Baseball

Even after his days at Grinnell College, Gary Kahn ‘09 is continuing his successful run in baseball.

Kahn, a former All-Midwest Conference performer, was recently hired by a team in the Swiss Nationalliga A (Switzerland’s highest league) to be their head coach as well as pitch and play first base for them.

The team is located around the Basel area. He is the youngest player on the team and one of six foreign players, and in the team’s first two games went 4-for-6 at the plate with a homer, double and 7 RBI (see related video with clips of Gary Kahn here).

Kahn recently participated in a question-and-answer session with Grinnell College Sports Information Director Ted Schultz:

TS: Tell me about your baseball experience since your days of playing at Grinnell College?

GK: After graduating from Grinnell, I had a decent chance of either getting drafted or signing a free-agent contract due to my success on the mound at Grinnell and in the Valley League during the summers of 2007 and 2008.

I held the eighth-inning set-up role for the Woodstock River Bandits and the closer was Brandon Beachy, a pitcher now in the starting rotation for the Atlanta Braves. I was undrafted and was invited to a private tryout with the St. Paul Saints of the American Association--the best independent baseball league in the States where many current and former stars have played.

I threw a good bullpen for them and was told by their coaching staff that I was not what they were looking for, even though they thought I had the talent to do so. They said that I was only 22 years old and that most guys in the league were a lot older and more experienced than I was.

As soon as they said this, former Major Leaguer Kerry Ligtenberg greeted us as he was running by. Though disappointed, I felt somewhat honored to be held in the same regard as players like Ligtenberg and former Saints players like Jack Morris, J.D. Drew, Daryl Strawberry, and Kevin Millar. Following this workout, I had invites to other indy league tryouts as well as a couple MLB Workouts. However, I decided that I would much rather continue my international travels (which began in the fall of 2007 with my study abroad experience to Copenhagen, Denmark) and take my talents overseas.

I had offers from both Sweden and France and chose to take the contract with Karlskoga Bats of the Swedish Elitserien. Following one of our games up there, I was approached by Yinka Adewsui Freeman---an international baseball player from Nigeria who plays winter baseball down in South Africa. He inquired if I would be interested in playing winter ball down in Cape Town. He ended up sending my name down to the Western Province Major League, Africa’s top baseball league and home to many minor league players. The Durbanville Villains (located 15 minutes outside downtown Cape Town) sent a contract offer and I was on a plane to Africa only after being home in Miami for six days following Sweden.

It was this team’s first year up in the Major League from relegation and their goal was to stay up in the Major League with their squad of many inexperienced youngsters. I was also put in charge of all the Junior side’s training sessions. We ended up finishing seventh out of 10 teams, thus avoiding relegation. Additionally, two of the Juniors I worked with were selected to represent South Africa in the Little League World Series qualifier.

During my time in Cape Town, my success nabbed me offers from the German Bundesliga, Belgian League, and Czech Extraliga. I ended up taking the offer from SKSB Arrows Ostrava in the Czech Extraliga, one of Europe’s top five leagues. In addition to playing for the Extraliga side and coaching the Junior Extraliga team, I was also hired by the Czech Baseball Association as an instructor for their baseball academy in Ostrava. I ended with a 3.44 ERA and 73 strikeouts. Towards the end of the Czech season, I was offered a contract extension with the Durbanville Villains for the 2010-2011 season. I spent a week back home before travelling back to Cape Town for the 6-month season.

The goal for the Villains during this season was to finish in the top four. We ended up finishing fifth---only one game out of fourth place. However, it was a very successful season and the team was happy with my performance. The Junior sides enjoyed a number of successes as well---many of the teams finishing at the top of their age divisions and a number of the players being nominated to their respective age’s provincial team. I ended 5-4 with a 3.23 ERA and 66 strikeouts. Following my three-week vacation into Zimbabwe and Mozambique, I had some time to contemplate whether I would be going to Germany, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, or Switzerland for the 2011 European season.

My decision was to go with the Sissach Frogs of the Swiss Nationalliga. Prior to my arrival in the Basel area, I was honored to be hired as the Assistant Coach/Head Pitching Coach for the Swiss National Team.

TS) Talk about your latest hiring in terms of coaching, etc.?

GK: The Sissach Frogs are located in the tiny village of Sissach, located on the Swiss border of Germany and France and approximately 20 minutes outside of Basel. It is quite funny that in addition to being the youngest player on the team, I am also the head coach. The team is a mix of Swiss and Dominican players, along with another American who now lives in Basel with his wife. Thus, it is quite time -consuming when I must speak to the team both in English and in Spanish.

