GLORY DAYS
When it comes to high school athletes who made an impact in two sports, few have reached the heights of Nick Trzesniak.
Trzesniak, a 1999 Andrew graduate, was in a class by himself as a baseball player. The 6-foot, 210-pound catcher had a cannon for an arm and a powerful bat, with the ability to alter games defensively and offensively.
On the football field, he was a menacing linebacker with the skill, strength and instincts to lead a defense. He turned down a scholarship offer to play football at Boston College.
Plus, he had a mean streak with competitive juices that took things to another level.
Former Homewood-Flossmoor baseball coach Steve Stanicek saw it firsthand.
“He was so big and athletic,” Stanicek said. “He commanded such a presence behind the plate. Defense might have been the more outstanding part of his game.”
The San Diego Padres took notice and drafted Trzesniak, who had committed to Illinois, in the first round in 1999.
So what’s Trzesniak, who will soon turn 40, up to these days?
In August, he relocated from Illinois to a suburb in Tennessee with his wife, Alanna, and their son Jax, 10, and daughter Layla, 6.
“We just needed a change of scenery,” Trzesniak said. “My wife is a Navy brat. She lived in Italy, Florida, Hawaii and Iceland growing up. We were in Frankfort 9 ½ years. It’s the longest she’s been in one place in her life.”
Trzesniak spent 10 years in the minor leagues, including parts of four seasons in Triple-A. He hit .252 with 111 doubles, 51 homers and 291 RBIs.
The call to the big leagues, however, never came. He believes he knows why.
“I wasn’t consistent enough with the bat,” he said. “That’s what prevented me from making it.
“Looking back, I think I needed to train differently. I was putting on too much muscle. I was too bulky. I needed to put on lean muscle. But I busted my (butt). I got close. I had a great time and made a lot of friends.”
Trzesniak didn’t make a lot of friends with the opposition. As a senior in 1999, Trzesniak launched a walk-off, two-run homer against H-F in the Class AA Thornwood Sectional championship game that he called “the highlight of my high school career.”
He recounted the at-bat as if it were yesterday. Runner on first base, no outs, bottom of the seventh inning. Andrew was down by one run.
“I was confident I was going to get a hit,” Trzesniak said. “I didn’t figure a homer. First pitch was a fastball out of the zone. I was sitting on a slider the next pitch and I got it.
“I didn’t think it was gone. From what I remember, I was running hard.”
The ball sailed over the center field fence.
Andrew fans rejoiced. H-F supporters were stunned. Twenty-one years later, Stanicek had this to say about Trzesniak’s blast.
“That name is not allowed to be spoken in my household,” Stanicek said only half-kidding. “My own children know that. It was agonizing.”
And if Trzesniak hadn’t come through, standing in the on-deck circle was Garrett Jones, a 14th-round pick that season by the Atlanta Braves who went on to enjoy an eight-year career in the major leagues.
“That was the thing,” Stanicek said. “It was a matter of picking your poison.”
Once his professional career ended, Trzesniak went back to school and earned a degree in sports management from Lewis University.
But when his daughter was born, he became a stay-at-home dad to his two kids. Could the 18-year-old Nick Trzesniak have ever imagined that?
“The 18-year-old Nick didn’t think he’d ever get married,” Trzesniak said with a laugh. “He thought he’d still be playing pro ball or sitting on the beach retired somewhere in San Diego. I didn’t lack confidence.”
Nor skill. He did reflect some on not playing sports in college.
“Hindsight is 20-20 and I love baseball, but I think I would give a shot to do baseball and football in college,” he said. “When the first football season rolled around, I was like, ‘Did I make the right decision?’
“I know I did, but I missed football a lot. Those were great times at Andrew. Great teammates and coaches. It’s fun to look back.”