Gelarden gets his shot
Munster sophomore knows ‘you have to make the most of it,’ delivers go-ahead single in win
Munster coach Mike Mikolajczyk motioned with his hand, holding it just above the ground as he referred to Bryce Gelarden.
“I’ve known him since he was this high, since he was a little kid,” Mikolajczyk said.
These days Gelarden is a 5-foot11 sophomore catcher getting more playing time for the Mustangs than expected. He’s making good use of it too.
Gelarden went 3-for-3 with a double and the go-ahead two-run single on Monday as Munster rallied for a 5-4 Northwest Crossroads Conference win against visiting Highland.
“I’m definitely happy for him,” Mikolajczyk said. “A sophomore coming through like that, it says a lot about him.”
The Mustangs (11-2, 7-1) completed a doubleheader sweep of the Trojans (11-5, 5-3) with a 6-5 win in nine innings.
Trailing 4-0 in the first game, Munster sent 10 batters to the plate to score five runs in the fifth. Gelarden delivered his clutch hit with two outs to help the Mustangs keep pace with Andrean (16-1, 6-1) in the conference.
“It was just a solid approach,” Gelarden said. “Obviously against Highland, you want to show your best stuff. We got together as a team and rallied up and said, ‘Hey, we have to have an approach up there. Don’t let the game get too big for you.’
“When an opportunity is given to you, you have to make the most of it and have some fun. We know conference is on the line, and we’re certainly having fun.”
Munster had been “mixing in our catchers,” Mikolajczyk said, with Gelarden sharing duties with junior Brett Adams. But Adams has been sidelined since early last week, opening the door for Gelarden to work behind the plate full time.
“I’ve learned a lot from him (Adams) as a player,” Gelarden said. “He’s a great player, awesome. I’m getting an opportunity with him being out, and I just have to make the most of it for my team and get it done.”
Gelarden entered Monday with three hits and three RBIs in five games, including two hits and two RBIs in the Mustangs’ loss to Lake Central on Friday. He played on Munster’s freshman team last season.
He believes his transition has gone smoothly.
“It’s the guys in there, starting with Jake Thometz and Will Moell,” Gelarden said. “They’re the best leaders around, and they’ve done a great job taking me in, especially as a catcher and working together. They’re two really good guys, and the results have definitely shown it. I love playing with all of these guys.”
Gelarden is the son of former longtime Munster wrestling coach Dan Gelarden, who stepped down before the 2015-16 season. Mikolajczyk and Dan Gelarden are friends and teach together at the middle school.
“Bryce is getting the brunt of the load right now,” Mikolajczyk said. “But we know what kind of player we have with him even though he’s a sophomore. That’s why he’s with us.”
Monday’s games were linked to Hope At Bat, a partnership between Minor League Baseball and the American Cancer Society that encourages high school teams to help raise money and awareness for cancer research.
Mikolajczyk’s wife, Tanya, died of colon cancer in March 2019. Hall of Fame coach Bob Shinkan, who resigned last year after 35 seasons with Munster, died of breast cancer in February.
Munster wore pink jerseys with “SHINK 688,” representing Shinkan’s career win total, and hats with “25,” his jersey number, stitched on the right side. Highland’s hats had “SHINK 25” on them.
“Obviously baseball is important,” Mikolajczyk said. “That’s why we’re out here. But obviously there’s more important things in life than baseball. We’re trying to send that message to our kids and recognize some things and some people where our program has been affected by cancer over these last few years.
“There’s definitely things out there more important than baseball. So this was a good night all around for us.”