Rounding the Bases with Dan Grovatt

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Dan Grovatt is coming off one of his best weeks as a Cavalier. He went 9-for-17 (.529) in games against William and Mary and Florida State and hit three homers and drove in five runs in the series win against the Seminoles. Today he talks about his strong to the season among many other things.

How were last week’s trips to William & Mary and Florida State?
Grovatt: It was awesome to come out and do well. Danny Hultzen threw a really great game Friday and our bats were clicking. We had that one six-run inning on Saturday to get the second win. Florida State is a really tough place to play and we were able to go down there and win the series. It was awesome – a big series for us to start out ACCs. Same thing with William & Mary — they played us tough and it was good to get a win.

What’s the difference between this trip to Florida State and the trip your first year?
Grovatt: Freshman year I was a little intimidated by Florida State to be honest. The first inning I went out there it was packed house. That was really the first time I had been in a big-time college atmosphere. Going back this year it was a little bit different. It wasn’t nearly as intimidating as I remember it being freshman year, especially after playing at Ole Miss last year. I don’t think anything can really compare to them. I think freshman year we went in there intimidated as a team. This year we went in there with one goal in mind and we took care of business.

Did it feel good to get the first dinger out of the way?
Grovatt: Yeah, it did. I’m not a home run hitting guy, but its nice to get that one out of the way.

Have you ever hit two in a game before Florida State?
Grovatt: One time. That’s only the second time I’ve ever done that. I was in a tournament in West Virginia when I was 17 and I hit two out.

Talk about being named the team captain for this week.
Grovatt: It’s an honor. Coach says it’s going to be a weekly rotation and it’s going to go to the guy who earned it that week. It’s an honor to be captain for a week, especially with all the very talented, very ‘team’ guys we have in the locker room.

And you’re also the ACC Player of the Week this week.
Grovatt: That’s definitely an honor that they considered me for it. There are a lot of good players in this league and it’s a pretty neat honor.

You have added pitching to your repertoire this year.
Grovatt: I’m excited about it. It’s coming along. I wouldn’t say it is where it needs to be to help the team right now. I would say I’m getting better and we are still playing with how we are going to go about the throwing programs with the outfield and the infield throwing every day. We are still kind of working on how it’s all going to work together, but I think it’s going to be a good thing. Hopefully I can help out.

Talk about the incredible ninth inning rally in the Saturday FSU game.
Grovatt: Our offense is very good at hitting in big spots. It is almost contagious. It is one of those things where nobody is willing to go up there and give up the last at bat. Franco (Valdes) had a big at bat: he was down 0-2 and worked the walk. That was the turning point. It was a good team effort. Nobody wanted to give that last at bat away. We put something big together and it was exciting.

Obviously it was big to come home with a series win as well.
Grovatt: I really do think that’s one of the toughest places to play in the nation. They have great fans and O’Connor told us our freshman year that they feed off of people who are intimidated by them in their own ballpark. We went down there this year and we had a one-track mind, we were focused, and we weren’t intimidated at all.

Favorites
Food: Steak
Spot on Grounds: The Corner
Baseball Memory: Hitting a home run in the College World Series
Class: ECON 333 – Public Choice
Website: ESPN.com
Music: Country
Movie: “For Love of the Game”
Sports team: Philadelphia Phillies
Celebrity: Kevin Costner