Freshman catcher finds himself in critical role

Freshman catcher Josh Romero's father always taught him to be a winner, even if his son wasn't following in his footsteps. But it was his babysitter's husband and son that brought Romero to the game he has grown to love. \n"We would go out in the backyard and play home run derby with tennis balls and see who could get the neighbor's house, and if you broke out a window, you were awesome," Romero said. "Ever since then I have taken a love for it and I live to play the game every day."\nIt was his father's "do anything to win" mentality from playing football at St. Mary's of the Plains in Dodge City, Kan., that Romero credits for his success as a ballplayer. \n"You got to do whatever you got to do to win. If that means you dip into a fastball to get on first base, you do it," Romero said. "No matter how hard the guy is throwing, you stick your face in front of the ball. That's how I was taught to play since I was little. My dad coached me and told me to do whatever it takes to win. That's just the mentality that I have."\nRomero finished his high school career at Lakota West in Hamilton, Ohio, and was named All-Conference every year he played varsity. He signed a letter of intent to attend IU early in his senior year then made his way to college looking to contribute as soon as he arrived in Bloomington. \nBut when he arrived he found a team that already had two catchers, senior Rob Stastny and sophomore Kevin O'Brien, who platooned a majority of the 2000 season. Undeterred, Romero saw his chance for a spot in the lineup as a challenge he wanted to face.\n"You want what they got, and if you got it, then someone is always trying to take it from you," Romero said. "That's the great thing about competition; you can never sit on your laurels. You can never just stop and relax, because the moment you relax, someone is jumping on you, and they're trying to take what you want."\nCoach Bob Morgan said he liked what he saw with the competition between his catchers because it made them perform above their capabilities.\n"First couple of days of practice in the winter, they really came out and were going after each other," Morgan said. "If (Romero) wants to play, then he has to stay focused and use his God-given talents, and use them not just some of the time but all of the time. If he does that, then he'll play because he probably has more natural ability than any of the catchers we have."\nDespite the competition with Romero, O'Brien said he could sympathize with his situation. As a freshman last season, O'Brien came to a team that had two upperclassmen catchers in Stastny and then-senior Eric Farely. \n"I try to offer some tips when I can but he has learned on his own," O'Brien said. "He has all of the tools. He's a good athlete and a good player."\nO'Brien has started more than half of the games this season for the Hoosiers, but Romero has appeared in 14 of the 19 games, starting six, and is getting exactly what he asked for -- a chance to contribute.\n"Every day, I feel like I get stronger and stronger. I'm hitting better, I'm throwing better, I've made a lot of strides since the first day I stepped on campus and we started practicing," Romero said. "What you deserve will come to you, but the main thing is that you win, and you make everyone else around you better, and that's what people remember you for." \nMorgan said Romero has plenty of room for improvement, but the more he plays, the better he will become.\n"Before, Josh was always a great athlete and could just go out and play and could take a pitch off and take an inning off," Morgan said. "That's the only drawback that I see right now, but he's improved upon that dramatically, and he's played well for us so far. He's a freshman and he's been getting some time catching, and he's going to be a real good player before it is all said and done"