.jpg)
Kiv's Korner
Presented by Calhoun's, Tennessee Baseball assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Ross Kivett brings a guest with him onto the Mike Keith Show each week.
Kiv's Korner
Blake Grimmer (Apr. 23, 2026)
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Following his 3-home run performance on Sunday against Ole Miss, Blake Grimmer joins Mike Keith and Ross Kivett for another edition of Kiv's Korner, presented by Calhoun's.
It's time for the show within a show. Everyone looks forward to it. It's being taped early because there's a baseball game tonight against Alabama. But it's Kibb's Quarter presented by Calhoun's A Taste of Tennessee. This is Ross Kivitt, University of Tennessee Assistant Baseball Coach, recruiting coordinator. He brings the guest, he brings the topics. Thanks for giving us a Kibbs corner and a special guest.
SPEAKER_00Very special guest coming off a big time Sunday game where he left the yard three times. Not one. Not two. Not two. Three. And you get points every time you do that. So he drove in five or six. You could tell us on when I ask you. He's from Spring Lake, Michigan. Blake Grimmer, everybody. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Three bombs. Can I ask the first question? Have you ever hit three bombs in a game before?
SPEAKER_02No. I hadn't even hit two until my last one, like two weeks ago. No kidding. Yeah, that was my those are my first multi-homor uh games. Are you serious? Yeah. I mean, I only played two two years of high school, my junior and senior year. And then I mean, maybe I probably had some like when I was younger, but like nothing like when it's a high school level or good segue with his two years of high school, because it was my first question.
SPEAKER_00He battled a back injury um in high school, right? And then his first year here, he had the red shirt. Then he's getting some time last year now every day. What's been the best part of getting to play every day and feeling good?
SPEAKER_02I think just like having like the consistency of that bats. Um, you know, like when you're getting in there in spots, it's kind of you can put a little bit too much pressure on yourself. Um, but knowing like the the coaches trust me and like my teammates trust me, like I'm just gonna go out there and try my hardest, obviously, to to perform. And when you have a bunch of reps under your belt um from this year getting them, uh you have some confidence going in.
SPEAKER_00One of the three homers kissed the pole. I've never hit a foul pole, even in practice, like hitting a fungo. Uh-huh. I haven't either. Did the umpire allow you to stand there? Because he's like, well, it's either gone or foul. How was that feeling?
SPEAKER_03Well, he tried to like the catcher reached for a ball. No way. Yeah, they can't know that. The catcher's reaching for a ball, thinking that it's a foul ball.
SPEAKER_00Well, at first base, you try to blow it that way. I think it's what I was doing. I didn't see the catcher do that.
SPEAKER_02I think that worked because I it started turning, and I was like, and then it started coming back a little bit, like it started not turning as much, and I was like, this thing might have hit the foul pole. And it literally hit it, I think, by an inch.
SPEAKER_00Literally, it was unbelievable. That's great.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00On a really good arm. Ole Miss brought out some some good arms and you you handled for the most part that Sunday, your whole group gets together. What's it take to kind of get that consistency from Mississippi State Sunday, Georgia Sunday? I mean, we can go Vanderbilt Sunday. What is it about maybe Sunday where the group is a little bit less tense or kind of more free swaying?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you know, it's kind of motivating like the upcoming week as well. Because like the way you play on Sunday, it can kind of transition into a better week for sure. Um, and obviously dropping the first two games, we want to get one. Uh, because you know, every game you're trying to win every game in the SC, basically, like you're trying to win a series, but sure at the end of the day, a win on Sunday is a good win. Um, and then going into the next week, where we got some fuel to maybe it's a little shorter of a week, but we got more games coming up at home, and we're we're all excited.
SPEAKER_00How do you handle a short week? I know how I do it. You have to cram a lot of scouting into the into the Monday and even Tuesday, where you played with lip scum, but you're still cramming for the test here on Thursday. How do you, as a guy that's gonna play every day, handle it?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you know, you gotta prioritize your recovery, taking the extra time uh off and not really putting too much stress on my body because it's gonna be warm uh the whole rest of the season. Um, and just prioritizing the recovery is important.
SPEAKER_03How much do you still have to be conscious of the back, having had the issues that you had earlier in life?
