GROVE CITY — Andy Fritz is definitely a late bloomer.

But the Knoch graduate’s prowess behind the plate has helped turn Grove City College’s baseball team into an early bloomer this spring.

Fritz, a junior, is hitting .387 for the Wolverines and has caught every game but two thus far. Grove City is 15-5 — off to its best start in 10 years.

“I never hit above .280 in high school,” Fritz said. “I played for an excellent travel team (Steel City Select) in travel ball and that’s what got me going.”

Defense has always been Fritz’s forte. He was only the fourth catcher on the depth chart his freshman season and rarely played. Fritz appeared in 10 games — starting three — and hit a mere .231 as Grove City struggled to a 9-26 record.

“Defense is the reason I was here in the first place,” Fritz said. “I love blocking baseballs behind the plate, handling pitchers, framing pitches.

“Defense has always been my thing.”

Last year, offense joined the party.

As a first-year starter his sophomore year, Fritz led the Presidents’ Athletic Conference with a .473 batting average which ranked fifth nationally in NCAA Division III. It also marked the second-highest batting average in GCC baseball history, trailing only John Avdellas’ .493 in 1988.

Between the end of last season and beginning of this one, Fritz put together a school-record 27-game hitting streak.

“He’s a consistent hitter because he keeps it very simple,” GCC interim head coach Matt Royer said. “He doesn’t have a lot of movement at the plate, doesn’t have a big stride.

“Andy gets the ball in play and usually hits it hard. That type of hitter generally finds a lot of hits.”

Fritz hits fourth or fifth in the Wolverines’ lineup despite not hitting his first collegiate home run until earlier this season.

“He gets a lot of doubles and he finds the gaps,” Royer said. “He’s a productive hitter. To me, when a catcher hits, it’s a bonus.

“Last year, when Andy hit .400, it was incredible. This year, he’s proving it was no fluke.”

Royer has a son, Travis, on the team. He is a former Liberty University head baseball coach and is filling in at Grove City on an interim basis this season after Rob Skaricich resigned to pursue personal interests.

Skaricich won 277 games in 18 years with the Wolverines. Grove City finished 14-22 last season.

“Coach Royer is the best coach I’ve had in my entire life,” Fritz said. “He is just phenomenal. He knows more about baseball than anyone I know.

“He’s changed the whole atmosphere around here. I can’t give him a good enough review.”

Fritz is as enthusiastic in the classroom as he is about his coach.

He is carrying a 3.0 grade point average as a marketing management major at Grove City. He hopes to work someday in market research.

“I pride myself on being a student first and an athlete second,” Fritz said. “I play baseball because I love to play baseball, not to build a career out of it.

“I was hitting .500 for a good part of last season. I don’t know how that happened. I was just blessed.”

He has gone from a seldom-used freshman to an everyday catcher who Royer admits can’t be taken out of the lineup.

“Andy catches both ends of doubleheaders,” Royer said. “The way he’s hitting, and how strong he is defensively ... I just don’t want to sit him down.”

Fritz has no problem with that.

“I never get tired of playing,” he said. “I love this game. But I’ve never been a goal-setter. I just believe in the process. Keep doing the little things right and big things will happen.”