Greg Van Kleeck is Mr. Consistency. At least according to Rice head baseball coach Lloyd Bachand, "He has worked incredibly hard to improve in all areas of his game and has done a great job as a captain in 2010," Bachand boasts. "He has a great glove at third base, and has proven himself a clutch hitter."

Yes, a clutch hitter. And the proof is the numbers. Last year Van Kleeck's batting average was .361, with six Runs Batted In (RBIs), and nine runs scored. This season, with two more games left in the regular season, he has a .364 batting average, 12 RBIs, and 16 runs scored.
But getting back to consistency. It's easy for consistent players to be taken for granted. It's much more difficult to find an athlete that can give the exact same performance over, and over, and over. Sounds as if Van Kleeck is just that solid.

His leadership skills along with his attitude and talent led Coach Bachand to share, "I'm going to miss that kid. Greg is just awesome. His shoes will be very hard to fill when he graduates in June."

Although this senior baseball captain doesn't admit to having any of the common baseball superstitions, he does have a few personal rituals. "I wear the same pair of baseball socks (washed and clean) for every game," he says. On game days he wears an ordinary rubber band on his wrist throughout the school day. And lastly, "I listen to the song ‘Up, up and Away' by Kid Cudi." While these rituals may seem a bit unusual, whatever Van Kleeck is doing seems to be working. The Green Knights baseball team is currently 13-2 this season. "I think this team can go all the way," Coach Bachand states confidently. "We've got the talent to create some memories."

Van Kleeck agrees with his coach, "We have a strong team this year, and we play very well together. One of our goals as a team is to do the little things correctly, because games can very easily come down to that." He added, "We set lofty goals for ourselves, and we don't plan on stopping until we reach those goals."

Van Kleeck's early memories of baseball are of first grade Little League in Shelburne. "I also remember just going outside and playing baseball. I bonded with my dad. He taught me the game."

Born on April 9, 1992, Van Kleeck and his family lived briefly in Essex Junction before settling in Shelburne. His family includes parents, Maureen and Bob, 19-year old sister Carla, a UVM student, and their black Labrador retriever Sabrina. Van Kleeck graduated from the Shelburne Community School before entering Rice Memorial High School in South Burlington.

The two-year varsity baseball athlete also participates in basketball, football, wiffleball, golf, and downhill skiing recreationally. At Rice, Van Kleeck is involved in Peer Ministry, a community service organization, French club, and National Honor Society (NHS). NHS members must have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher and are chosen on the basis of scholarship, service, leadership, and character. "My induction to NHS last year was my greatest achievement to date," Van Kleeck states. "It showed my commitment to academics. I worked hard in high school and it paid off. I wanted more for myself than athletics," he added.

Although Van Kleeck describes himself as a food connoisseur his favorite meal is a simple bacon cheeseburger and French fries. Surprisingly he eats his burger and fries dry. "Most people don't know that I don't like tomatoes. Because I don't like tomatoes, I don't eat ketchup." Van Kleeck explains further, "I don't eat any condiments. No mustard, no mayo. It's just the way I like it."

After graduation Van Kleeck will attend High Point University in High Point, N.C. "Obviously weather is a big draw," he said. "I'm interested in their academics, specifically their sports medicine program. I was also looking for some new scenery. And I have a cousin that doesn't live too far away."

After all is said and done, I'm inclined to agree with Coach Bachand. Van Kleeck seems to be the model of consistency. Fortunately it doesn't appear as if he will ever be taken for granted.