Aug. 21—ROCHESTER — It was in seventh grade that Easton Fritcher was discovered as "different."
The dazzling kind of different. Fritcher was hitting baseballs with such steam that opposing parents became concerned that one of their kids was going to get hurt. He was that good.
"It was in seventh grade that the boss of the Blizzard (a traveling youth baseball organization) reached out to me," said Fritcher, a Hayfield native who plays his summer baseball for the Rochester Royals amateur team and has one more year of eligibility with Division I University of St. Thomas. "He sat me down and said I could (eventually) play college baseball. Before that, I just played for fun. That realization didn't change me too much. But it was kind of cool and I did work hard after that."
The 6-foot, 215-pound Fritcher worked hard enough and flashed enough natural ability to lead his Hayfield High School team to an undefeated 26-0 season and the Class 1A baseball state championship as a junior and to a second-place finish as a senior. He was named All-State both seasons.
That landed him a scholarship to the University of Minnesota, where he played a limited amount as a freshman, then redshirted his sophomore year in order to reconsider his baseball path.
Fritcher ultimately chose to transfer, landing across the Mississippi River at fellow Division I school St. Thomas in St. Paul.
Fritcher has gobbled up his experience there. An outfield starter the last two years, he batted a solid .270 both years and now has one final college season to look forward to.
"It's been great at St. Thomas," said Fritcher, a biology major. "It's definitely more my style. It has more of the small-town vibe, the classroom settings have been a great change and as far as teammates are concerned, I haven't met anyone that I haven't gotten along with. But that time at Minnesota was a great experience. It made me a better person and taught me that not all things are going to work out for you. You have to persevere and keep working until you find your spot."
As much as Fritcher is looking forward to his final go-around with the Tommies, the outgoing 22-year-old also likes what's happening in his baseball life right now.
For the fifth straight season, he's playing his summer baseball with the Rochester Royals, a Class A amateur team with a long history of excellence.
Fritcher, due to work and coaching commitments, has only played in about six of the Royals' 27 games (16-11) this summer. But when he's there, he's not only their best player but he is all in.
Fritcher is a major enthusiast for playing for the Royals, an organization he regards highly.
They have fun, it's relaxed, but they are there to win.
All of that suits him perfectly.
"The culture is super good there," said Fritcher, an outfielder and late-inning hard-throwing left-handed pitcher for the Royals. "We play pretty seriously. It's competitive baseball and I just enjoy playing there. They are flexible with your work schedule. I'd like to show up for every game if I could."
Royals player/manager Logan Milene would also like that. He knows how much his team changes when Fritcher is on hand.
"He impacts games," Milene said. "Every aspect of it, from hitting, to base running, to outfield, to pitching. He can do everything on a baseball field. We'd be a lot better if he was at every game, to close them down (as a final-inning pitcher) and to get his four or five at-bats a game. He's our all-around best player for sure. And he's got a lot of energy. He's super competitive. When it's game time, it is 'go' time for him."
The Royals on Sunday will embark on the state tournament. They take on Stockmen's Irish at 1:30 p.m. at Chaska in the first round. Win there and they'd play again at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 29 against the St. Patrick Irish at New Prague.
Fritcher says he will be in uniform for all of the state tournament and has high hopes for his team. He believes the Royals have enough hitting and pitching, but are going to need to do a better job of making plays in the field.
If all goes well, he can imagine them going far.
Fritcher would delight in that.
"I would absolutely love to win a state championship with the Royals," he said. "To experience it with this group of guys, that would be super cool."
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