An Interview with Head Baseball Coach Jared Wacker
Q. I felt a lot of excitement was surrounding last year. There were your accomplishments with wins, so many players being acknowledged with awards, and the team playing Division 1, so how do you keep the momentum going in this positive direction for this season?
A. We return essentially our entire offense from last year's team. What I've really liked about that group this fall is I've never heard them talk about the accomplishments from last year, only how things ended in the District tournament and their desire to get back there and have things go differently. I think that core of guys has really instilled a great work ethic with the new guys so that they are working with intent and with purpose. It's been truly rewarding to watch this group of sophomores grow into the leaders they've become.
Q. When a season starts, it is always fresh and new. What new players are you looking forward to seeing emerge?
A. I've always loved the surprise of it all. Sure, there are guys that had strong Fall seasons and we expect to make an impact, but it's guys like Jackson Dibble last year who really emerged as an impact player and an All-Region performer. Seeing a pitcher like Gavin Micklinghoff last year go from a nice college arm to an All American and Region Player of the Year – those are exciting. I think the fact we try to get everyone opportunities early allows for guys to step up and propel themselves into much larger roles than we maybe expect at this point of the year.
Q. Having many players moving on to four-year schools is seemingly one of your goals. As fans, who might we want to follow as they progress in a four-year program after they move on from MCC?
A. Fortunately, that's a long list! We have some guys getting a 6th year still because of COVID. Players from just last year who have moved on to play would be:
• Dylan Petrey - SIU Carbondale
• Lleytong Grubich – Campbell
• Dom Guzman - Gardner Webb
• Gavin Micklinghoff – NIU
• Aiden Fishnick - UW Milwaukee
• Max Bianchini - South Carolina Upstate
• Joey Wizceb - Western Michigan
• Jacob Buysse - West Virginia State
• Mark Decicco - Illinois Springfield
• Noah Goddard - Ashland
• Sam Skirvin - Roosevelt
• Frankie Muraida - Calumet College of St. Joes
• Matt Armstrong - Judson
• Nico Acevedo - Judson
• Blake Stempowski - Judson
• Daniel Alworth - Judson
• Hunter Enloe - Coe College
Q. Fall ball came and went, how was your team at that time playing and were there any surprises? Is there a player that truly made progress that maybe you did not expect to excel? Maybe the pitching staff as a whole made great strides?
A. We are replacing roughly 355 innings from last year so it will be a new group on the mound this year with a mix of freshmen, transfers and some guys we were developing last year for expanded opportunities this year. We played in some high level showcases this fall and I was very happy with how our staff competed as a whole, now it's just about getting them into the right roles. We'll look for more innings from returners like Caden Vogt, Kaden Neuman and Nathan Chapman. We've seen a nice jump in velocity from second year guys in the program like Trent Feucht, Mason Lechowicz and Jack Jensen. Jackson King and Ysen Useni come to us from other programs and should be able to make an impact. It's an exciting crop of freshman as well and I believe at least a few of those guys will assert themselves this spring and take rotation spots for us.
Q. In any sport, each team has a personality. You are always good at letting these young men shape the tone of the team. Some teams are quiet and approach each play one play at a time. Some teams are loud and boisterous. What do you see is the quality of this team, or the personality of this team, as they truly become one with incoming freshmen and some red shirt players joining the competition?
A. I'm of the mindset that a quiet team is a scared team. Now, there's certainly different ways to go about it and I want our guys to direct that energy towards their teammates and not get distracted by other teams. This team cares about winning. It's important to them. I think their approach on the field will reflect that. Like I mentioned previously, this group of sophomores has been excellent about being inclusive and making connections with guys throughout the roster and I think that creates an atmosphere where they care about whether or not each other is successful and really care about how they do. That creates a great vibe in the dugout and around the team.
Q. Each year I know you set goals for the team. Can you share an overarching goal like number of wins, or winning the conference? Or maybe you have goals for team batting average or something akin to that?
A. Get better every day and be in a position to compete for championships. Hold ourselves to high standards, then set higher standards. Not have any regrets when it's over.
Q. When you recruit, you explore the talent locally but have you had the opportunity to have players that are from outside the area?
A. We're very fortunate to have so many good coaches and players in our area who have embraced our program. That's something I'm extremely proud of in my tenure is how our program is viewed by my peers in the community. We're also very fortunate that the word is out on our program around the Midwest as well and we've been able to bring in some talented kids from all over Illinois, Wisconsin and several other states. We'll always try to have the core of our teams be from McHenry County and find some OKGs from outside the area who can come in and make an impact here.
Q. You always have a great supporting staff. Did you make any changes this year to the staff that works with you?
A. We'll return the same staff as last year with Jeff Heinrich serving as our assistant and hitting coach. I've had to prioritize the pitching staff this year with all the turnover, and I've needed Jeff to take on more responsibility with our hitters and he's hit the ground running and done an excellent job. He created great relationships and trust with those guys last year and it's rolled over to this year with the new guys. Jeff was able to go out and coach in the Prospect League this past summer and get some valuable experience as well. He's really found his voice and really understands hitting. It's been fun to watch his progression the last couple years.
Q. Baseball is growing so much. I see more clubs for high school players than ever. I also see more players specializing in one sport like baseball. How is this impacting the game. It seems like more players can emerge and move on to play in college. It also seems more competitive than ever. Am I overstating it? And how does this phenomenon affect your job as a coach?
A. Personally, I still love a kid who has played multiple sports for as long as he can. As a parent, I completely understand the pressure to specialize at a younger age because there's that fear of getting left behind. That might be the right decision for a lot of athletes too. I think each sport asks something different from the athlete, whether that's the way your body has to move or toughness or teamwork, and I think there's a lot of value in all of that. We really prioritize the development part of it and taking a kid who's only focused on baseball 4-5 months a year and getting him to now focus all his work on baseball has created some significant progression from players we've had. AJ Henkle and Zach Marzal were both really good football players in high school and became All Americans here. Mason Schwalbach played 4 sports in high school and is the best player we've ever had. We've had a lot of great players who have been one sport guys as well, don't get me wrong, but it peaks my interest when a guy has had to compete and lead in different environments.
