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Ohio Monarchs Gold outfielder/shortstop Casey Winckowski doesn't have any
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| Casey Winckowski |
problem having fun on the baseball diamond.
“He's a character,” Monarchs manager Ed Mouch said. “He kind of keeps everybody loose, but when it comes down to playing, he plays as hard as anybody. He just has a good time playing.”
Winckowski, a 2007 Clay grad, is in his third season with the Gold team, which will compete in the NABF College World Series Aug. 5-8 at various sites around Toledo. The Gold won the 2008 NABF World Series title and reached the semifinals last season.
“I don't see any reason why we shouldn't win it all,” Winckowski said. “Not to sound like a big shot, but we won it two years ago and this team all-around is just better than that team. When we won it our freshman year, we were splitting every series on the weekends and losing here and there. This year we're going 4-0 on weekends and we're shocked when we lose. I think this team is better than when we won it two years ago.”
Despite a 3-2, eight-inning loss to the Monarchs Blue team on Monday, the Gold team (32-7) had clinched the Tri-State League title and was closing in on the Toledo Amateur Baseball Federation championship.
Heading into Fed play last week, the 6-0, 205-pound Winckowski, who played two years at Owens Community College and is now a senior at Erskine College in Due West, S.C., had played in 28 games for the Monarchs and was hitting .320 with four doubles, two home runs, 14 walks, 18 runs and 15 RBI.
“Casey hits in the middle of our lineup and he knows he's going to come up with guys in scoring position, and he's an RBI guy for us,” Mouch said. “We always know he will go out and play hard. Being around three years, he's obviously a leader on the team. All these kids seem to be in the same makeup in regards that they want to win.”
Helping the Gold team win is only part of Winckowski's act. His other role is that of team cut-up.
Earlier this season he bought a Manny Ramirez dreadlock wig that so many fans in Los Angeles wear to Dodgers games. The wig has been a hit with Winckowski's teammates.
“I'm upbeat, outspoken,” Winckowski said. “I have the Manny wig and that usually gets everyone going. I try to keep everyone's spirits up. Baseball is a fun game and not meant to be taken so seriously all the time. I've always been like that. It keeps me more relaxed. If you strike out or make an error and you get really uptight, it's going to affect every aspect of your game. When you're relaxed, you're able to play more comfortable all the time.
“Everybody says I play like Manny. One day we came up with, what if I had dreadlocks. Everyone loves it. I wear it when a game matters. I wear it during the game, when I'm batting. I wore it when we played the Blue team the first time this season. I'm 2-for-2 with the Manny wig. I just enjoy the game and have fun with it.”
Winckowski said the Blue team may have taken exception to the dreadlocks.
“My first at-bat against the Blue team, they did throw one up and in,” Winckowski said. “I just laughed. Everyone knows that's just me being me.”
Winckowski is primarily playing left field this summer, but he has played some at shortstop, where he played for the first time last year at Erskine.
“That's his college position, so we try to play him there,” Mouch said. “He's all right. You can tell last spring was pretty much his first year playing (short). With what we have at short, it's better he plays in the outfield anyway. He's very solid out there.”
Winckowski started in 32 of the 39 games he played in at Erskine last season and batted .296 with three home runs and 19 RBI for the Flying Fleet.
“It was my first time ever playing short, and it had its ups and downs,” he said. “I still had things to work on. I've always played third or second or outfield, so it was something more for me to learn. It's definitely the place you get the most action.”
Winckowski said he loves “everything” about Erskine College, where he is studying education.
“I love the atmosphere, the baseball, the competition, the weather - nothing to complain about,” he said, adding that this will probably be his last season with the Monarchs.
“I've played with them for three years,” Winckowski said. “If nothing happens next year at my school, I don't know if I will come back in the summer and play baseball. It will be time to find a job if nothing pans out. I'm having a great time. It's always good when we win all the time. The team is a lot of fun to play on. Everyone gets along and we have a good time all the time.”
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Ohio Monarchs Gold outfielder and shortstop Casey Winckowski (Clay/Owens/Erskine) in a game against Toledo Amateur Baseball Federation rival Ohio Monarchs Blue at Fifth Third Field. (Press photo by Scott Grau)
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