Pitch Professor

In todays baseball game all the kids and clicks are for velocity - fast, fast, fast. Long gone are the days of pitchers like Greg Maddux - being a professor at your craft. Keep batters off speed, hit corners and use your defense. Matt Grill is a professor on the mound and in classrooms. He’s been teaching Federal League hitters how to take a seat and slowly weep at boxscores since joining the league full time in 2021 with the East Metro Mammoth. 

Matt Grill is a lifelong resident of Saint Paul’s East Side, where he has deep roots in the local community and a passion for both baseball and education. Growing up just a mile from Harding High School—his alma mater and current employer—Matt has spent most of his life immersed in the Saint Paul baseball scene, first as a talented player and now as a dedicated coach. 

His playing career includes standout years in high school as a Knight, junior college at Iowa Lakes, and college ball at the University of Sioux Falls. Since earning his BA in Science Education from Concordia University, Matt has been teaching at Harding High School since 2011, where he has taught Biology, Accelerated Biology, Environmental Science, and Physical Science. Alongside his teaching, he has served as the Assistant Varsity Baseball Coach for the Knights for the past 16 years. Known for his unforgiving arm and practical approach to the game, Matt’s passion for baseball and commitment to mentoring young athletes continue to make a lasting impact on the local sports community. 

While in the Federal League, Grill has been instrumental in the two Class AAA titles for the Mammoth, the two now defunct 35+ State titles and one 35+ MSBL World Series title in 2021. In 36 games he is 31-5 with a 1.29 ERA and a most impressive 27 complete games. He also has an insane 0.89 WHIP that features 176 strikeouts and only 22 walks in 212 innings of work. 

Matt is highly admired by his teammates and respected by opponents, Minnoka Grays Joey Olson probably summed up the skill of his most famous weapon “Best changeup in the league, you know it’s coming but still can’t barrel it up.” 

Longtime teammate Federal League veteran Tom Genrich agrees, “For me -- adjusting for the level of ball we're talking about here -- the pitching comp is obvious: Greg Maddux. Grilly's stuff is plenty good, but like Maddux he doesn't have the huge arm relative to his peers. What he has is exceptional control. He's unlike anyone I’ve played with in terms of his consistent command of the strike zone. When he's dotting all of his pitches -- and he's usually dotting all of his pitches -- and using his fastball and off-speed to set up his tremendous change-up, he is very difficult to square up. You see a lot of uncomfortable swings and weak contact against Matt Grill.”

We sat down with this future Hall of Fame to question his routines and science…
 

You are known to have a rubber arm, is that natural or do you have a certain recovery routine? 

It’s genetic. When I hurt my shoulder in 2019 (playing way too hard in a co-ed volleyball game) I got x-rays of my shoulder and the Dr. told me I have an abnormally large gap in my shoulder joint. This hurts my ability to get a lot of velocity, but increases my ability to quickly recover after pitching. 

You have been teaching baseball to kids at Harding High for over 14 years, how has that been? When working with kids do you preach velocity (which is what most instructors do these days) or multiple pitch development?

I had a blast coaching for almost all 16 years I did it at Harding. I had a really unique experience teaching baseball to kids who had never played and some who had never seen the game before. I was also lucky to always have a pitcher to work with and to push my coaching. This was great for keeping me motivated and engaged. 

When working with my pitchers I ALWAYS stressed throwing strikes first. We’ve all been in that game where your guy can’t throw a strike, and you are flat footed and not ready on defense. Not to mention as a coach, in the early Minnesota spring I couldn’t stand standing just freezing for a 3+ hour game. I then would always go from teaching strikes, to change ups….surprise, surprise. 

What's your secret to winning? Between all the adult leagues in Minnesota you must have one of the top winning percentages on the bump? (Calling Tom Genrich to fact check)

No secret. Just be on talented teams that score lots of runs, that makes me look better. (Oh and don’t walk people)

Looks like you are off to another great season for yourself and the Mammoth, how are things going with you running the show now?

So far so good, Thankfully Randy built a strong foundation and gathered a great group of committed guys. Our responsibilities are divided among the guys on the team, without Kenny, Lip, Billy, Corc we wouldn't have a team and stats. It’s also great to have about eight guys who manage other teams, I don’t like running things while I pitch, and it’s been great just handing the reins over to Randy or Flem or Ken or… 

Being also a biology and science teacher, what's your thoughts on science becoming more prevalent in current baseball with launch angles, spin rates and different calculations?

“I believe science might offer an answer to the curse of the Bambino” I’m with Billy Beane, work smarter not harder.

Any personal baseball accomplishments stand out to you?

Year one of the TCMABL Brewers in the 28+ TCMABL, pitching against the Rebels. Our nine inning game lasted under eighty minutes…it was amazing. 

What do you enjoy doing outside of baseball?

My wife and I play volleyball year round, otherwise my happy place is a #1 tee box at 6 am, I usually get in about seventy rounds a year. 

You teach science, let's put an end to this, is the earth flat or round?

… easy Kyrie…

What's your theory on the slow decline of the honey bee?

As with most things I would guess there is no single thing leading to the decline in population. Their drop is probably due to a combination of climate change, loss of habitat, and probably an increase in the use of certain chemical pesticides and herbicides. Plant pollinator gardens if you have the space!

How long do you see yourself playing baseball?

When I started playing amateur ball I was 18 and my coach was 62 and still playing. I remember thinking there is no way I want to be still playing at his age. Now I just hope I am fortunate enough to still be able to play for another 20 years if I wanted to. 

Any advice to young pitchers or even adults picking up the ball to pitch for the first time?

