Grant Sawa is in his third season as Center Grove’s starting catcher.
Daily Journal file photo
In the weeks leading up to a 2020 season that never happened, Keith Hatfield’s baseball instincts were sending him a message.
The Center Grove coach, in need of a catcher who could serve as a cornerstone for the next few springtimes, thought of Grant Sawa — who, by the way, was a ninth-grader that had never played the position.
Maybe it was the confident manner in which Sawa carried himself. Or how he interacted with teammates and coaches. Or that he was always on board to do whatever was needed for the good of the team.
More accurately, it was all of the above.
“I always thought catcher was a cool position, and then coach Hatfield presented it to me,” Sawa said. “I was kind of caught off guard, but I would say me and my dad put in a lot of hours working on it in between my freshman and sophomore school years.
“I think I have a good work ethic, and that translates over to catching because you’re in on every pitch. You’ve got to stay locked in.”
Fast forward to today, and Hatfield’s intuition has basically hit for the cycle.
Sawa has been a mainstay behind the plate for Center Grove the past two seasons. In that time, the Trojans rolled up a 54-8-1 record and claimed the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference title in the school’s final season (2021) in the league.
That same ball club won the 20th sectional in its history, making it to the final of the Class 4A regional before being defeated, 7-4, by eventual state champion Jasper.
“Grant has only caught for three and a half years, but this is his third season starting for us,” Hatfield said. “He would’ve caught his freshman year, but that was the COVID season.
“That class was really, really light on catchers both numbers-wise and talent-wise.”
The key was selling the position switch to Sawa’s family. Hatfield laughs remembering the conversation he had with Sawa’s father, Steve.
“I’ll never forget his dad called me and said, ‘Do I really need to go out and get some catcher’s gear?’ ” Hatfield said. “I told him yes, and it’s worked out well for Grant and for us.”
Sawa is coming off a junior campaign in which he hit .281 with two home runs and 16 RBIs. He was also successful on all four of his stolen base attempts for a squad that finished with a 25-3-1 record.
Last August, Sawa verbally committed to play baseball at Purdue Fort Wayne; he signed a letter of intent to play for the Mastodons, led by coach Doug Schreiber, this past November.
The current Purdue Fort Wayne roster already includes two former Johnson County players in senior utility player Luke Miles (Franklin) and junior outfielder/first baseman Drew Dillon (Center Grove).
Sawa, who hits fifth in the Trojans’ lineup, aspires to help create a memorable final prep season for himself and his teammates.
His coach won’t be surprised if he does.
“Grant does a lot of things really well. He’s a really tough kid behind the plate, and is a tireless worker,” Hatfield said. “He’s in the batting cage more than anyone I know, and a very likeable kid who relates well to the pitchers.
“He just kind of fit the mold, except for the fact he had never caught.”
Suffice it to say, Sawa caught on.
IF YOU GO
Johnson County tournament
Tuesday
Greenwood Christian at Greenwood, 5:30 p.m.
Indian Creek at Franklin, 5:30 p.m.
Whiteland at Edinburgh, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday
At Center Grove
GCA/Greenwood vs. Indian Creek/Franklin, 1 p.m.
Whiteland vs. Center Grove, 1 p.m.
Championship, 3:30 p.m.
