Josh Elvir Preview
May 17, 2022 - Pioneer League (PL)
Grand Junction Jackalopes News Release
There are these moments in sports that happen so suddenly and are so awe-inspiring that they seem to freeze the crowd in action. A conversation gets left mid-sentence; a hot dog is abandoned mid-bite; a cheer gets caught in the throat. All eyes snap to the playing surface, and everything is still just for a moment.
Josh Elvir inspired such a moment at Suplizio Field last season. It was an 11-2 midsummer contest between the Rockies and the Rocky Mountain Vibes. That score and the game being on a Monday had been unconducive to retaining most of the crowd when Elvir stepped in for his fourth at-bat in the eighth inning.
He was off to a decent start as a professional, but there had been nothing to write home about in his first octet of ball games. That was about to change.
Ahead two strikes, Vibes pitcher Juan Diego Pineda tried to run a fastball up the ladder. Elvir was sitting on it. A thunderous *CRACK* echoed across the stadium, and the remaining crowd froze, watching the ball sail over the scoreboard, disappearing into the night and the parking lot beyond.
As with many home runs of its kind, without an official measurement, the distance the ball traveled "increased" the further from the event you asked about it. The night after: "450 maybe 475". The week after: "500 at least!" By this point, it may well have traveled across the parking lot and ended up in the city pool.
Regardless of its actual distance, that bomb announced Josh Elvir's arrival in professional baseball.
The outfielder came to the GJ Rockies following his final season at Angelo State University, a member of the DII Lone Star Conference. During his three seasons at Angelo, Elvir racked up just about every accolade a player could acquire:
-Division II Player of the Year (2019)
-Lone Star Conference Player of the Year (2019, 2021)
-All-American (2019, 2021)
-Golden Spikes Watch List (2021)
-Broke the Lone Star Conference Career Homerun Record
He did all this despite playing just three seasons, including a shortened 2020 year (they also did not hand out All-American and All-Conference awards that year).
"I can't believe he wasn't drafted," GJ Rockies GM Mick Ritter said.
Once in Grand Junction, Elvir played in 53 games, hitting .376 with 13 home runs. His 1.188 OPS was second in the Pioneer League among those with at least 200 at-bats.
"Not many people get to say they are professional athletes, much less professional baseball players," Elvir said. "For me, getting to do that was truly a blessing."
In college baseball, there isn't really any time off. The season runs from February to May; many players play summer ball May-August before returning to school and fall ball September-November. So this period, since the season ended in September, has been Elvir's first true offseason.
"It's been kind of cool to build my own routine in the weight room and the cages," Elvir said. "Finally, kind of find something that works for me."
He is specifically focusing on building muscle mass.
"When I was in college, I played so much that it was hard to put on a lot of weight," Elvir said, "With all this offtime, I've had a lot more flexibility to go into the weight room and push my body."
When we spoke, he weighed in at 227 Ibs, three pounds away from his goal of 230 Lbs.
"Everything feels good, still feels fast, the ball feels like it's coming off harder, and my arm feels good," Elvir said.
Aside from getting "bigger, faster, stronger," Elvir has spent the offseason working as a substitute teacher.
"I love it, man," Elvir said. "I've been working with kids since high school."
As much as he enjoyed that, Elvir, or should we say Mr. Elvir is ready for a full season of professional ball in 2022.
Pioneer League Stories from May 17, 2022
- Josh Elvir Preview - Grand Junction Jackalopes
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