SPEAKER_02When I was recovering from it in the past, it was a lot of stretching. Like I would stretch in the morning right before I would go to bed, and then obviously when I'm doing baseball, I'm I'm stretching a lot too. So I feel like I don't really got to worry about it, but I prioritize like my mobility in the weight room or like my stretching. Like I can't just go into a game and just not do anything because then maybe I would be like a little bit more tense because maybe I didn't stretch today and right, could something could happen. So I really try to prioritize the stretching, the recovery, uh, and the relaxing when I get to relax.
SPEAKER_03One more on that. Go ahead. So when you have that injury so early, how do you finally get that out of your head? How is it how is it not always with you? Oh gosh, this could happen again. Facts are serious.
SPEAKER_02I know it it was it was kind of nerve-wracking at the beginning for sure. But like trusting Woody and like knowing that there wasn't really anything big time messed up with my back was kind of a relief. Um, just being able to go out there and play free. Because like honestly, if if something happened and it reaggravates, but I'm doing everything that I can recovery-wise, like stretching, um, all the vitamins I've been taking and the nutrition, um, knowing that I did everything that I could, and if something bad happens, then it's honestly I feel like and I think the resources that Woody has with the hot and cold tub, the stem, the recovery, and he's been doing it for a hundred years.
SPEAKER_00There's no one better to handle it than him. He's amazing. Also, this is no offense to any right-handed hitters. We'd I don't know if we've had any on the show, but left-handed hitters for some reason seem to torque more. Does that do you notice that watching it? Like, think about it Griffey or Ross Kevin, who's got a prettier sweat. It's probably gonna land on Griffith.
SPEAKER_03Well, Matically held back problems too. Yeah, I mean, that's a back injury ended his career.
SPEAKER_00When you watch Blake swing, there's a ton of torque, it's a lot of buildup, his load's really simple, but he gets into that back hip, and then here it comes through the so let me ask you both this question you know hitting and you're left-handed.
SPEAKER_03So why is a left-hander swing beautiful? And a right-hand, you rarely see a right-hand hitter swing that you call beautiful that you call no, but you think about you know, back years ago, the Roger Merritt swing and some of the swings of the hitters today that are left-handed, it's just Griffey that you mentioned, just gorgeous. Bond swing was gorgeous. What why do you think that's different?
SPEAKER_00You're gonna think this is crazy. There's a lot more right-handed pitchers, so it just looks it's more, it looks it's since it's over. It's a better picture. I've always thought that was easier to call. I don't know. That's my answer. What do you have?
SPEAKER_01You hit left-handed.
SPEAKER_02Something crazy. Like, I I honestly just thought of it. Is a lefty's on like the right side of the batter's box when you when you look at it, and maybe like when they're swinging and getting out of their swing, like they're running. I don't know.
SPEAKER_00They're falling or they're opening towards first, and if that's a great point. And if you fall towards first base as a right-handed hitter, they're that swing's that's a bad thing. That's a that's we call that a jailbreak swing when you're just trying to get out of there. That's good. That's why we run all the left. He taught me something. You could teach the the class something too. You're playing multiple positions. You played third, you played second, left field, first base, and obviously when you were getting back from the in flame, you DH'd. How is it managing all those positions? And which one do you like the most?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you know, managing it is honestly, it's just straight up reps. Um, getting the reps in practice. Um, I've kind of prioritized getting more at second in practice because I'm not as familiar as a first base or a third base. But honestly, uh as time has gone by, I've really liked second base. Um playing it good. You play well, excuse me, I'm a journalist. You get to touch the ball a lot, um, as a little bit more than first base, which I've played probably equal amount of time. But I I would probably say second base is probably my favorite, yeah.
SPEAKER_00He's a tall second base. It's kind of a not to give LSU any credit, it's kind of a DJ LaMayhew. Okay, because he can play multiple spots, he just hits left-handed. DJ's 6'5 from Michigan. I love DJ LeMayhu, you know, north of 6'2, and I wish he was still if he hadn't gotten hurt, he got hurt too. Yeah, what about tonight's matchup going into this weekend? Obviously, every single SEC weekend's a war. The intensity of a rivalry, and then obviously anticipating what two teams that are trying to get into this postseason mix, well, what should we expect from the group?
