Moving From Qb To 3B North Central’S Froscheiser Sees Baseball In His Future

Three episodes help explain what Nick Froscheiser means to North Central’s athletic teams.

In the first, quarterback Froscheiser followed up his Greater Spokane League single-game passing record of 405 yards by completed just one pass against Rogers.

Yet Froscheiser preferred his second effort, because NC defeated Rogers. His recordsetting night came in a loss to Mt. Spokane.

The second example occurred during an NC baseball practice. Froscheiser took a ball to the forehead during a drill, but didn’t want to sit down to recuperate.

“You could see the seams on his forehead,” said NC baseball coach Scott Harmon.

Finally, there was Froscheiser’s reaction after hitting a grand slam at Rogers last season.

“He had this beaming smile,” Harmon said. “It’s nice to see a kid who can play hard-nosed … but can do something like hit a grand slam and come around the bases with a winning smile. That’s what this game is all about.”

NC hopes its game is all about picking up where the 1998 GSL baseball season left off. The Indians started the season 2-7, but rebounded to make the district playoffs.

Aaron Farr, an NC senior in ‘98, led the league in batting at .642. The right-handed hitting Froscheiser was No. 6, with a .491 average, and now assumes a major role in providing senior leadership.

NC has 10 seniors on its 16-man roster. Froscheiser and his good friend, Brett Pearson, are entering their third year on varsity.

Froscheiser has been a third baseman since his days of grade-school ball in Olathe, Kan. The family moved to Spokane during Nick’s seventh-grade year, when Curt Froscheiser was transferred by Burlington Northern Railway.

The move was beneficial to NC in more than one way. Mary Froscheiser volunteers in NC’s office once a week.

Nick hadn’t played football until his freshman year at NC. He started as a tight end.

“Then my weightlifting coach told me I had a quarterback’s body,” Froscheiser said. “I never even thought about playing QB.”

By the time his football career was finished, Froscheiser had thrown for nearly 2,300 yards. Better yet, NC won its final four games last season to finish 5-4, its first winning season since 1991.

“I threw for one third of my yards in the first (Mt. Spokane) game,” Froscheiser said. “But after that, they didn’t have to rely on me.”

Froscheiser was selected as second-team, all-GSL quarterback.

But baseball will be his sport in college. Froscheiser’s initial list includes Community Colleges of Spokane, North Idaho College and Pitzer of Ontario, Calif.

Three of the four seniors on NC’s ‘98 roster are playing in college.

“My goal is to make this program successful year after year,” said fourth-year coach Harmon, who played at Shadle Park and Gonzaga University. “We want to be like U-Hi, Ferris, CV or Shadle, so the kids know we have that kind of tradition.”

The next Froscheiser in that tradition should be Nick’s sophomore brother Josh, a junior varsity player this season. NC has just one sophomore on varsity.

AT A GLANCE GSL baseball Defending champion: Ferris Regional representatives: Ferris, University Returning all-leaguers: First team - Josh Mills, Ferris; Nick Froscheiser, North Central; Kyle Ellenz, Mead. Second team - Chet Womach, Shadle Park; Chris Hughbanks, Mt. Spokane; Derek Pegg, Gonzaga Prep; Taylor West, Rogers; Josh Shelton, Ferris. New coaches: Dexter Davis, Lewis and Clark; Dave Vaughn, Mead, after a one-year hiatus. Today’s openers: Mead at Central Valley; Ferris at NC; U-Hi at Rogers; Shadle vs. LC at Hart Field; G-Prep at Mt. Spokane; all 3:30 p.m. Projected finish: Ferris, CV, Mead, Shadle, NC, U-Hi, LC, Rogers, Mt. Spokane, G-Prep.