As fun as it has been so far, it is also quite a challenge balancing my playing and coaching responsibilities. Usually I am on the field solely thinking of how I am going to make myself a better player that day, or how I am going to give my team a good chance to win. Now, I have to be thinking about how I am going to prepare my team for battle each weekend and how I will be able to maintain my own level of play during my coaching efforts.

Fortunately I have been successful thus far, winning our first two games this past Saturday. I also hit my first professional home run---as a pitcher, I never thought I would see the day. I have also attended one National Team practice in Zurich. My duties are to serve as both an assistant coach and the pitching coach for the team. The team has two competitions this summer---a major invitational tournament held in Austria during the middle of June and the European Championship qualifier in Barcelona at the end of July.

TS) What has been the biggest adjustment to being abroad, and how did Grinnell College prepare you for this?

GK:My experience at Grinnell College has played a pivotal role in my success thus far---both off and on the field. Looking at it from a social angle, living in Grinnell for four years with limited physical contact from my family forced me to quickly mature from a teenager to a young adult.

It also taught me how to adapt to a new social and demographical environment---thus became a good foundation for my study abroad program in Copenhagen, Denmark. Those four months abroad were something of a dream! I truly believe it was this experience that encouraged me to pursue international baseball opportunities. My current girlfriend is a Danish girl whom I met in Copenhagen just after I finished the Swedish season. I was over there to visit some friends that I made during my time studying abroad.

Ironically enough, this was immediately following maybe the craziest weekend of my life with John Grotberg ‘09 in Amsterdam. If I had not taken the opportunity to study abroad in Copenhagen a couple years prior, I probably would never have met her. There can’t be any gainsaying the fact that a Grinnell College education has been so pivotal in my international experience thus far. The College’s emphasis on proper communication (both verbal and written) has allowed me to capture the attention of audiences worldwide. Mister-Baseball.com, the largest international baseball website, asked me to become a guest analyst for them during my second year in South Africa. One article I wrote dealt with the scarcity of bullpens found in the Western Cape and how I felt it crucial for international baseball clubs to have these in the hopes of developing pitchers worthy of international play.

Six months later, while watching a game up here in Switzerland, I was approached by a head coach for one of the Swiss teams. He told me that after he read this article some months back, he forced his club to install bullpen mounds at its premises. If it wasn’t for my Grinnell education, I do not feel that I would be able to convey my arguments in such a precise, calculated manner. Baseball wise, I can’t say enough for what Coach (Tim) Hollibaugh did for me during my time at Grinnell. That man took my game to another level---from both the physical and mental aspects. It is quite funny that at times when I am coaching and/or addressing a particular team, I feel like I am repeating the same words he was saying to me during my days under his guidance.

TS) What are your plans after this?

GK: My future plans are to obtain a J.D./MBA from an accredited law school and enter the field of Entertainment and Sports Management/Representation. My LSAT scores are available for another three years, so I hope that within this time period, I can become involved with MLB International. This would enable me to become an envoy coach/scout and travel the world in the name of baseball development.

Other than that, it looks like a good chance that my contract will be renewed in Cape Town for a third season and I would love to take this team to the South African Major League title. Additionally, I have recently learned that I have a South African uncle. I am currently researching the possibility of applying for a South African passport with the hopes of getting onto their national team for the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

The Grinnell College baseball team remained perfect in the Midwest Conference South Division Sunday, sweeping preseason division favorite Illinois College with exciting victories of 4-3 and 16-11 at North Diamond.

Grinnell moved to 6-0 in the division and 11-11 overall, while the Blueboys fell to 1-5 in the division and 13-11 in all games.

Greg Suryn ’11 (left) had a big day with five hits, including triples in both games and two doubles in the opener. Suryn had three hits in the first game alone, while Mike Nodzenski ’12 and Ryan Fletcher ’11 had two hits in that contest. Nodzenski, Drew Davis ’13 and Kainoa Inafuku ’14 all had doubles.

Ben Pope ’12 (right) went the distance to earn the pitching win, fanning eight batters in the process to improve to 2-2.

Illinois College grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning, but Grinnell tallied three times in the third and Suryn drove in two runs with a triple to right-center and another run came across via a wild pitch.

After Illinois College tied it in the seventh, Grinnell got the deciding run in the eighth on Inafuku’s RBI double to left.

In the second game, Davis, Michael Goldfien ’12, Nodzenski and Suryn all had two hits. Nodzenski had a triple and double among his totals.

Grinnell tallied seven runs in the top of the first with the aid of four hits and three hit batsmen. Suryn drove in two runs with a triple to right-center, Jackson Markey ’14 added a two-run single and Matt Blumenreich ’13 and Davis each had RBI singles.