Stay balanced, stay in control, stay aware. When things go right make sure you pay attention to how it felt, bottle it and repeat. That and make sure you incorporate a steady diet of Mac N Cheese and Mountain Dew…it works for me. 

 

Tom Genrich closes with this “he's a great teammate. Selfless and supportive, and frequent with his words of encouragement. He's intensely competitive, but that competitiveness manifests as a desire to perform well, and win, rather than as the showy and often disrespectful bluster that appears to be taking over the game at younger age levels at the moment. He respects opponents, and you can see the respect that opponents have for him in return.”

It would be funny to see how many Federal League pitchers reach for the Matt Grill diet of Mac N Cheese and Mountain Dew, but you can pound all the Velveta and Kraft you can and still probably not compare to the complete player that Matt Grill is as Genrich noted “Size aside, if you're ranking talent pound for pound, I think he's right up there with the best in the Federal League.”

The guy just wins and Saint Paul and the Eastside couldn’t be prouder. Lesson learned.

 

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JUNE 2 - JUNE 8

Jason Grimm homers for Elko and  Ryan Van Dusen drives in four as the Chuggers win 12-1 over St Patrick. Mick Dudero got the win for five innings of work. On the bounce back Lakeville won 7-4. The Chuggers are sitting in the middle of the pack in the South Division.

South Metro defeated River Falls on neutral territory with a 10-5 win. The Saints Jeff Swanson had three hits and three runs scored, while Wes Hanson and Jake Lindsay each had two RBIs each. Adam West got the win. But South Metro lost to Hastings 14-5 the following Saturday. Daniel Castillo had two doubles and four RBIs for the Hurricanes.

The Chaska Voyageurs hung tough with the St Louis Park Snappers but falling 8-2. Ryan Marshall singled and doubled - and also recorded his 300th hit - in the win. Bryan Edstrom got the win going five innings. Bill Miller singled and doubled and drove in two for the Voyageurs. Snappers also took down the other Chaska team - the Diamonds - 12-3 on Friday night. Snappers remain undefeated and sit on top of the West Division with Waconia.

Adam Van Sickle homered and Nick Davis was in vintage form pitching a complete game while striking out six and only walking one in a Milltown victory. Brett Hoffmann went 3-4 and Davis, Andy Howie, Rudy Lopez, Scott Paulson and Mike Rothstein all had multiple hits for the Outlaws in the 12-0 win over St Patrick.
 
Derek Bergstrom went all seven to help the new and improved New Market Northerns defeat the Lakeville Lobos 3-1. On the bounce back the Lobos got revenge 7-4. Even a Nick Rost homerun wasn't enough for the fish to sweep the hotly contested series.

Jeromy Lyman went 3-3 with two runs and an RBI to but Northfield fell short 11-9 under Veseli. Dan Denman went five and got the win, he also singled, scored two runs and had an RBI. Joe McCluskey had three RBIs for the Vulcans. Vesli also won Sunday as Eric Steinhoff was just a triple away from the cycle as he singled, doubled and homered to go with four RBIs for the Vulcans. Scott Angus had three hits and got the win on the bump going five innings to shut down the Northfield Millers and get the series sweep.

Tonka Bay and St Anthony slug it out but the Lakers come out on top 13-8. Tim Mettert homered for Tonka Bay and drove in four. John "JJ" Jensen went 3-4. Brandon Wolf struck out ten but also walked five in his five innings.

Tom Corcoran homered and singled plus drove in three in a 4-1 Mammoth win over Rosemount. Matt Grill logged another complete game going all seven, fanning five and walking zero. Cliff Christopherson also went all seven in the loss, striking out seven. Rosemount got revenge with wins over RC and Apple Valley.

Rockford dodged an upstart and hungry Minnetonka Mustangs team 11-8. Todd Haag with two hits, two runs and two stolen bases. Ryan Neuberger drove in three for the Splitters. Dan Cozemius drove in two and scored a run for the Mustangs and Derek Dittmer went 3-4 with a double in the loss.
 
Bub Lovas got his first start of the season and went three innings as the Grays won 12-2 over St Michael. Dustin Rode drove in four runs and Minnoka sits on top of the North with Tonka Bay.
 
Brandon Casa de Calvo got roughed up a little and dodged a scare from the Chaska Voyageurs 6-5 win that went to the end.  Steve Kleppen hit a solo homer and  Brian Moynihan had three hits and two RBIs.  Andrew Berenguer went 3-4 with a double and five RBIs, he also pitched a complete game in the loss. Brennan Earley went 4-4 with two doubles for the green machine. The Voyageurs have been showing some fight - watch out of them.

Eden Prairie upset Burnsville 10-6. Then the Bulldogs turned around and dropped two to the Waconia Islanders. Craig Meyer got the win in the afternoon and Peter Brown got the win for the nightcap.

Other games on the schedule were not reported, no stats were entered or are currently being investigated as forfeits.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO RYAN MARSHALL ON 300 HITS

Longtime Federal League Veteran and Snapper Ryan Marshall reached a personal ahd league milestone June 5th versus the Chaska Voyageurs as he had his 300th hit. The Snappers won the game 8-2 and improved to 5-0 on the season. The only other player close to this milestone is Rockfords Todd Haag who at the end of 2024 had 285 hits and could break it this season with a nice run at the plate.

Congratulations to Ryan, Jeff Wilson and the Snappers.

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HALL OF FAMERS ANNOUNCED

Congratulations to the Federal League Hall of Fame Class of 2025

Randy Comfort (South Metro) Wade Peterson (South Metro) Eric Steinhoff (Veseli) Dave Custer (Red West) Brett Hughes (Capital City) and John Ruddy (River Falls)

More information will be available in our All Star Game Edition of the Fed Baseball Weekly next week.