SPEAKER_02You know, I feel like we could get some like real intensity of this weekend. I feel like coming out of the gates is really important for us. I have faith in everybody on our team that we we can get the job done um with our pitching staff, and then knowing what our lineup can do, obviously on any given day, um, gives us a lot of momentum going into the game.
SPEAKER_00I'm glad you brought the lineup up because it seems to kind of be more of a roller coaster this year with some younger players, some transfers that maybe don't have experience in this league. And you've already talked about how you manage the ups and downs of it. But when the lineup starts to really go, what do you feel like the approach is that makes you guys the best?
SPEAKER_02I feel like just getting on base, working for the guy behind you to trust him and that he's gonna get the job done.
SPEAKER_00Go ahead. No, go ahead. You're all right. I was gonna talk to you about you would like to call some homers. I would love to call them. Those are those are those are the most fun parts. Calling home runs are great, especially no doubters.
SPEAKER_03Oh when you get to do the high five at first. Well, so I had Helton in 1995 against Arkansas when he hit three. Nice. I was at Tennessee Vanderbilt in 1981 when Rusty Enser hit three. Yeah, I was born 10 years later. Oh, great. Uh, but I was there, I was there that day and loved it. Rusty, uh, one of the all-time great ball baseball players, and I love to tell him the story. And then John Wilkerson has done the rest of them.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So of the balls who have hit.
SPEAKER_00Christian Moore's hit one. Right. Has hit three. That was a pretty right-handed story.
SPEAKER_03Dean Curly did too.
SPEAKER_00Dean Curley, Kansas State.
SPEAKER_03John got to call that. John's called either John's called them or I've called them. Or I've seen them. Yeah. We've been we've been around for every time it's happened.
SPEAKER_00This is different segue. Onto that. Okay. You're you're heavily recruited, okay. You choose Tennessee. The first part of my journalistic question is why? And then the second is you don't play the first year, but you stick it out. Today's kind of era of baseball or even sports in general, it's hard for guys to stay when they don't get the time the first year. What was the reason, maybe for that? Or what was what you saw on the future that you're like, this is the only place for me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Uh so the first part, I mean, I committed when I was a freshman in high school.
SPEAKER_01Old rules. Old rules, yeah, yeah. Now you can't do that anymore. That was a long time ago.
SPEAKER_02Uh so honestly, coming in, I mean, Tennessee wasn't what it was today when I committed. Um, and I really just trusted the coaches. Uh, the amount of faith that they had in me um at a super young age, and like for them to be able to stick it out for the next four years with new recruits coming in, transfer portal happening. Um, I just felt like it was a family here. Um, and with the coaching staff. And then when I got here on campus, um, everybody made it seem like home. Um, and then being able to stick around, I think the big reason was the development um that's gone gone on here. Um, the hitting side, the defensive side. Um, you've seen guys come in here, uh, three-year guys that come out and they're uh big prospects um in in the next level, like Blake Burke, three-year guy, Christian Moore, three-year guy, Don Dryling, two-year guy, Cavaris Tears, three-year guy who didn't play. Um, like he played a little bit his first two years. Um, so same thing with me. I I didn't play at all my freshman year. Um, saw a lot of people in the past have had success sitting out and trusting the coaches um and just going every day, just trying to grind and develop.
SPEAKER_03But obviously, you were enjoying, even though you weren't playing, you were enjoying your life experience, your your friends' classes, going to school, Calhoun's Calhoun, but you have to, in order to that's the second part of it. You trust the baseball people, but if you were miserable with everything else, that wouldn't matter, right?
SPEAKER_02Exactly. And you obviously weren't. Yeah, I was not. No, I've enjoyed every second that I've been here um for my freshman year, not getting on the field, but being on the field for the national championship, seeing that crazy experience, watching those guys perform, um, building relationships with those guys, and then last year, new people coming in was a great experience, got to touch the field a little bit, show what I could do, um, and just kind of wait my turn until this year, till um I could able to get on the field.
SPEAKER_00And when he says choosing to come back, I don't know how many people know this, but you are an analytical darling. Like the models love the swing, the production, the the ability to leave the yard. I mean, your launch is probably in the 99th percentile, according to scouts. You had to turn some money down, you know, for major league clubs to stick around. What is it about this team, especially with 12 games left in the SEC, which it's a grown man's league? There's no such thing as too late to get started. Yeah, and you are one of those horses. What is the confidence level going into this weekend and then obviously the the rest of the year?
