Arhart, Grzecka Make a Good Team Behind Plate for UCLA

Two former Orange County players, Josh Arhart and Casey Grzecka, have been sharing time at catcher for the UCLA baseball team this season and that’s helped both improve.

“I don’t think I would have done as well as I have this season without him around,” Arhart said of Grzecka. “Knowing there’s another good catcher on the team pushes you to keep doing the best you can.”

Both are juniors playing their first season for the Bruins. Each has caught about the same number of games.

Arhart, who graduated from Foothill High, played the last two seasons at Saddleback College. Grzecka, a Santa Margarita alumnus, played at Long Beach State for two seasons before transferring.

Bruin Coach Gary Adams is pleased with the contributions of both.

“They both have their strengths,” Adams said. “Casey has more experience calling a game. He’s been playing longer in Division I and probably has the edge in leadership, but Josh has improved by leaps and bounds this season. And Josh might have a little more pop in his bat.”

Arhart is batting .345 with three homers and 23 runs batted in; Grzecka is batting .227 with one homer and 13 RBIs.

“When you’re playing a lot of Friday night and Saturday afternoon games, it helps to have a rested catcher for the game on Saturday,” Adams said. “Not that we always platoon our catchers, but even when we have one guy starting most of the time, we try to make sure he gets some rest.”

Grzecka left Long Beach because he knew his playing time this season would be limited behind senior Bryan Kennedy. Grzecka started 25 games for the 49ers in 1999 when Kennedy was sidelined with a broken bone in his right foot, but appeared in only 17 last season when Kennedy was healthy.

“I had a meeting with Coach [Dave] Snow and he told me that with Bryan coming back, he was going to be the guy, but that I should be somewhere where I could play,” Grzecka said.

Arhart said he has worked hard this season on improving his catching skills.

“Coach [Jason] Green, who coaches the catchers, has helped me a lot with my receiving,”’ Arhart said. “I’m doing a better job of blocking pitches. It has also been an adjustment for me to call the game from behind the plate. Before, the coaches called every pitch.”

Arhart said the two catchers help each other with scouting reports on opponents.

“No matter who is in the game, we talk between innings sometimes on what is working and what isn’t,” Arhart said. “We’ve worked well together.”

FRANCISCO MAKES MARK

Another former Orange County player, sophomore outfielder Ben Francisco, is playing a key role for UCLA in his first year of Division I baseball.

Francisco, who played at Servite High, then at Cypress College for one season before joining the Bruins, is among the team’s leaders with five homers and 30 RBIs. He is batting .299.

“I thought I’d compete for a starting position this season,” Francisco said, “but I’m pleased that I’ve been in the lineup regularly.”

NOTEWORTHY

Swimmer Heidi Kraus (Irvine High) completed her second season at Yale with the team’s top times in the 500 freestyle at 4 minutes 54.83 seconds, the 1,000 freestyle at 10:06.68 and the 1,650 freestyle at 16:51.32. At the Ivy League championships, she took third in the 500 and fourth in the 1,650. She also was part of the 800 freestyle relay team that set a school record.

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