[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he wind is blowing and the grass has begun to cover the torn-up ground underneath Michael Gunartt’s feet. It’s spring, more specifically baseball season, and it’s the freshman varsity baseball player’s favorite time of the year.
He looks up at the sky and sheds a tear, then looks back down at his father’s headstone. It reads across the granite, “August 15th, 1976 – November 14th, 2012. In loving memory of a Father, Son and Friend.” It’s been two years since the unexpected loss of his father, who died of a sudden heart attack.
When Gunartt was three years old and played catch with his father for the first time, he fell in love with the game of baseball.
“I wish I could go back to 13U baseball when my dad would come to my games and support me,” he said. “My dad would give me tips on certain things and at that time I didn’t want to take his advice, but now all I need is his advice. He was right.”
His father’s death could have broken him, but instead Gunartt refuses to give up.
“I just want to be successful, and knowing that there is someone looking over me just makes me want to push myself even more,” he said.
Gunartt — who idolizes Alex Rodriguez, the New York Yankees third baseman — has been training for this moment since he was a young boy. He knew it would be a tough tryout, so he prepared himself for the worst. Not knowing he would have a spot on varsity in just a couple of weeks.
“I was extremely nervous for tryouts,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect, which sounds crazy because I always have a bat in hand. The nerves really kicked in right before the actual tryouts started.”
During his 28-year tenure as a baseball coach, Garry Gustafson said Gunartt, who plays first base and right field, is only the fourth freshman to make the varsity team.
“He is a kid that came in baseball ready,” he said. “He just needs to get his feet wet a little. He is a strong talented kid, ever since he moved up to varsity he hasn’t looked back since. He has a great personality. He is a kid that can swing the bat, can handle the pressure when needed, the sky’s the limit for Michael.”
Senior captain Matt De La Vega said Gunartt’s place on varsity was welcomed by his teammates.
“He is a very athletic kid who has a ton of potential,” he said. “He is still is learning a bunch about the game, but I’m excited to see where he goes because I believe he will make Niles West and myself proud to see what he will accomplish as a ball player.”
Gunartt said he was thrilled to make the varsity team as a freshman.
“It’s an accomplished feeling, but it’s always been an expectation that I had to play at a high level of baseball,” Gunartt said.
Gunartt plans on focusing on school and baseball throughout high school. Distractions and setbacks aren’t even an option for him.
“I have no love life, all my love really just goes into baseball that’s my main focus,” he said. “It’s all a kid my age needs to worry about.”
Gunartt said he is disappointed that the season came slow and ended soon (the Wolves finished with a 19-13 season), but he has big plans for the next upcoming season and plans to work hard over the summer.
“It’s all I’ve even worked for,” he said. “But now it’s my turn to really step up and train myself to be the best, that’s all I’ve ever really wanted to do, make my father proud.”
Video by Katrina Nickell
