Matt Wollnik knew he needed to see more pitches this summer.
The Neuqua Valley grad also knew he’d see new faces around him on his Midwest Collegiate League team, the DuPage County Hounds.
His patience at the plate paid off as he was one of the best hitters on the league’s championship team. And his personality on and off the field helped him make new friends with teammates, none of whom he knew just a few months ago.
“At the end of my college season, I met with my coach for an exit meeting and he told me he wanted me to work on seeing more pitches and to be more patient,” Wollnik said. “I’ve been trying to draw more walks. That’s the one big thing I’ve been trying to work on to get my OBP (on-base percentage) up higher.”
Wollnik hit .268 in the spring as a sophomore for Webster University. On a roster that included six players from the Naperville area, Wollnik helped the Gorloks post a 34-15 record and qualify for the NCAA Division III World Series. As the team’s everyday shortstop, he appeared in all 49 games. Then, for the summer, he joined the Hounds.
“We knew he’d be very good defensively, but overall we didn’t know what else to expect out of him,” Hounds manager Sean Osborne said. “He actually has surprised us a little bit with his bat. He’s a great kid who has come up with some big plays for us this summer.”
During the MCL season, which ended this past week with the Hounds beating Lexington in the playoff finals, Wollnik hit close to .307 with 17 runs and 19 RBIs in 30 games.
“It’s been awesome playing with these guys this summer,” he said. I didn’t know anyone on the team so I’ve been making friends as I go along. It’s been busy, but a lot of fun playing almost six out of seven days a week.”
It’s obvious that Wollnik is seeing the ball well and showing patience.
In the spring, he only walked six times in 178 plate appearances, but he had 10 walks in 114 plate appearances for the Hounds.
“The competition is pretty much the same, but there have been some pitchers this summer who have really been bringing it and throwing harder,” Wollnik said. “I really do feel like I’m hitting better this summer than in the spring. I think focusing on getting on base and seeing more pitches has really helped me.”
Wollnik didn’t start in Wednesday’s opener of the Midwest Collegiate League championship against Lexington in Lemont. But he entered the game in the eighth inning with the Hounds trailing 2-0.
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They rallied to win the game, scoring four in the bottom of the eighth inning. Wollnik delivered the biggest blow, connecting for a run-scoring, go-ahead single.
“We stress with all our guys that it doesn’t matter where you are in the lineup because you are going to have to hit in key situations,” Osborne said. “Matt has done as good a job as anybody of doing that.”
Due to the busy game schedule, Wollnik hasn’t had a chance to do much more this summer than play baseball. He’ll enjoy a bit of a break now before heading back to the St. Louis area to begin his fall semester.
“It’ll be nice to take a couple of weeks off, but then I’ll have my fall season and I’ll be doing individual work,” he said. “Baseball’s pretty much year-round for me. There’s really no time off but I love the game.”
Chris R. Walker is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun.