Central Michigan University Athletics
Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
Rollin' With It
5/25/2021 10:12:00 AM | Baseball
Griffin Lockwood-Powell has been through the ups and downs through his career as a Chippewa baseball player
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Griffin Lockwood-Powell rolls with it and presses on.
The senior catcher has taken more than his share of punches to the gut – mostly on the medical/health front -- in his five years at Central Michigan.
And yet, he's on his feet again and back behind the plate, in the middle of the lineup, answering the bell as the Chippewas attempt to put the finishing touches on a second-consecutive Mid-American Conference baseball championship this weekend at Toledo.
"I couldn't be prouder of Griff," CMU coach Jordan Bischel said. "He's had some bad breaks since he's been here, literally and figuratively."
A torn labrum, a broken thumb, and COVID, which ultimately may have cost him a legitimate shot at pro ball. It's all happened to the easy-going Sioux Falls, S.D. native who, at 6-foot-2 and a strapping 200 pounds, displays an unflappable calm.
He is a prototype catcher in size, strength, and demeanor. He's also human.
"Wasn't the easiest thing for me to be sitting out but cheering on my teammates kind of got me through it," he said. "I think I kind of pride myself on not getting too high or too low. You've just got to find a way through it."
• In 2018, Lockwood-Powell suffered a torn labrum in his hip as a redshirt freshman and was limited to the designated hitter role. Still, he hit .311 with four home runs and 36 RBI, earning First Team All-Mid-American Conference honors.
• In 2019, he was 100 percent healthy and behind the plate full time, earning First Team All-MAC and All-Region honors. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the MAC Tournament as he helped lead CMU to the league regular-season and tournament titles and into the NCAA Tournament, hitting .345 with 11 homers, a CMU single-season record 74 RBI, and a .587 slugging percentage.
• In 2020, the season was cut short by COVID. He was hitting .297 with a home run and 10 RBI when the season ended after 17 games. He was draft eligible but never got the call on draft day, almost certainly a result of a draft that was shortened to five rounds because of COVID.
This season, Lockwood-Powell broke his thumb in Chippewas' seventh game. He was sidelined for eight weeks, missing 28 games.
He might have been out of the lineup, but he remained fully engaged, Bischel said.
"He begged to be at everything," Bischel said. "He wouldn't miss a game. The day he had surgery on his thumb he was asking if he could come back down to West Virginia to go to the game the same day. We kept him home for a day to start rehab."
Lockwood-Powell returned when the Chippewas hosted Miami (Ohio) in a MAC series on the first weekend of May. He went hitless in 14 at-bats in the series – not surprisingly, it takes time to work back into it – and then had three hits the following weekend in CMU's showdown series with Ball State.
It's gotten progressively better. He had four hits in a four-game series at Western Michigan two weeks ago, and last weekend had four as the Chippewas swept Eastern Michigan to increase their MAC lead to two games with four remaining. The Chippewas are 12-5 since his return.
And while his production has steadily increased, Lockwood-Powell's biggest contribution may be a little harder to define.
"Just a tremendous teammate," Bischel said. "I don't think there's a guy in that locker room that doesn't think that he has their back. He was a big part of our success even when he missed 28 games. Good to have him back here. He's still coming around; he's getting better every week. I think everybody feels like he's going to have a lot of production (going forward) because he's starting to find everything."
His presence in the clubhouse, in the dugout, and behind the plate is palpable. As a catcher, his relationship with the pitching staff is crucial, and it helps immensely that he is a fifth-year player and a longtime good friend of the veterans on the staff.
"It's just different for every guy," said Lockwood-Powell, who holds a bachelor's degree with a major in law and economics and is working toward an MBA. "There's some guys that you have to remind them that they're good and that the world does technically revolve around them. Then there's guys that you've got to kind of calm down and tell them to breathe, things like that."
Another draft day looms and, who knows, he may get a call from a Major League Baseball organization and be on his way, a dream deferred but, at long last, fulfilled. He could also return to CMU for a sixth season, because of COVID, in 2022.
But Griffin Lockwood-Powell isn't thinking about that today; instead, he's looking ahead to the weekend at Toledo and the possibility of another MAC championship and another trip to the NCAA Tournament.
He knows it can change, possibly end, in an instant with a slide into a base that results in a broken bone. Or he could hit a three-run homer to win a game, or call a perfect game, as he did earlier this season when he was behind the dish for Jordan Patty's perfecto, the first in program history.
