Three years ago, Cooper Trinkle committed to play baseball at University of Evansville early in his sophomore year at Columbus North.
Now, Trinkle’s brother Grant has done the same. The sophomore committed last week to join his brother on the Aces squad for the 2020-21 season.
“I’ve been down there a couple times with Cooper there, and I’ve built a relationship with the coaches,” Grant Trinkle said. “When you go visit a school, you know if it makes sense, and I felt at home down there. That’s where I wanted to be.”
Cooper Trinkle just started his freshman year at Evansville. The two-time All-State middle infielder was The Republic Baseball Player of the Year this spring.
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Grant said Cooper being at Evansville played a part in his decision, but was not a big factor.
“I wanted him to get on campus and see how he liked it, and it’s been great for him so far,” Grant said. “But he didn’t talk me into it. He wanted me to do what’s best for me.”
Grant Trinkle said he also had an offer from Murray State and also had talked to coaches at Indiana University, Boston College, Louisville and Indiana State.
Academics played a role in his decision. He wants to do something business related, such as business management or finance.
“(The decision is) not something that I wanted to get out of the way,” he said. “But when I went down there, I felt at home. I didn’t think that I’d find a better situation, so I was ready.”
This spring, Grant Trinkle was a starter from the beginning of the season. He batted .304 with four doubles, a home run and 11 RBIs.
Grant Trinkle played left field as a freshman, but North coach Ben McDaniel said he likely will move to center field or to Cooper’s old second base spot this year.
“Grant had a good spring for us and had a good summer for his travel team,” McDaniel said. “Grant has Division I numbers all the way across the board. With his speed, his power, his throwing velocity, he catches a lot of coaches’ eyes. He has a lot of talents that I think Evansville is going to be extremely happy with.”
Grant Trinkle is the fifth current Bull Dog to commit to a college and the fourth to a Division I school. He joins junior pitcher Parker Maddox (Indiana), sophomore pitcher Casper Clark (Indiana), freshman catcher Austin Bode (Louisville) and senior shortstop Tyler Finke (Snead State).
North won sectional and regional titles last season before falling to eventual Class 4A state champion Cathedral in the semistate.
“Winning the regional championship was big last year,” Grant Trinkle said. “Winning the state championship is my biggest goal. We have a lot of potential, and I think we can do something with it.”
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Name: Grant Trinkle
School: Columbus North
Year: Sophomore
Sport: Baseball
Position: Left field
Key stats: .304 batting average, one home run, 11 RBIs as a freshman
College choice: Evansville
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