By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Senior first baseman Robbie Verst is the leading hitter on Brossart’s baseball team even though he’s playing with a brace on his back due to a herniated disc. The fact that he missed all of last season due to knee surgery makes his .452 batting average in 20 games even more impressive.
“He’s just a very good natural hitter,” said Brossart coach Ron Verst, the player’s uncle. “Not knowing what we were going to get from him this year, we’re thrilled that he’s been healthy and able to contribute at such a high level.”
Injuries have played havoc with Robbie’s high school sports career. It started with a stress fracture in his back when he was on the freshman basketball team. As a sophomore, broken bones in his foot sidetracked his return to basketball and a wrist injury hampered him in baseball.
He sat out both sports last school year after tearing the ACL in one of his knees during preseason basketball practice. That injury put an end to Robbie’s basketball career, but he was determined to play baseball as a senior.
“There were times where I was getting hurt so much and it was like, ‘Is it worth all of this,’” Robbie said. “But I still wanted to play baseball, that’s always been a big part of my life.”
In the fall, Robbie played on the Brossart golf team for the first time and got through the season with no setbacks. That team won the 10th Region All “A” Classic championship.
He’s not sure if golf caused his back problems to flare up. The herniated disc prevented him from pitching for the Brossart baseball team this spring, but swinging the bat is something he can still do quite well.
In a game at Covington Catholic on Friday, Robbie went 2-for-3 at the plate to boost his batting average to .452 (28 of 62). He has gotten one hit or more in 18 of 20 games this season. In the last six games, he was 10-of-19 with two walks and only one strikeout.
“I’ve always been pretty focused on hitting, but since I wasn’t going to pitch I knew I had to step up my hitting,” Robbie said. “I just go up (to the plate) with a clear mind and just get the pitch I can hit.”
Coach Verst said his nephew, a left-handed hitter, has a fluid swing that enables him to hit the ball to all areas of the field. After getting off to such a strong start, he needs to avoid any of the frustrating setbacks that plagued him during the first three years of his high school career.
“He wears that brace and as a coach you hold your breath sometimes,” Verst said. “When he dives for a ball or slides into a base, you just think that one play could aggravate it and that would be end of the season for him.”
With three weeks remaining in the regular season, Brossart is 10-12 overall and 2-8 against 10th Region opponents. With Robbie unable to pitch, the team’s ace has been senior left-hander Evan Moore, who had a 4-1 record and 0.86 ERA in seven games.
“We’re not real deep from a lineup standpoint, being a single A school,” coach Verst said. “When Evan’s on the mound, we’re pretty good. When he’s not, we have to move guys all around to cover positions.”
There’s a good chance Moore will be on the mound Monday when Brossart plays an important district seeding game at Scott. The Mustangs’ next home game will be Thursday against Walton-Verona, but Robbie might not be there.
Each year, Kentucky high school athletes who overcome adversity are named to the All-Resilient Team and honored at the Kentucky High School Athletic Directors Association awards dinner. Robbie is among 26 athletes chosen for this year’s All-Resilient Team and the awards dinner is scheduled for Thursday in Louisville.
“I’m still deciding because we do have a game that day, but I’ll probably go because it should be a pretty cool event,” Robbie said.
The other Northern Kentucky athletes named to his year’s All-Resilient Team are Ava Coleman of Scott, Blake Folke of Covington Catholic, Jeramiah Israel of Lloyd and Vinny Petroze of Newport Central Catholic.