Following his junior campaign, Dale Grant was expected to be the leader of the pitching staff for the Muskogee Roughers in 2023. But just as everyday life creates unexpected challenges, the right-handed hurler encountered a detour that eventually has put him back on the right road.

“When I got hurt, it really opened my eyes and I learned how selfish I was with my teammates and how that impacted our team,” Dale said recalling his fall from scaffolding that almost ended his chances to play his final year in high school. “The guys on the team have helped me through this challenge, not just with baseball but in everyday life. This is what made me determined to be part of this season.”

Grant, who also plays shortstop and third base, prefers to stand on top of the mound wearing his number-5 jersey.

“In crunch time, my go-to pitch is my slider,” he said. “The slider is such a interesting pitch. Its one that I have control over and it’s so hard to hit.”

Grant, who maintains a 4.0 GPA and membership in the National Honor Society, is actively involved in the Muskogee FFA chapter which explains one reason for his choice as his favorite baseball player.

“Randy Johnson is a country boy at heart like me,” Grant explained noting his “me-time” love for outdoors by going hunting and fishing. “Everyone who knows baseball will agree he was a great pitcher.”

The Roughers senior chose a simple word as a self-defining mission for his efforts on and off the field.

“Determined-because I will get it done when it matters most and when I start something I’ll finish it,” Dale said. “I hope by my efforts you know that I am a leader that people can trust to follow through and that when I say something I mean it.”

And thanks to the game of baseball and the ever-present words of influence from his dad, Dale Grant has a vision for finding his way into the win column, on and off the field including plans following high school to go to work as a plumber’s apprentice or a military career.

“Baseball offers many challenges to be the best and teaches me that persistence is the key,” said Dale. “My father’s words – fortune favors the bold- is something that has always stuck with me, and I think of that quote whenever I make a decision.”