By Rich Palzewic
Contributing Writer
DE PERE – After a successful playing career at Bay Port High School and St. Norbert College (SNC), Grant Maus is taking his baseball knowledge to the next level.
Maus was recently named the full-time assistant coach at SNC.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to come back and coach where I played for four years,” Maus said. “I get the chance to coach guys who I played with and the new incoming freshmen. I’m excited to be part of the staff.”
Maus last put on a Green Knights’ uniform in the spring of 2023 and then moved into a part-time assistant role with the team later that year.
SNC Head Coach Mike Wallerich said, “Grant is a great addition to the staff for our athletic department and our baseball program.”
“With him having played at SNC, it gives him a sense of pride and a home feel,” he said. “It’s always great to add alumni to the department — it shows commitment to what they experienced as student-athletes. I have known Grant for more than 10 years because he used to take lessons from me as a youth player. I’m excited to help him grow in his career path as a coach but also as a mentor. I’m excited to see his progression.”
From a player to coach
Maus, who began his SNC career as both an outfielder and a pitcher, said he always had visions of coaching – albeit, he didn’t think it would happen so quickly.
“It was always in the back of my mind,” he said. “I never thought it would be realistic in a way — not many people get the opportunity to do this. I wasn’t sure it would ever happen, and certainly didn’t expect it to happen so soon.”
Maus said a conversation he had with Wallerich helped him in his coaching journey.
“Coach always knew I had coaching aspirations,” he said. “He’s always been a guy to bring back players who he thinks were meaningful to the program. He asked me a couple of months after the (2023) season when things were winding down — I jumped on it. I was a part-timer for the fall season and working at Schneider.”
Then, at the end of January, Maus said Wallerich called him into his office.
“It was coach and our athletic director, Cam Fuller,” he said. “They offered me the full-time role that had been offered to the school.”
Maus, who graduated from Bay Port in 2019, was a pitcher and outfielder during his days in a Pirates’ uniform.
He said it’s been an adjustment going from playing with guys at SNC who he’s now coaching.
“Because I was a part-time coach (in the fall of 2023), I’ve gotten past that, but at first, it wasn’t easy,” he said. “I’m not a player anymore — I’m their coach. It was a tough transition because I played with some of these guys for three years who are now seniors. You can’t play favoritism — you have to put the best player on the field, whether it’s a freshman or senior.”
Maus said Wallerich pointed him in the right direction regarding the transition.
“He did a great job in discussing that with me,” he said.
Maus will be in charge of the pitchers and recruiting.
“We have lots of local talent who I’ll be recruiting to come play at St. Norbert,” he said.
SNC has three players from Bay Port (Matt Perry, Aidan Colombo, Connor LaBar), one from Green Bay Southwest (Cole Bzdawka), one from Ashwaubenon (Matt Schuch) and one from Seymour (Will DeBruin) on this year’s roster.
Moving forward, Maus said he hopes to be a head coach someday.
“Wherever that may be,” he said. “Hopefully, the right opportunity will come up, but for now, I’m excited to learn from Coach Wallerich — I’m young and have lots to learn yet.”
Coming to St. Norbert
When Maus was recruited to play at SNC, he said it was “the right decision.”
“I got recruited by some other schools, but with my connection to Coach Wallerich, I felt at home here,” he said.
Maus’ path from a player at SNC to coach wasn’t always smooth sailing.
He was hampered by a nagging foot injury early in his four-year Green Knights career.
“I broke my foot my freshman year, but that was the COVID-19 season (in 2020), so we only got three games in,” Maus said. “My sophomore year, coming off my foot injury, I fractured my foot again, so I was down another year. In my junior year, I decided to focus solely on pitching. I found the twists and turns associated with playing the outfield weren’t good for my foot. My senior year, I was in the same role as I was as a junior — coming out of the bullpen.”
Maus said he also played through a torn labrum during his last two years at SNC.
“I opted not to have surgery because I knew my baseball time was coming to an end,” he said. “I pitched through it with the help of the SNC training staff building up the muscles around the labrum.”
This year’s team
The 2024 Green Knights were chosen to finish 11th in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference’s annual pre-season poll of the league’s coaches and sports information directors.
The Green Knights received 92 points.
Aurora University and Benedictine University were tied for first, with each totaling 316 points and 13 first-place votes.
“I think we’re looking good,” Maus said. “Last year, my senior year, three of the four pitchers in our lineup were freshmen, so we’re bringing back three starters there. The freshmen class this year is good. Mix those with the upperclassmen, and I think we’re going to shock some teams that are writing us off.”
SNC has begun the year with a win and two losses and will travel to the University of Dubuque March 2-3 for a trio of games.
The Green Knights open the home portion of their schedule on Saturday, March 30, when they host Dominican University in a doubleheader starting at noon at the Mel Nicks Sports Complex in De Pere.