SPEAKER_02You know, it's big. Um I know what we can do um and what we're able to do. And we've we've seen some programs in the past that haven't really had a great start, like the 23 team started five and ten, uh, ended up making it to Omaha. Um, so obviously things can happen. Historian. And uh I'm just excited for this next weekend with the group. Um trying to get a series win at home.
SPEAKER_03Nice. Need a series win at home to reward these people. Agreed. Because they've done a great job, and and also to kind of get that thing going down the stretch to where you're sort of bulletproof at home where you say nobody's coming in here and winning anymore.
SPEAKER_00Lindsay Nelson has always been an intimidating factor for our group. I I think that it's a two-part, right? You you have to have the ability as a R side to produce energy into the stands and get it going where other teams are going. This is deafening, which we've had points this year of doing it. I think the other part of it too is when the stands are full, like tonight, uh, it it gives guys energy as soon as they run out there for IO. So, my suggestion is after you're done watching this, uh, get to the yard early if you have tickets because it does matter. Seeing the seats filled in pregame gets these guys more excited. It might rev up, you know, a Coons or an Appenzeller or a Mac. And uh the ability to start hot, like you said, get out the gates, that's important in this league. So the fans have done a great job. I think everything can get one step on the on the stretch run.
SPEAKER_03I'm nervous. Nervous about tonight.
SPEAKER_00Well, yes, I know why you're nervous. Yes, you get to watch it live.
SPEAKER_03I get to be with John Wilkins on the Bowl Radio Network, Tennessee baseball. Two goats on the call. I know. What would you like for me to say about you when you come up? What would you like? Is there a story you'd like for me to tell that people don't know?
SPEAKER_00He gets more tan in July. He does? You get more tan?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. He's working. When I'm up north uh in the winter, you don't see the song for about two months. It takes him about three months to get going here.
SPEAKER_03Well, I'm I'm married to a northerner, so I know she she came down here, she's she's never going back. Shout out, shout out Michelle Keith. Yeah, Michelle Keith.
SPEAKER_00Shout out, Indiana. Hey, we I'm not allowed to talk about it, but we got to recruit from that area. Yeah. Crown Point, Indiana. It's where they're grow they're growing them up north. Yeah. It's great. I got a follow-up. Do we have time? Sure. Hey, do you enjoy how national our recruiting is? Like you get to play with guys that you might have played summer ball with up north or a guy you played against from California. Is that is that neat when you're making your selection of roommates or clubhouse? Yeah, a hundred percent.
SPEAKER_02Uh, you know, I mean Dean Curly, uh, California. I've never really like experienced anybody from like the west side of the country, um, besides like playing against people.
SPEAKER_00And was he big time Cali?
SPEAKER_02Oh my goodness.
SPEAKER_00Shout out, Dean. He had a big week last week. We gotta keep it going.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but yeah, I he was my freshman roommate, and then Holden was Holden Bronner, he was also my freshman roommate, he was from Florida, and then Stone um from Alabama as well. So everybody was kind of all scattered across the country. So, I mean, building a relationship with those guys and just seeing how they kind of run and how they act a little bit differently from a northern guy.
SPEAKER_00Because of Stone, now Blake has two cats at his house. Yep, two cats with Doug and Craig. Doug and Craig. When you do the two truths and a lie deal on uh on the screen tonight, that's usually one of them is Stone Lawless has two two cats named Doug and Craig that Blake has to watch. Crazy.
SPEAKER_02Do you really? I really wasn't like you were not a kid. I wasn't, and then like breaking.
SPEAKER_00He's more of a dog guy, but yeah, people can change.
SPEAKER_02People can change. I mean, that yeah, they're they're pretty adorable. I'm not gonna lie.
SPEAKER_03I'm one of the few dog people that really likes cats too, because I grew up with cats.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I did not not have one dog, yeah, Ruby Kivitt. Yeah, we're dog people. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Uh me too. So what else we are? Calhoun's people. Love Calhoun's. Love Cal Calhoun. Thank you for coming. Of course.
SPEAKER_01Blake Grimmer, he's a dog.
SPEAKER_00He is three homers tonight would be great. Thank you. That would be that would be super.