Knox Pages will select one student athlete to be recognized as the Park National Bank Athlete of the Month during the 2023-24 school year. Nominations for Athlete of the Month are accepted from Athletic Directors and Coaches, but are ultimately chosen by Knox Pages and are based on the student’s exceptional athletic performance, effective teamwork and achievement in their communities. Park National Bank is proud to support this initiative and is giving the athletic department of each school $1,000 in honor of each athlete chosen.
DANVILLE — The last time Danville played in the state softball tournament, Grace Gronberg went along for the ride.
If the Blue Devils are to return to Akron’s Firestone Stadium later this spring, Gronberg will have a far more active role.
The senior is the Park National Bank Athlete of the Month for April.
Gronberg was an elementary school-aged student manager for the 2017 Danville team that reached the Division IV state championship game. The Blue Devils beat Lucas in the semifinals before falling to Williamsburg 3-2 in the finals.
The experience left a lasting impression.
“I still remember the bus ride there and being there in the dugout with the girls,” Gronberg said on a rainy Thursday afternoon before the Blue Devils began what they hope is an extended postseason run. “It was really exciting. I do hope to get back there.”
The 2017 team was led by pitcher Shanna Mickley, a Division IV All-Ohio first-teamer. What Mickley was to the 2017 Blue Devils, Gronberg is to the 2024 edition of Danville softball — and then some.
As a pitcher, Gronberg was 14-5 during the regular season with 96 strikeouts and a 2.04 earned run average in 96 innings of work. At the plate, she led the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference with a .609 batting average, 37 runs batted in and 11 home runs.
“Her pitching is definitely what we lean on the most, but she’s really put a lot of time into the offensive side this season and it shows,” Danville coach Charlie Duncan said. “She’s coming up with big hits and RBIs and even hitting the long ball.
“She’s always stepped up and been a clutch player for us.”
The affable Gronberg has been clutch for the Blue Devils since her freshman year, when she helped Danville win a district title before an excruciating 11-10 loss to Newark Catholic in the regional semifinals.
As a sophomore, Gronberg was 6-6 in the circle with a 3.50 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 78 innings of work. The Blue Devils again advanced to regional before falling to Portsmouth Notre Dame in the semifinals.
Last year, Gronberg was 7-5 with 98 strikeouts and a 2.04 ERA in 75.1 innings. The Blue Devils fell to Newark Catholic in the district championship game, snapping a streak of seven straight district titles dating to 2015 (there was no season in 2020 because of the pandemic).
That loss has motivated Gronberg and fellow seniors Broegan Staats, Emily Weckesser and Jaylyn Smith.
“Obviously we didn’t play how we wanted to play last year. We didn’t play our game.” Gronberg said. “All year we’ve been motivating ourselves to get back to that district championship game and win.
“We have three other great seniors and we all take that responsibility (of being leaders).”
Danville opened the season in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The Blue Devils dropped their opener 5-4 to IC Catholic Prep, one of the top teams out of Illinois.
Danville won its final three games in South Carolina, setting the stage for what was a remarkable regular season. The Blue Devils were 21-4, including a perfect 10-0 run through the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference.
“We had three goals as a team this year and (winning the KMAC) was one of them,” Gronberg said. “It was great to accomplish it.”
In addition to a grueling KMAC schedule, Danville upped the ante in the non-conference. The Blue Devils competed in the rugged Mid-Ohio Spring Classic (formerly the Wendy’s Spring Classic), going 2-1. Danville fell to Portsmouth Notre Dame before roughing up small-school heavyweights Vienna Mathews and Hillsdale by a combined score of 27-1.
“We played a really tough schedule. We went to Myrtle Beach and to the Mid-Ohio Spring Classic,” Duncan said. “We felt like we played well against good competition. Then our league is very good with teams like Centerburg and Cardington.”
The state coaches association has taken notice. Danville was ranked fourth in Division IV in the most recent state poll.
While state rankings are nice, Gronberg and her teammates want to take care of business on the field. Danville was the top seed in the Division IV central district tournament draw and opted for a first-round bye.
Longtime nemesis Newark Catholic earned the No. 2 seed and took the unusual step of placing itself on the same half of the bracket as Danville. The Blue Devils beat the Green Wave 7-0 in the sectional final that began Thursday and concluded Friday because of rain.
“We want to win the district championship since we lost last year,” Gronberg said.
Regardless of what happens in the postseason, Gronberg already has her post-graduation plans in order. She will play softball at Bluffton University.
“Their coach reached out to me after she saw me play during the summer,” Gronberg said. “I went up and visited campus and talked to her. A few months later I went up and spent a day with the team. I just really felt at home there.”
Bluffton is getting a steal, Duncan said.
“She excels in the classroom and she’s active in the community,” Duncan said. “She leads by example. If she sees something we’re struggling with as a team, she’s not afraid to speak up. And if she is struggling with something individually, she works on it on her own.
“As a senior, she’s taken that extra step to be a leader.”
