It was like a replay of that old classic baseball comedy routine, “Who’s on First.”
Earlier this season, two Zeeland East players were talking near their dugout during a game at Reeths-Puffer.
They were discussing R-P’s catcher, and one player told the other that the catcher is named Catcher.
The other player looked confused and said he obviously knew he was the catcher, because they were talking about the catcher.
No, the first player explained, he’s not only the R-P catcher, but his first name is actually Catcher.
“Really?” the second kid said.
R-P's Catcher Earnest
At the beginning of the season, Reeths-Puffer very much needed a new catcher to fill the void created by the graduation of standout Alex Johnson, who was All-Everything during his varsity career.
The Rockets found a solid replacement in Catcher Earnest, a senior who did not even play varsity baseball last season.
There has been a learning curve for Catcher the catcher, according to R-P Coach Butch Attig, but he has come along nicely, learning how to work with the pitchers, block balls in the dirt, throw out baserunners and do all the other things that come with playing the crucial position.
Now Catcher and his two senior teammates – David Wilhelm and Kyle Schlaff – will be playing this weekend to keep their varsity careers alive in the Division 1 district tournament at Mona Shores High School.
The Rockets will play Kenowa Hills at 10 a.m. The winner will advance to the 2 p.m. championship game against either Mona Shores or Muskegon.
Earnest gets ready to take a throw during a game at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park.
Reeths-Puffer will be seeking its third consecutive district championship, and Earnest will be right in the middle of the action.
“Extremely,” Earnest said, when asked if he’s looking forward to districts. “I think we’re going to go all the way. Beating Shores on their home field is going to be one of my best baseball memories.”
Of course the first question everyone has for Earnest is how he ended up with the first name of Catcher, and if his parents were hoping he would grow up to be a baseball catcher.
The answer is no.
He said some people actually assume that, because his name is Catcher and his younger brother’s name is Holden, he was named after the classic 1951 novel “Catcher in the Rye” (Holden Caulfield was the main character in the book).
That wasn’t the case, either.
Earnest doesn't have a great batting average, but has had some key hits this season.
“There was a movie called 'Down with Love,' and it had a character named Catcher Block, who was a spy,” Earnest said. “My dad loved the movie, my grandpa really liked it too, and he was a catcher when he played baseball, so they just went with it.
“It’s pretty ironic that my name is Catcher and I am a catcher.”
Earnest said he played infield during his little league days, then started catching in his middle school years. He was the catcher for the R-P junior varsity team as a sophomore, then skipped baseball last season to play for the Rockets’ boys volleyball team, a non-varsity club squad.
He enjoyed volleyball and originally planned to play again this spring, but some guys he expected to go out for the team didn’t show up, so he decided to return to baseball.
Earnest said it’s been challenging to play catcher after a season away, but he’s enjoying it.
“My body was not used to it at all, but I’ve gotten used to it again,” he said. “My coaches have taught me a lot about what to do in certain scenarios.
Earnest has relearned the catcher's role this season and has done a great job.
“Blocking (pitches in the dirt) is where I think I’ve come a long way. I hate blocking, but I think that’s my biggest improvement.”
Coach Attig said Earnest has done a very good job of filling a big need for the team.
“He has evolved over the course of the season,” Attig said. “He’s done well. I think he really embraced the idea that this was what he was going to do in his senior season. He learns from his mistakes and he understands what he needs to do.”
Earnest is not just filling the catcher’s role this season. He's also helping to prepare his designated replacement, sophomore Quinn Alderink, to take over the position next year.
“Butch told me I needed to be a mentor, like another coach for him," Earnest said. “Sometimes I will tell him how to do something, then I will go out there and not do it that way – it’s like do as I say, not as I do – but it’s been fun.
“I’ve been playing with him since little league, and it’s been fun to see him go from where he was to where he is now.”
Earnest keeps an eye on a baserunner during a game at Marsh Field.
Earnest plans to attend Muskegon Community College in the fall, then transfer to Grand Valley State University. He said he and Wilhelm, his close friend and the Rockets’ first baseman, would like to eventually study overseas in Germany through a special program that GVSU offers.
Earnest and Wilhelm will get a big taste of Europe well before that, however. They are planning to go on a European vacation this summer, flying into Denmark, then traveling by rail to Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy and other destinations, before college begins in the fall.
“We’re just going to have a few weeks on our own to live life and have fun,” Earnest said.
