The Bona Venture

Issue date: 5/1/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Becky McKeown Ryan Mosher dives into second base in a game against Richmond.

In an April 5 game against George Washington, Bonnies senior catcher B.J. Salerno took a foul ball to his throwing hand, breaking his knuckle and theoretically ending his career.

With that foul ball, the Bonnies (21-17, 7-11) lost 164 career starts, 132 hits and 65 RBI. They lost the conference's best arm, according to collegebaseballinsider.com. They also lost an outspoken team leader and a strong competitor.

The team lost Salerno; Mike Grieco gained an opportunity.

The freshman from Washington Township, N.J., caught the last 16 games for the Bonnies, batting .275 with 51 hits and 5 RBI on the season.

While he's no Salerno, Grieco has contributed well for someone in his situation, coach Larry Sudbrook said.

"He's given us a chance (to win), Sudbrook said. "He gets good at bats. He's come up with some timely hits. He takes walks. He's received the ball pretty well."

Sudbrook said Grieco had a tough job to do and a tough player to replace.

"He's trying to replace a guy that's one of the two or three best catchers I've had here in 24 years. That's a tough shoe to replace when you're a freshman," he said.

Grieco said he understands Salerno's importance to the lineup and realizes the standard set for him as a succeeding catcher.

"B.J.'s an unbelievable catcher," Grieco said. "He's a huge factor in why this team wins games, and I realize I've got a shot to be that guy."

While unable to make a tangible impact on the game, Salerno still makes contributions from the bench, calling the pitches so an inexperienced Grieco doesn't have to.

Sudbrook said having Salerno signaling pitches helps the rookie Grieco handle veteran pitchers.

"The veteran pitchers aren't saying, 'Gee, that's a freshman catcher. Does he know what he's doing?"

Grieco said Salerno offers advice and helps him manage the game mentally.

"He helps me with just knowing situations. He helps me (forget) if I make a bad throw, if I make a mistake to just not worry about it," Grieco said.

Sudbrook said Grieco has to improve with runners on base. With Salerno behind the plate, the Bonnies stole two times as many bases than their opponents. With Salerno out, teams have found more success stealing against the Bonnies.

Continued...

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