Far-away dream comes true for Idaho native now enrolled at St. Thomas University

It was a small moment, yet it was sweet and kind of surreal.

The St. Thomas University Bobcats baseball team had lost their opening game of the 2015 NAIA World Series, falling 12-2 to Concordia in Lewiston, Idaho.

After the game, Tre Grittner -- a nine-year-old resident of Lewiston – approached some of the Bobcats players.

“I like you guys,” the boy said. “You guys are going to win it all.”

Chris Rodriguez, who was then a freshman pitcher at STU, was incredulous.

“I was thinking, ‘Did you not see what just happened?’ We got killed,” Rodriguez said. “But we told him, ‘Kid, if you stick with us and root for us, we will stick with you.’”

To say they have stuck together is an understatement.

After that game, the Bobcats beat Davenport, 8-3. Then they outscored Vanguard, 14-10. They edged top-seeded Oklahoma Baptist, 5-4. They defeated Faulkner, 6-3.

And, as they were rolling, the Bobcats took Tre with them just about everywhere, including the dugout. He was even on the field for the ceremonial introductions – much to the surprise of the boy’s parents, Colleen and Mitch.

“Oh my God!” Colleen said. “Tre and (his younger brother) Dash would run around trying to grab foul balls. But then I look up, and they’re on the field with the players. I was shocked.”

After STU’s first win, the players invited Tre to come with them for a team meal at Southway Pizzeria & Deli.

Colleen, alarmed at first, allowed her son to go with the team but only after she talked to STU coach Jorge Perez.

“Tre became part of our team,” Perez said.

The Bobcats showed their love for Tre by taking time out from their World Series schedule to attend one of his Little League playoff games.

Prior to their arrival, Tre’s mom tried to caution him.

“I told Tre, ‘They’re busy. Don’t get your hopes up,” Colleen said. “But when the whole team showed up in full uniform, we were shocked.”

And when the umpires were late to the Little League playoffs that day, a couple of Bobcats players stepped in and worked the game.

Sadly for Tre and the Bobcats, STU lost the NAIA championship game 10-7 to Lewis & Clark State.

But even after that defeat, Tre kept in touch with Perez, Rodriguez and the rest of the Bobcats.

Every year, the Grittner family watched STU compete in the regional playoffs on live streams, hoping for a return trip to Lewiston by the Bobcats.

Finally, in 2019, the Bobcats made it back. Rodriguez, a fifth-year senior by that point, brought his mother, Lisa, on the trip to Lewiston.

Since Rodriguez and Tre had stayed in touch, Lisa accepted an invitation and stayed with the Grittner family.

The families are so close that Colleen calls Rodriguez “my Florida son.”

At the 2019 NAIA World Series, Tre, once again, was at every STU game as the Bobcats won four of their first five contests before finally losing to top-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan, 6-2, in the championship final.

As Tre Grittner grew, his love for the Bobcats never faded.

Last week, he enrolled at St. Thomas University, where he will play football.

Grittner, now 18, is a 5-8, 160-pound slot receiver. Playing on a Lewiston High team with a run-heavy offense, Grittner caught 11 passes for 211 yards and one touchdown last season.

Tony Neymeiyer, STU’s offensive coordinator, said Grittner’s love for the Bobcats “didn’t factor into his evaluation” of the player.

“But you can’t ignore his passion and his connection, either,” Neymeiyer said. “In the recruiting process, we spend so much time trying to build that love for the school. It’s nice when it’s there organically.”

In terms of pure football, the Bobcats – who went 9-4 last season while making the national playoffs – appreciate the way Grittner blocks.

“It’s important to have a physical presence, no matter what position you play,” Neymeiyer said. “The reason we run the ball so explosively is because our receivers block downfield, and Tre has that aggressiveness.”

When Grittner was at STU last week for orientation, he – of course – stayed with the Rodriguez family, including Chris’ parents, Lisa and Freddy. In fact, Freddy served as Grittner’s father figure at orientation.

Also last week, Grittner attended his first Marlins game, hanging out with Chris Rodriguez.

Grittner said his parents were initially concerned about him going to college 3,027 miles away from their home in Lewiston.

“But once everything fell in line, they said: ‘You have to do this,’” Grittner said.

Grittner, who had a 3.3 grade-point average at Lewiston High, will major in Exercise Science at STU. His goal is to become a physical therapist.

Playing football is an added bonus, and, this time, it will be Rodriguez who will be watching Grittner’s games.

In a way, Tre Grittner is the younger brother Rodriguez never had.

Rodriguez, now a 28-year-old police officer in Broward County’s Lighthouse Point, said STU’s association with Grittner has a deeper meaning.

“After losing the opener, we were thinking we might go home after just two games,” Rodriguez said.

“But here was this little nine-year-old boy. He had more faith in us than we had in ourselves.”