With his extra-thick eye black, wristbands and tape on his forearms, and long white pants that cuff at his personalized shoes with “Woody” inscribed on the tongue, Jordan Wlodarczyk looks like a baseball player.
But as it turns out, he does more than just look the part.
Wlodarczyk, a senior catcher at C. Milton Wright, is one of the area?s best hitters, as he entered the week hitting .444 with 20runs batted-in, eight doubles and a home run.
Wlodarczyk has powered C. Milton Wright (11-4) in its quest to challenge Fallston and North Harford for county supremacy after the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder hit .461 with 36 runs batted-in last season.
“He?s a great hitter,” senior first baseman Mike Rappazzo said. “The best hitter I?ve ever seen.”
Wlodarczyk said he could be putting up even better statistics had he taken his time at the plate earlier in the season. Wlodarczyk?s biggest strength is his ability to deliver the ball into right-center field, but at season?s outset, he was swinging too early at pitches, causing the right-handed hitter?s numbers to fall.
“I?m pressing. I?m trying to have a better year than last year,” he said. “It?s just something you do, set higher goals every year. That?s what I?m trying to do.”
And C. Milton Wright coach Joe Stetka has no doubt he?ll be able to count on his best player in the biggest games before Wlodarczyk heads to play for Harford Community College for two seasons before hopefully accepting a scholarship to play for a major Division I college.
“He?s baseball 26 hours a day,” Stetka said to emphasize Wlodarczyk?s dedication to the game. “He?s a great kid and he just comes to play every day. If you had 20 kids like him, that?s a coach?s dream.”
But for now, Stetka only has one, albeit one who is focusing solely on winning the school?s first state title after losing in the championship gamethree times in the past 10 years. Wlodarczyk was a sophomore when the team lost in the 4A final to Arundel, 5-3. It?s a loss that still haunts Wlodarczyk.
“I look at the pictures and I get mad and everything,” he said. “Trust me, every time I?m going on the field, I?m fighting for that state championship.”
