Norwich
When word finally came around Smith, a junior, felt that much more excited about baseball season.
If John Grainger brings one thing to the Hanover baseball program it’s youth. Grainger, a 31-year-old Keene-native who works at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center as a fitness coordinator and a personal trainer, touts experience and energy to a program that hasn’t seen a state championship game since 2005. It is also one of the only athletic programs at Hanover High that has yet to win a state championship.
“We needed a new spark,” Smith said during a Wednesday afternoon practice at the Dresden Athletic Fields. “Something was going wrong. We needed a change and I think (Grainger) is the perfect change for that because he’s a lively guy. I think everyone’s buying into his system. I think when you go that long without anything (to show for it), I think people start losing faith in the system. So far, everyone I know is energized.”
But perhaps more importantly than all of it is the fact that Grainger provides a different voice. Same message, different orator. For Smith, Grainger’s presence has re-energized the group in only his first few weeks.
“I don’t know why, but there was a different feel coming to the baseball field this year,” Smith said. “In other seasons, kids have said, ‘Well, winter season is over, I play hockey so I was kind of bummed.’ This year, everyone was like, ‘I can’t wait for baseball. I can’t wait for his new change.’”
Grainger just hopes he can live up to the challenge.
“I think the kids are excited,” he said before Wednesday’s practice. “I think it helps that I can coach them and then I can do it and show them how it’s supposed to be. Doing a double play feed, I can do it and show them exactly what to do at game speed.”
Grainger was introduced to baseball at an early age and grew into a top-notch catcher at Keene High, leading the Blackbirds to a state championship his senior year. After being recruited by several different schools, Grainger decided to stay home and join Ken Howe’s Keene State College baseball program, lured by a chance to start as a freshman.
He graduated from Keene State in 2007 with a degree in biology. Since then, Grainger stayed connected to the game through coaching. He was an assistant coach at Colby-Sawyer College and has coached the Lebanon American Legion Post 22 Junior team for the past two suummers, where he was first introduced to Smith.
“The atmosphere is different, but baseball is the same,” Grainger said, comparing his time between coaching Junior Legion and his first few weeks at the helm of the Marauders. “Legion is almost like an all-star team where you have all these different kids coming together who don’t know each other. These kids (at Hanover) have been playing with each other their whole lives.”
That, in itself, presents a new challenge. But Grainger is looking forward to the opportunity.
“I caught wind that (Jackson) was maybe looking to step down, a few years ago actually,” Grainger said. “I contacted him, and he said he was interested in having somebody with my experience take over.”
Grainger has made his mark since Hanover, which finished 6-11 last season before being bounced in the first round of the NHIAA Division II state tournament, opened spring training two weeks ago. Wednesday was his team’s second session outdoors, but Smith said even the team’s indoor training in the weight room has had a different feel.
“There’s been a lot of change,” Smith said. “In past years it’s been pretty dead when we’re in the gym. We haven’t done much. But this year it’s been really good. … We’ve been doing a lot of good drills. Coach has been doing a great job.
“I had him a few years ago for Junior Legion, Post 22. We’ve sort of been getting back to old times, just talking a bit. We’re really excited for this year. Even though we had a ton of inside time (in spring training), I think we’ve accomplished a lot.”
Grainger describes his coaching philosophy as defense first, a mindset on smart defensive baseball that he thinks has been thrown to the wayside to prolonged batting sessions and a focus on hitting. But in his first year at the helm, Grainger’s expectations have been tempered — a .500 finish, he said, would be a great place to start.
But that hasn’t changed the mentality of his team. No matter what the results this year, his Marauders know that they’re setting the foundation for something new.
“He’s a really fun coach,” Smith said. “He can be your best friend but, all in all, he’s going to be serious and he’s going to be hard on you when you need to get stuff done. It’s the perfect mix between a friend and a coach.”
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or at 603-727-3306.