazing -- the regionals, the super-regionals, a dogpile in front of 8,500 people when we made it to the Series."

Nebraska's 47-win season finally ended in Omaha, where the Cornhuskers lost to Clemson and South Carolina by a combined three runs. And that leaves some unfinished business for Grose as he prepares for his junior season in Lincoln -- possibly his last in college before turning professional.

"We were real disappointed. We definitely wanted to do more this year, but it didn't work out that way," he said. "Next year, our focus isn't going to the World Series. It's winning it."

Last Friday, Grose and his teammates received a jolt when Van Horn announced his resignation after five years at the school. He was immediately replaced by Mike Anderson, a Nebraska assistant the past eight years.

Grose said he has the option to transfer in the wake of the coaching change, but plans to stay with the Cornhuskers.

"There's a difference between having a childhood dream and actually playing in a College World Series," said Grose, who left Tuesday to play in the California Coastal Conference League for the summer.