Baseball: Erickson, Grayslake North are missing a key player this spring

There he is again.

Right where he should be.

Jim Erickson is at another of his son's baseball games.

Except for now, Eddie Erickson, a senior left-handed pitcher at Grayslake North, can no longer see his dad sitting in the stands, or standing along the fence.

Jim Erickson is in Eddie's heart, and more visibly, under his baseball cap.

With a black sharpie, Eddie wrote "4JRE" on the inside his cap. JRE stands for Jim Ronald Erickson.

"Every time I pitch, I look inside my hat," Erickson said. "Basically, it's just a way to remind me to do it for my dad."

Jim Erickson died on Nov. 12, 2017 of colon cancer.

He was Eddie's biggest fan, and one of the few baseball coaches Eddie has ever had.

Erickson coached nearly every one of Eddie's baseball games from T-ball all the way up through eighth grade. His impact on Eddie's career is clear, but Erickson was an influence on many other kids, too, kids who are now Eddie's teammates at Grayslake North, kids who made sure to attend his funeral.

In addition to all of the coaching Erickson did over the years, he was also a primary force in creating Grayslake North's feeder baseball program.

His place in the Grayslake baseball community was unmistakable, and he will always be remembered fondly by many for that.

"Jim was always involved, always around baseball," Grayslake North coach Brett Hill said. "He was part of a group of parents who have been great to work with over the years, putting together the feeder program and always having the best interests of the kids in mind. Jim was one of those guys who was always looking for things that could benefit the kids at Grayslake North."

Eddie Erickson says the and his teammates certainly benefited from his dad's coaching style when they were younger. Every kid on Jim Erickson's roster got his attention.

"I remember my dad being very supportive of every kid on our team," Eddie said. "Whether you were the best player or the worst player, he was always trying to help you and make you better. And he was always very positive."

Jim Erickson stopped playing baseball when he was in eighth grade. But he had knowledge about the game that went well beyond his own experience because he put the work in to really learn the game. He was determined to coach so that he could spend as much time with Eddie as possible.

"When I was young, I was always playing catch with my dad, and hitting the ball, and throwing it," said Eddie, whose dad rigged up a target in the backyard for him work on his accuracy. "I think my dad saw me enjoying baseball so much and getting into it and that really spurred his interest to keep learning about (baseball).

"He liked being able to see me play every day and see how I progressed so he wanted to keep coaching. I think he also liked how baseball helped me grow into a young man."

Eddie has been forced to grow up faster than most kids.

He and his older sister Emily and their mother Christine went through some trying months between when Jim was diagnosed in February and when he died in November.

Christine was fighting battles with the insurance company to get the treatments for Jim that the doctors were recommending. The problem was that the insurance company deemed the treatments experimental and therefore not covered.

"That's when it got really tough for my dad, when a surgery that he was supposed to have got canceled (because it was denied by insurance)," Eddie said. "He tried as hard as he could, but he got very weak."

Eddie was hoping his dad would make it to baseball season, to see the fruits of all of his labors with Eddie over the years, capped with the all-important senior year.

But it became obvious last fall that wasn't going to happen.

Many players from both Grayslake North and Grayslake Central who worked with Erickson when they were younger, came out to his funeral to say goodbye.

"He just knew so many people from both schools because of baseball," Eddie said of his dad. "He had an impact with all of them. He helped a lot of them. It was nice to see how many people came out for him."

Eddie struggles quietly that his dad can no longer come out for him.

He wants so badly for his dad to be able to see him pitch his final season with the Knights.

But Eddie, who is 3-2 on the season with a 2.18 earned run average as one of the team's top pitchers, has been able to keep his emotions in check.

"There have been some hard days, just knowing that he's not here anymore, and you just try to take one day at a time," said Eddie, who is going to try to pitch at Loras College in Iowa next year as a walk-on. "I have been able to surround myself with family and friends. I have a great support system."

The game of baseball has been its own support system of sorts.

"Baseball helps, too," Eddie said. "How much I love baseball hasn't changed. And all these years have led up to this one. My dad and I talked about my senior year all the time. We really looked forward to it, so I'm just trying to go out there pitch my best and enjoy it."

pbabcock@dailyherald.com

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