Oak Park-River Forest senior catcher David Trisko has never been a blue-chip baseball prospect, one of those young players coveted by college coaches and baseball scouts around the country.
Trisko played freshman A and then sophomore-level baseball for the Huskies, but he didn’t see much varsity playing time as a junior last season.
It seemed likely that his strong academic record at OPRF would land him in a good college but that his baseball career — as it does for most young players everywhere — would end once Trisko graduated high school.
Not so fast.
“I’ve had doubters at every level I’ve ever played,” Trisko said, “At every level, I’ve had to prove myself to somebody. But I knew I wanted to play college baseball when I was 9 years old.”
After last season, Trisko found a hitting coach in former Willowbrook star and MLB player Jody Gerut. Trisko’s father put up a batting cage in his back yard, and Trisko met with Gerut once a week during the offseason.
“My hands got faster, I started to stay inside the baseball better, and I started swinging harder,” Trisko said. “I owe a lot to (Gerut), and I worked hard all summer. I put the work in.”
Trisko hit nearly .500 in summer play for Team Acceleration prior to his senior year at OPRF. He also hit a growth spurt, going from a 5-foot-11 junior to a 6-foot-1 senior.
Through the Huskies’ first eight games while batting third, Trisko batted roughly .450 for coach Joe Parenti, who moves Trisko from catcher to first base to DH based on need.
“He’s been our best hitter at this point in the season,” Parenti said of Trisko. “He had game-tying RBI hits against Joliet Catholic and Hinsdale Central, and a home run against Willowbrook.
“When the pressure is on him a little bit, he seems to rise to the occasion. Our games have all been pretty tight, and he’s stayed consistent throughout.”
Hitters aren’t served well by swings in emotion, and Trisko says he tries to apply his even-keeled personality in the batter’s box.
“I take a deep breath, clear my mind, and I don’t think about anything,” Trisko said. “There’s nothing going through my mind in those situations.”
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In July of last year, determined to catch the eye of a college coach, Trisko attended a showcase tournament in New York. He hit a triple in a game there and piqued the interest of coaches from Case Western Reserve, a Division III college in Cleveland.
Trisko will attend Case Western next year. And anyone who has ever doubted him should know that he’ll be playing baseball there.
“Even when people haven’t believed in me, I never let it get to me,” Trisko said. “I was always committed to playing. I love baseball, and I’ve always kept the next level in my sights.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press