Batting cleanup

By Brad D. Bates
C & G Sports Writer

Clawson High senior hits way to MVP, All-State honors

The 2009 season was quite a year for Clawson High baseball coach Colin Quinn.

In his fourth year leading the Trojans, Quinn won his first league title and was named Macomb Area Conference Silver Division Coach of the Year.

And one of the things that struck him the most about the season was the way his senior shortstop Shawn Giroux kept getting better.

“He batted .450 as a junior, but this year was a real jump up,” Quinn said of Giroux, who ended 2009 with a .577 average.

“He had 45 RBIs too, and we only played 25 games. So that shows he was always getting big hits. We always had a chance to come back with him in the lineup.”

Giroux, who was joined by teammates Travis Forsmark, Howard Crippin and Rob Feeman on the Silver’s All-Conference team, belted six home runs, four triples and 10 doubles, and scored 34 runs to help him to MAC Silver MVP and Division 3 All-State first-team honors.

He was the first Trojan named All-State under Quinn.

“It feels great,” Giroux said of the honors. “There’s a few really good players in the Silver, so MVP is great. All-State feels really good because every kid in the state wants that.”

Giroux has played and started for the varsity all four seasons for Quinn, and the thought of defending the Trojans’ Silver Division title without him is tough.

“At our team banquet I started to get a little emotional,” Quinn said. “He’s been our captain for three years, and he’s been like an extra coach for us. His senior year, he was on a mission to go as far as we could.”

Giroux’s mission took the Trojans to a district final against Madison Heights Bishop Foley where they fell 11-5. Giroux was 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI in the loss.

The district final was one of 16 games in which Giroux hit .500 or better, and showed how he was able to raise him game up even further when the situation called for it.

“Those are the intangibles, and you could tell Shawn had those as a freshman,” Quinn said.

“When playoffs came around he had a little more in his step. (Giroux’s success is) more than a kid getting lucky at the plate, it’s a guy who’s focused and going to play at the next level.”

Giroux is signed to play for Jackson Community College and hopes to one day play

Division 1 college baseball. He’s thankful to his coach for helping him along the way.

“Me and Coach Quinn got a lot closer over the years,” Giroux said. “He helped (the Trojans) a lot.”

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1029.