Last season, Nick Richter was wearing a Cary-Grove uniform trying to get the Trojans back to the state finals before a sectional finals loss.

This season, Richter begins a new challenge with the season approaching at McHenry County College. Richter said that it has been a smooth move from high school to college.

“The transition has gone pretty well for me personally,” Richter said. “My teammates and coaches are awesome. We have a great group of guys who come to practice every day ready to work extremely hard. I have been blessed to come from a spectacular athletic high school where the coaches prepared me well for what I have experienced in college. The transition has been fairly smooth and I have had a lot of fun along the way.”

The Scots boast a mainly McHenry County roster of players with Richter hoping to play a big role on this season’s team in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference.

Richter added that there are a few differences between the games.

“The biggest difference between high school baseball and college baseball for me, has been the overall talent,” Richter said. “Coming from a very good baseball conference like the Fox Valley, has prepared me pretty well for college, but I am seeing better pitchers and hitters at this level. Also, the game moves a lot more quickly, players are smarter and the game is faster as a whole.”

MCC finished 20-24 last season and Richter said that there are high hopes heading into the season opener on Feb. 25 in Jackson, Tennessee against Jackson State.

“Again, we have a great group of talented ball players, which sparks a lot of competition,” Richter said. “As a result, each day we are getting better and are counting down the days till the season starts. I believe we are going to be a force in Northern Illinois and hopefully the nation. We have the tools to go far and if we all play to our potential and as a team, then there is not an excuse that this should be a successful season.”