Owen Krizan is not an ordinary baseball player. Scratch that. Owen Krizan is not an ordinary kid.

Krizan is the youngest member of the varsity baseball team, a freshman in high school playing with kids who are four years older than him.

This is actually the first year Krizan has played baseball in any Grand Haven uniform and he has proven that he is capable of playing at this level.

“At first I was like nobody’s gonna know who I am,” Krizan said.  “But everyone knows who I am now.”

Krizan used to play for a talented team out of Detroit and could only make it to limited practices which caused him to eventually switch to teams in West Michigan. While playing in Detroit, his coach’s words left an impact on him that affected his work ethic greatly and changed the way he viewed the game.

“My coach was like ‘you’re not as good as good as them and you’re probably not going to play as much’,” Krizan said. “So I moved back to a team over here and did all I could to get better and now I’m better than all them.”

“I definitely keep those words in the back of my head.” Krizan said.

Krizan is deeply respected by his head coach who sees great potential in his abilities and admires many of his characteristics.

“He handles the ups and downs of baseball very well and is always looking to improve on his game,” varsity baseball coach Mike Hansen said.

Baseball is everything for Krizan. He currently plays for the Grand Rapids Diamonds, one of the most elite travel teams in the state of Michigan. Krizan has been playing for years on many prestigious travel teams who have played in showcases all over the nation in states like Texas, South Carolina, Arizona, New York, Oklahoma, Florida, etc. He is currently being scouted by colleges such as Aquinas.

“Owen has physical talents and advanced instincts,” Hansen said. “That makes him ready to play at this level at an earlier time than most.”

The Diamonds play in several tournaments this year and all seven are being played at Division I colleges. Scouts will be attending all of these tournaments and it is a goal of Krizan to play Division I college baseball and possibly even big league baseball.

This goal may sound far fetched but for a kid who has a work ethic like Krizan, the sky’s the limit.

“It kinda hit me that it’s possible,” Krizan said.

Krizan attributes much of his success to his dedication and tenacity.

“I give 100% effort every time,” Krizan said. “Every pitch I go all out. I wanna win. I want to be the best. Whatever I can contribute I’ll do.”

Krizan may be young, but in the short amount of time he has gotten to know his teammates and coaches, it is obvious that they think highly of him.

“He’s a great kid,” sophomore Ethan Peters said. “He’s unique in the fact that he’s a very humble kid and there’s not too many like that.”

Sophomore Ethan Peters is also a youngster on the varsity team, which has helped strengthen his bond with Krizan.

“It’s a different experience knowing that you’re not the only underclassmen on the team,” Peters said. “It takes some of the burdens off your shoulders.”

Krizan has a rich family history of baseball greatness. His grandfather played professionally for the Brooklyn Dodgers and was scouted by the same individual who scouted Jackie Robinson. Both of Krizan’s brothers played and so did his father and uncle. Baseball is in this family’s blood.

“Everyone in my family did it, it’s just something we did,” Krizan said.

It’s not just on the field where he gives 100%, it’s in the offseason as well. Krizan used to play football, basketball and baseball but this year decided to quit the game of basketball so he could use his winters for offseason training for his true love, baseball.

“It’s simple it’s the game I love,” Krizan said. “If I could do it every day, I’d do it.”