"I'll enjoy it while I'm here and when it's over, it's over, and I'll kind of figure it out then," Lockwood-Powell said. "We'll see when we get there."
The senior catcher has taken more than his share of punches to the gut – mostly on the medical/health front -- in his five years at Central Michigan.
And yet, he's on his feet again and back behind the plate, in the middle of the lineup, answering the bell as the Chippewas attempt to put the finishing touches on a second-consecutive Mid-American Conference baseball championship this weekend at Toledo.
"I couldn't be prouder of Griff," CMU coach Jordan Bischel said. "He's had some bad breaks since he's been here, literally and figuratively."
A torn labrum, a broken thumb, and COVID, which ultimately may have cost him a legitimate shot at pro ball. It's all happened to the easy-going Sioux Falls, S.D. native who, at 6-foot-2 and a strapping 200 pounds, displays an unflappable calm.
He is a prototype catcher in size, strength, and demeanor. He's also human.
"Wasn't the easiest thing for me to be sitting out but cheering on my teammates kind of got me through it," he said. "I think I kind of pride myself on not getting too high or too low. You've just got to find a way through it."
• In 2018, Lockwood-Powell suffered a torn labrum in his hip as a redshirt freshman and was limited to the designated hitter role. Still, he hit .311 with four home runs and 36 RBI, earning First Team All-Mid-American Conference honors.
• In 2019, he was 100 percent healthy and behind the plate full time, earning First Team All-MAC and All-Region honors. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the MAC Tournament as he helped lead CMU to the league regular-season and tournament titles and into the NCAA Tournament, hitting .345 with 11 homers, a CMU single-season record 74 RBI, and a .587 slugging percentage.
• In 2020, the season was cut short by COVID. He was hitting .297 with a home run and 10 RBI when the season ended after 17 games. He was draft eligible but never got the call on draft day, almost certainly a result of a draft that was shortened to five rounds because of COVID.
This season, Lockwood-Powell broke his thumb in Chippewas' seventh game. He was sidelined for eight weeks, missing 28 games.
He might have been out of the lineup, but he remained fully engaged, Bischel said.
"He begged to be at everything," Bischel said. "He wouldn't miss a game. The day he had surgery on his thumb he was asking if he could come back down to West Virginia to go to the game the same day. We kept him home for a day to start rehab."
Lockwood-Powell returned when the Chippewas hosted Miami (Ohio) in a MAC series on the first weekend of May. He went hitless in 14 at-bats in the series – not surprisingly, it takes time to work back into it – and then had three hits the following weekend in CMU's showdown series with Ball State.
It's gotten progressively better. He had four hits in a four-game series at Western Michigan two weeks ago, and last weekend had four as the Chippewas swept Eastern Michigan to increase their MAC lead to two games with four remaining. The Chippewas are 12-5 since his return.
And while his production has steadily increased, Lockwood-Powell's biggest contribution may be a little harder to define.
"Just a tremendous teammate," Bischel said. "I don't think there's a guy in that locker room that doesn't think that he has their back. He was a big part of our success even when he missed 28 games. Good to have him back here. He's still coming around; he's getting better every week. I think everybody feels like he's going to have a lot of production (going forward) because he's starting to find everything."
His presence in the clubhouse, in the dugout, and behind the plate is palpable. As a catcher, his relationship with the pitching staff is crucial, and it helps immensely that he is a fifth-year player and a longtime good friend of the veterans on the staff.
"It's just different for every guy," said Lockwood-Powell, who holds a bachelor's degree with a major in law and economics and is working toward an MBA. "There's some guys that you have to remind them that they're good and that the world does technically revolve around them. Then there's guys that you've got to kind of calm down and tell them to breathe, things like that."
Another draft day looms and, who knows, he may get a call from a Major League Baseball organization and be on his way, a dream deferred but, at long last, fulfilled. He could also return to CMU for a sixth season, because of COVID, in 2022.
But Griffin Lockwood-Powell isn't thinking about that today; instead, he's looking ahead to the weekend at Toledo and the possibility of another MAC championship and another trip to the NCAA Tournament.
He knows it can change, possibly end, in an instant with a slide into a base that results in a broken bone. Or he could hit a three-run homer to win a game, or call a perfect game, as he did earlier this season when he was behind the dish for Jordan Patty's perfecto, the first in program history.
"I'll enjoy it while I'm here and when it's over, it's over, and I'll kind of figure it out then," Lockwood-Powell said. "We'll see when we get there."
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