Trent Reichert is playing baseball like a guy who has some catching up to do.
Last season, as a talented sophomore pitcher, Reichert suffered a knee injury around midseason, and while he tried to play on for a few games, it became obvious that he needed to sit down and heal.
Reichert was forced to plant himself in the dugout and watch while his Reeths-Puffer baseball team got hot toward the end of the season and fought its way to an unlikely district championship with upset wins over two state-ranked powers – Mona Shores and Kenowa Hills.
Watching was torture for Reichert, who was also forced to skip summer travel baseball for the first time in years.
So when he was able to start working out again in the fall, he did so with a vengeance, determined to be more than ready when spring rolled around again.
R-P junior standout Trent Reichert
Reichert’s hard work to get back in shape has been obvious this season, on the mound and at the plate.
He’s been lights out as a pitcher, posting a 3-0 record with a very nice 2.60 earned run average and 22 strikeouts with only three walks.
He’s expected to be the starting pitcher on Friday, when Reeths-Puffer hosts a good Allendale squad in an interesting non-conference matchup.
He’s also been every pitcher’s nightmare when he picks up a bat, hitting .567 with two home runs, four doubles and 14 runs batted in.
Reichert has played a big role in helping the Rockets soar to a 9-0 start this season, despite losing seven seniors from last year’s team, including stars Kaden Edwards and Alex Johnson.
Reichert pitches in the season-opening win over Coopersville.
Reichert said his injury happened in mid-May last season with one bad slide. He tried to press on for a few games, until the full extent of the injury was known.
“I slid headfirst awkwardly into second base and tore the PCL in my knee,” he said. “At first they thought it was a sprain and I pitched a whole game after that, but that night it was super sore. I went to the doctor, he said it was a torn PCL, I tried playing one more time, then he shut me down.
“I just wanted to be there for the team. Just sitting in the dugout is not the same. It was hard not just for me, but for my family too. They like watching me play.”
Reichert had planned on playing varsity basketball over the winter with a lot of his friends, but decided to skip the season and focus his energy on rehabbing for baseball.
By the time the season started in March, he was bigger, stronger and chomping at the bit to make up for lost time.
It showed in the Rockets’ first game of the season, when Reichert pitched four strong innings, scattering three hits while striking out seven and walking only one in a win over Coopersville.
Reichert smacks a single on Tuesday against Grand Rapids Union.
In Game 2, a victory over Western Michigan Christian, Reichert had three hits, including his first homer of the season.
In Game 3, a victory over Muskegon, he struck out eight batters in just three hitless innings on the mound.
At the Holton Invitational tournament last weekend, Reichert hit two doubles in the first-round win over Newaygo. Then he had two more hits, including a home run, and pitched a complete-game victory with seven strikeouts in the championship game victory over White Cloud.
On Tuesday against Grand Rapids Union, he paced the Rocket offense with three more hits.
“I was really eager to get back out there playing and show people what I’ve got,” said Reichert, who very much wants to play college baseball when his varsity career is over. “I guess I have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder that’s driving me.”
Reichert gets a lead off first base.
R-P head coach Butch Attig is definitely happy to have Reichert back, pitching and hitting like a serious All-State candidate.
“It was hard not to have him,” Attig said about the final weeks of the 2022 season. “Being on the sidelines during our (district title) run really lit something in him. He doesn’t want to miss anything again.
“He’s bigger and stronger this year. When he’s on the mound, he’s been able to command his two-seam and four-seam fastballs and that good curveball, and he’s also added a changeup. He will keep us in the game no matter who we are playing. He has that confidence that he’s the guy.
“At the plate, you can tell how much work he’s put in and how strong he is, and he’s getting the barrel of the bat on the ball. The mental aspect is where most of his growth has been. He’s more confident and mentally stronger.”
Reichert said he feels more responsibility to perform well this season, with a lot of younger players stepping in to take over for the big group of seniors that graduated last spring.
Reichert fields a grounder while playing third base.
“It’s a whole different team,” he said. “We lost seven seniors. I knew I had to step up and focus on throwing strikes and being consistent. I feel like my confidence level is higher than in past years.
“I’ve always been a pretty confident hitter. I feel comfortable at the plate. I just take a deep breath and try to simplify everything - see ball, hit ball. I have always been kind of a power hitter, and this year the ball seems to be flying over the fence a little more than past years.”
Like Coach Attig, Reichert is happy with the Rockets’ 9-0 start, but says the team has a lot of work to do as the schedule gets more challenging in coming weeks.
“We had some pretty good seniors last year,” he said. “This year we have a whole different look. We don’t have a lot of varsity experience, but we’ve been pretty successful. We still have some iffy points to our game that we have to spruce up, but I think we have the talent to go places.”
