When Lincoln-Way West outfielder Owen Wolcott stepped into the batting cage on the first day of practice this season, coach Jake Zajc couldn’t believe his eyes.
Or his ears.
“I was like, ‘Wow, this is different,'” Zajc said. “He was rattling the cage indoors, and then when we went outside, the ball was flying off his bat.”
The ball hasn’t stopped flying off Wolcott’s bat all season.
The senior, who hits left-handed, is batting .492 with 19 runs, eight doubles, one triple, four homers and 24 RBIs.
“Owen has been on a yearlong hot streak,” Zajc said. “He hit a home run to the opposite field against Stagg. It was a shot. I said to him, ‘All that work in the weight room was worth it.’ All he did was smile.”
Wolcott has always been a gifted hitter, but the biggest difference from his sophomore season to now is the power.
He had never had more than one homer in a season.
“I’ve always been a contact hitter,” Wolcott said. “Mainly singles and hitting balls into the gap.”
He hit a laser-beam home run May 21 against Homewood-Flossmoor that sailed far into the trees beyond right-center field.
“I started working out and it’s made a difference,” Wolcott said. “Lifting weights has given me more power.”
Zajc has no doubt Wolcott can compete at a high level in college.
With a 4.65 GPA on of a 4.0 scale and a 1510 SAT score, Wolcott has been accepted into Indiana’s business school. He intends to major in business finance and become an entrepreneur.
Indiana hasn’t recruited Wolcott, however. In fact, hardly anyone has recruited him.
Much of the reason for that, according to Zajc, is the Illinois High School Association canceling last season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“He would have opened up some eyes last year,” Zajc said. “He’s a college baseball player.”
Wolcott has also been playing with a sore left throwing arm that might require surgery.
“Physical therapy has helped me enough where I can play the field this year,” he said. “Can I go through this for four years without surgery? That’s the golden question.”
Zajc intends to reach out to Indiana if that’s where Wolcott decides to go to college and wants to play.
Wolcott, who also played basketball at Lincoln-Way West, hasn’t decided what he wants to do.
“I’m at the point where I’m an academics-first guy,” he said. “I’m blessed to be able get into Indiana’s business school. That’s an honor. But baseball has been a part of my life forever. I have a tough decision to make.”
Zajc intends to sit down with his star player and go over every option.
“Owen is such a great kid,” Zajc said. “He’s respectful, he’s honest, he has a great attitude. I’m going to support him 100%, whatever he decides. But down the road, you don’t want to say, ‘I wish I would have tried to play college baseball.'”
Two-way standout: Crete-Monee senior Lucas Spence has been a force at the plate and on the mound.
He’s batting .500 with 21 runs, six doubles, four triples, two homers and 23 RBIs.
He’s 4-2 with a 3.13 ERA while striking out 38 in 22 ? innings.
Spence, who bats and throws left-handed, will attend Black Hawk Community College.
“His work ethic is second to none,” Crete-Monee coach Matt Mueller said. “He spends all of his free time either hitting in his basement or working out in his garage. He was our team MVP as a sophomore and has grown into our team leader as a senior.
He wants the ball in his hand on the mound in big games and always seems to come through at the plate when we need him most.”
Did you know?: Brother Rice graduate Kendall Pettis is hitting .295 with 26 runs, four doubles, 11 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 32 games for Oklahoma.