Illinois College scored twice in the third inning, but the Pioneers responded with three in the bottom of the third as Goldfien had a two-run single and Suryn a sacrifice fly.

Illinois College came up with seven runs in the fourth to pull within 10-9. Grinnell got some comfort with solo runs in the fifth and seventh innings, as Nodzenski had an RBI triple to right-center in the fifth and an error leading to the seventh-inning run.

After the Blueboys closed within 12-11 in the top of the eighth, Grinnell all but put the game away with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Suryn had a two-run single in the inning.

Andrew Kelley ’14 worked 3-1/3 innings of relief to get the pitching win, improving his mark to 1-1, while Andrew Myers ’12 pitched one-hit ball over the final two innings for his first save.

The Pioneers step out of league play Tuesday to take on Simpson College at Indianola. Game time is 4 p.m.

Due to poor weather conditions, Grinnell College’s home baseball games with Illinois College slated for Saturday will instead be played Sunday. The first pitch of the doubleheader will be at 11 a.m. at North Diamond.

Also, Grinnell’s softball team’s doubleheader with Knox College scheduled for Saturday has been moved to April 30 in Galesburg, Ill. The twin bill begins at 1 p.m.

Mike Nodzenski ’12 (left) tied the Pioneer career record for homers while helping the Grinnell College baseball team to a 15-13 slugfest victory over Central College Monday in Pella.

Matt Skelly ’12 (right) also homered for the Pioneers, who stretched their winning streak to six games while improving to 9-11. Central fell to 13-10.

Nodzenski now has 23 round-trippers in his career, tying the mark established by Paden Roder ’10 between 2007 and 2010.

Central scored five runs in the bottom of the first, but the Pioneers scored twice in the top of the second thanks in part to a sacrifice by Jackson Markey ’14.

After Central scored a run in the second, Grinnell tallied three in the third thanks to Nodzenski’s two-run homer and Skelly’s solo blast.

But Central scored twice in the bottom of the frame to make it an 8-5 lead for the hosts.

Grinnell grabbed an 11-8 lead with two runs in the fourth inning and four in the fifth. In the fourth, Nodzenski got an RBI with a bases-loaded walk and Greg Suryn ’11 had a sacrifice to drive in the other run.

In the fifth, Drew Davis ’13 had a two-run single, while Michael Goldfien ’12 and Nodzenski brought in runs with singles.

Central scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie it at 11-all before Grinnell took the lead with one run in the sixth as Kainoa Inafuku ’14 had an RBI single.

Central retook the lead at 13-12 with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Grinnell secured the win in the ninth with three runs, those coming on Inafuku’s two-run single and Markey’s bases-loaded walk.

Will Pahos ’14, the fourth of four Grinnell pitchers, got the win to improve to 3-0 on the season.

The Pioneers return to Midwest Conference play Saturday when Illinois College visits North Diamond for a twin bill. The first pitch is set for 10 a.m.

The Grinnell College baseball team rode a pair of masterful pitching performances to a twin bill sweep of Knox College Saturday afternoon at North Diamond.

In the opener, Ben Pope ’12 (left) fired a complete-game seven-hitter and fanned eight batters as the Pioneers posted a 4-1 victory. In the second contest, Andrew Myers’ 12 (right) scattered three hits over seven innings and struck out six as Grinnell earned a 9-1 win.

The victory keeps Grinnell perfect in Midwest Conference South Division play at 4-0, extending the Pioneers’ winning streak in divisional play to 16 games dating back to last season. Grinnell is 8-11 overall.

Knox dipped to 0-4 in the league and 5-14 overall.

Drew Davis ’13 and Matt Skelly ’12 each had two hits in the first game for Grinnell, including one double each. Greg Suryn ’11 also doubled.

Grinnell scored a solo run in the third inning on Skelly’s RBI single through the right side, and added another run in the fourth when Jason Ormond’s ’13 infield single plated a run.

Grinnell made it 3-0 in the sixth on Kainoa Inafuku’s ’14 sacrifice fly. Knox made it 3-1 in the seventh, but the Pioneers came back with a run in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single by Mike Nodzenski ’12.

In the second game, Suryn, Matt Blumenreich ’13, Ryan Fletcher ’11 and Jackson Markey ’14 each had two hits to spark Grinnell’s 12-hit attack. Fletcher and Markey both had doubles.

Knox scored a run in the second inning, but Grinnell countered with a run on Inafuku’s RBI single. Grinnell broke it open with six runs in the third. Nodzenski knocked in the first run on a sacrifice fly, Suryn followed with an RBI single and Blumenreich added a two-run single to left.

Markey later added an RBI single and another run scored on a wild pitch.

Grinnell closed out the scoring with two runs in the fifth, as Markey had an RBI double and Michael Goldfien ’12 hit a sacrifice fly.

Dugan Knoll ’12 pitched the final two innings for Grinnell to close out the win.

Grinnell heads to Pella on Monday to face Central College in a non-conference game. The first pitch is slated for 4 p.m.

Grinnell College’s Greg Suryn ’11 (left) and Will Pahos ’14 (right) have swept the Midwest Conference Baseball Performer and Pitcher of the Week honors.

Suryn, a 6-1, 195-pound senior right-handed designated hitter/outfielder from Littleton, Colo. (Front Range Christian), helped the Pioneers establish a pair of school records with a huge weekend at the plate. He went 7-for-10 in a twin bill sweep of Knox College on Saturday with eight RBIs, three doubles, three singles and a homer. In the second win, a 21-3 decision over the Prairie Fire, Grinnell established new school records for runs scored in a game and RBI (20). For the season, the All-Midwest Conference South Division performer is hitting .302.

Pahos, a 5-11, 185-pound right-handed freshman from Clarendon Hills, Ill. (Hinsdale Central), had a masterful pitching performance against Knox in the 21-3 victory. He scattered five hits and struck out seven without giving up a run. He is now 2-0 on the season with a 2.19 ERA.

The Grinnell College baseball team not only began its 2011 Midwest Conference South Division slate on a strong note, but broke a couple of records in the process.

Grinnell defeated Knox College 17-3 and 21-3 Saturday afternoon in Galesburg, Ill., to improve to 2-0 in the division and 6-11 overall. The 21 runs in the second game broke the school record of 20, set three times and most recently in 2009 against Crown. Also, Grinnell’s 20 RBI in that game snapped the previous school mark of 19 established in 1992 against Cornell College.

In the opening game, Greg Suryn ’11 (left) had a monstrous performance at the plate by going 4-for-5 with six RBI, a homer and two doubles.

Matt Skelly ’12 and Matt Blumenreich ’13 had three hits apiece, with Skelly having a homer among his totals and Blumenreich two doubles. Mike Nodzenski ’12 had two hits, including a homer, and Drew Davis ’13 also had two hits.

Mike Bogard ’12 earned a complete-game pitching win, scattering seven hits and striking out three in the process.

Grinnell scored three runs in the top of the first with the aid of Skelly’s solo homer and Blumenreich’s RBI single.

Knox tallied two runs in the bottom of the first, but the Pioneers exploded for seven runs in the second. Suryn’s two-run single sparked the surge.

Grinnell added three runs in the third, with Nodzenski’s homer accounting for one. Knox scored a run in the sixth to make it 13-3 before Grinnell scored four times in the seventh with the help of Suryn’s three-run homer.

In the second game, Blumenreich (right) had a huge effort at the plate by going 4-for-5 with six RBI. Michael Goldfien ’12 added three hits, while Davis, Suryn and Jackson Markey ’14 had two each. Nodzenski homered, leaving him one shy of tying Grinnell’s career record in that department, and Skelly, Jason Kemis ’12, Suryn and Markey each doubled.

Grinnell got four runs in the first inning with the help of Suryn’s two-run single, and tacked on two runs in the second on RBIs by Davis and Goldfien. Grinnell broke it open in the third with eight runs, as Davis and Blumenreich each had two-run singles.

The Pioneers scored three runs in the fourth on Nodzenski’s three-run homer, and got four runs in the sixth as Kemis had a two-run double and Blumenreich a two-run single.

Knox scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh as the game ended via the mercy rule, as did the opener.

Will Pahos ’14 was the winning pitcher. He gave up five runs and fanned seven in six innings.

With the losses, Knox fell to 0-2 in the division and 4-9 overall.

The same teams meet again this coming Saturday at North Diamond. The first pitch of the twin bill begins at 1 p.m.

The Grinnell College baseball team pounded out 16 hits in a 14-13 victory over Trinity College Sunday in Lake Myrtle, Fla.

Mike Nodzenski ’12 and Kainoa Inafuku ’14 (pictured) had three hits each, while Drew Davis ’13, Michael Goldfien ’12, Matt Skelly ’12 and Matt Blumenreich ’13 had two apiece. Davis, Nodzenski, Greg Suryn ’11 and Jackson Markey ’14 all had doubles.

Grinnell erupted for eight runs in the second inning, with Nodzenski knocking in two runs with a double to left, Goldfien singling in another two runs and Inafuku and Davis knocking in a run each.

