By Mike Walsh
Correspondent
It’s not that Charlie Szykowny didn’t enjoy his time playing baseball at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
After all, he was a First-Team All-American in 2022, as chosen by D3Baseball.com and ABCA/Rawlings. Szykowny, a Palos Heights resident and Shepard graduate, set a program season record that year with 18 home runs and was named to the All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference First Team in 2021 and 2022.
The third baseman finished his four-season stay with the Blue Devils with 22 home runs and 96 RBI in 101 games and batted .395.
But as much fun as Szykowny had, there was always a desire and hope to someday play closer to home. The Wisconsin-Stout campus in Menomonie is 352 miles from home, a good 5 ½-hour drive and closer to Minneapolis than to Chicago.
So when he was afforded the opportunity to play Illinois-Chicago, he grabbed it.
“It’s a lot different coming here to UIC,” Szykowny said. “They give you three pairs of shorts, three pairs of shoes and there’s all kinds of free gear.
He played in the Northwoods Summer League the year before coming to the Flames as a graduate transfer, and the competition was similar to what he saw in the Missouri Valley Conference.
“That was mainly Division I guys (in the Northwoods) and it definitely prepared me to walk in here Day 1,” he said. “I want to play pro baseball, so I was going to a conference (Missouri Valley) that gets guys into the minor leagues and gets them drafted.’”
Aiding his decision was the excellence of Les Miller Field at Curtis Granderson Stadium, coupled with the hitting background of downtown Chicago and the opportunity for his family to see him play on a consistent basis.
“The facilities at UIC are amazing and we have one of the best backdrops in college baseball,” Szykowny said. “It’s amazing. The whole field is so nice.
“My dad is at every game, and my family members who didn’t see me play much before, they get to come out.
Szykowny played a game his sophomore season at Wisconsin-Stout in at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet, and roughly 40 people came to see him play.
“Now I have at least five family members at my games at UIC,” he added. “Having my family members at my games is awesome. It’s different. It’s cool.”
He had an outstanding season at UIC.
The American Baseball Coaches Association chose Szykowny for its 2023 Rawlings NCAA Division I Midwest All-Region Second Team. The MVC recognized Szykowny for his efforts in and out of the classroom, naming him to the 2023 Baseball Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention Team, while also lauding him as the 2023 MVC Newcomer of the Year.
Szykowny is pursuing a master’s degree in marketing.
He appeared in 52 games this season, all starts, while helping the Flames UIC to a record of 28-25 overall, 13-14 in the MVC. He paced the Flames in batting average (.335), runs (47), hits (68), triples (3), home runs (16), RBI (55) and slugging (.655), to go along with 11 doubles and 133 total bases.
“My strength is being able to hit the ball with power everywhere on the field,” Szykowny said. “I bring passion and intensity to the field every day. I’ve spent years and years playing the game and I hate to lose.
“I have so much time and energy that I’ve put into baseball and I just love it.”
Szykowny hopes to hear his name called when Major League Baseball holds its draft July 9-11 in Seattle. Because of COVID and NCAA stipulations, Szykowny has one more year of eligibility if he chooses to take it.
“My plan is to play pro ball if given the opportunity,” he said. “I have a pretty good chance of playing pro ball if I get drafted. But if I don’t get drafted, I think I’ll take that year of eligibility at UIC.”
To bad head coach frank difoggio had no clue what he had !!!! Gonna get 400 wins with 400 losses!