St. Louis lost one of the greatest baseball players the Cardinals have ever known last week. Albert Pujols has already seen the bad side of Cardinal Nation as fans armed themselves with smartphones and bombarded the airwaves and internet with a mix of disappointment and anger caused by his departure.

It was around that same time that Keith Grieshaber, sophomore, decided against playing Mustang baseball in the 2012 season after leading the team in batting average his freshman year. But unlike Pujols, he’s managed to leave his team with no hard feelings.

Grieshaber, former shortstop, said he threw in the towel on baseball so he could focus on becoming a better soccer player. This season Grieshaber led the boys soccer team with 24 goals and played a pivotal role in the team’s success.

“I realized my dream was to play soccer professionally,” Grieshaber said. “Giving up baseball just allows me to put more time into becoming better and playing with the best players.”

Grieshaber plans on playing for the Scott Gallagher club team,on which he will travel across the nation playing some of the most competitive teams in the country. Grieshaber said right now he hopes to be back playing MHS soccer next year if the Scott Gallagher team allows. Only a few players are allowed to play for their high school teams, and Grieshaber said he’s made it known he wants to be one of those select few.

Grieshaber said it was tough to tell varsity baseball coach John Meyer about his decision, but he was very understanding with the matter.

“He took it well,” Grieshaber said. “He really wanted me to have the best opportunities in both sports, and he’s offered me the best support, which is really awesome to have.”

Meyer said he wasn’t ready for the news, but he wasn’t entirely surprised about it. He said he knew that Grieshaber would probably have to make a decision later on, but he didn’t expect the decision to come until later.

“In terms of the big picture, I always knew it was a possibility but I expected it later rather than sooner,” Meyer said. “It’s a natural occurence when you’re dealing with a very good athlete. How many people in high school have the ability to be at the top of the game in both of their sports? It’s remarkable.”

Meyer said he’s certain the team can make up for the loss. The most difficult part, Meyer said, will be finding the right way to arrange things.

“We have a very capable team,” Meyer said. “We just have to find the pieces that will cover all that ground and make plays, and I’m confident that’s going to happen.”

Pitcher Kevin Kafoury, senior, said Grieshaber was a key player on the baseball field last season, and he hates to see such a good player leave after just one season, but he isn’t in the least bit mad at Grieshaber for his decision.

“He led the team in batting average as a freshman, so obviously you’re going to be upset if you lose a player like that,” Kafoury said. “He is a great baseball player, but he’s also a phenomenal soccer player. I can’t blame the guy. He excels at pretty much anything athletic.”

Kafoury said he and the rest of the team respect Grieshaber for his friendly demeanor and likeable personality along with his athletic prowess. The team can definitely make do without Grieshaber, Kafoury said, but it’s difficult to find players with so much natural ability in the game.

“We’re losing his feel for the game,” Kafoury said. “He always knows what pitches to hit and he kind of controlled the infield. That being said, I think we have the players and if we just move a few things around we can still be successful.”

Grieshaber said he’s eager to commit himself entirely to one sport, but he knows part of him will miss playing baseball.

“It will take a while for me to realize that I’m just playing soccer,” Grieshaber said. “But it’s the best thing for me to do.”