Trinity tallied two runs in the bottom of the inning before Grinnell scored twice in the third with the aid of Davis’ RBI double to left.

Trinity made a game of it, though, scoring three runs in the fourth and seven in the fifth to go up 12-10.

The Pioneers scratched out a solo run in the sixth and got two in the seventh on an RBI double by Markey and run-scoring single by Nodzenski.

After Trinity tied things at 13-all in the bottom of the seventh, Grinnell scored the eventual game-winner in the ninth as Suryn’s RBI double to left plated Nodzenski.

Winning pitcher Dugan Knoll ’12 shut the door in the ninth to secure the victory. He struck out four and scattered seven hits over 4 2/3 innings.

Earlier in the day, Grinnell lost 11-4 to the University of Chicago. The winners scored a run in the first inning, but Grinnell grabbed a 2-1 lead with two runs in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Nodzenski and RBI single by Skelly.

The winners went up 4-2 in the sixth before Grinnell scored a run in the bottom of the frame on Nodzenski’s solo homer to left.

But the University of Chicago pulled away in the seventh with seven runs for an 11-3 lead. Grinnell closed out the scoring in the eighth on an RBI single to left by Karl Nelson ’13.

Andrew Myers ’12 was the losing pitcher for the Pioneers, who are 4-11 overall and open Midwest Conference South Division play Saturday at Knox College. The first of two games begins at 1 p.m.

The Grinnell College baseball team defeated Benedictine University 8-3 in the opening game of a twin bill Friday in Lake Myrtle, Fla.

Michael Goldfien ’12 was 3-for-4 at the plate for Grinnell with a double, while Drew Davis ’13 and Kainoa Inafuku ’14 each had two hits. One of Davis’ was a double.

Will Pahos ’14 (pictured) earned the pitching win, scattering nine hits and just two earned runs while firing a complete game. He struck out three.

Benedictine took a 1-0 lead, but Grinnell responded with five runs in the fourth inning. Davis had a two-run double in the frame, while Jackson Markey ’14 had a two-run single and Mike Nodzenski ’12 added an RBI single.

Benedictine closed within 5-3 in the fifth inning, but Grinnell tallied three runs in the sixth to secure the win. Inafuku had an RBI in the frame with a single.

Benedictine won the second game 8-5. The winners led 2-0 after the first inning, but Grinnell tied it with two runs in the second with the aid of a sacrifice fly by Davis.

Benedictine scored one run in the second, three runs in the third and two in the fourth for an 8-2 lead. Grinnell made a bit of a rally in the seventh with three runs, with Matt Blumenreich’s 13 three-run homer providing the scores.

Max Jacobson ’14 was the pitcher of record for Grinnell.

On Saturday, Grinnell lost 14-3 to the University of St. Thomas and 5-3 to Dartmouth College.

Grinnell and St. Thomas were tied 1-all after the first before St. Thomas scored five runs in the fifth inning and three in the sixth for a 9-1 lead. Grinnell got a run in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Greg Suryn ’11.

Grinnell made it 9-3 in the eighth on Matt Skelly’s ’12 RBI single, but St. Thomas put up five runs in the ninth.

Mike Bogard ’12 was tagged with the loss for Grinnell. Skelly finished with three runs for the Pioneers.

The Pioneers got out to a 2-0 lead on Dartmouth with solo runs in the first and third innings. Nodzenski had an RBI double in the first and Blumenreich an RBI in the third.

However, Dartmouth scored two runs in the third and fifth innings for a 4-2 lead. The Pioneers got a run back in the seventh on Bogard’s RBI single, but Dartmouth scored a run in the seventh to go ahead by two again.

Ben Pope ’12 was the pitcher of record for Grinnell, while Davis and Bogard had two hits each.

Grinnell, 3-10 on the season, finishes its spring break trip on Sunday with games against the University of Chicago and Trinity College.

Hope College used a five-run first inning to record an 8-0 victory over Grinnell College’s baseball team Wednesday in Auburndale, Fla.

Grinnell only got outhit in the game 12-8, with Michael Goldfien ’12, Mike Nodzenski ’12 (pictured) and Matt Skelly ’12 getting two hits apiece. One of Goldfien’s was a double.

Others getting hits were Drew Davis ’13 and Jason Ormond ’12.

Josh Kranz had three hits for Hope, which also got a solo run in the third inning and two more in the eighth.

Adam Clements tossed a complete-game eight-hitter for the winners. Andrew Myers ’12 was the pitcher of record for Grinnell.

Hope is now 6-2, while Grinnell fell to 2-7. The Pioneers face Benedictine in a twin bill Friday.