South Has Speed in Dynamic Backstop

That game with Johnsburg had a memorable ending this spring. junior catcher Dom Winiecki drove in the tying run, knotting the game in the seventh inning.

Winiecke picked up the play-by-play of that thrilling game.

"I stole second,'' Winiecki said. "And moved to third on a passed ball. I then scored the winning run on a suicide squeeze play."

Wait a second, isn't Winiecki a catcher. How come they didn't pinch-run for him once he got that hit?

Introducing the Crystal Lake South leadoff hitter, Dom Winiecki. Speedy catcher sounds like an oxymoron but it works for the junior. And he is no Punch and Judy hitter at the top of the lineup—the first batter in South's lineup has three homers this spring.

"I like Dom’s competitive fire when he channels that energy towards attacking the baseball at the plate," Gators coach Brian Bogda said.

In a win over Jacobs last week, Winiecki had three hits and two stolen bases. In addition, he threw out three Jacobs base runners trying to steal.

So where did South find this talented catcher who throws right-handed and hits left-handed? This is one player who has a chance to play in college and maybe beyond that.

"I think Dom has the skills to play in college,'' Bogda said. "And what encourages me more is that I have another off season to work with Dom to continue to improve his overall game. "

He wasn't a catcher to begin with. First, Winiecki had to figure out what side of the plate to hit from.

"I was switch-hitting in Little League,'' Winiecki said. "My dad asked me which one felt better. Now I golf lefty, too."

He was drawn into catching following Little League.

"I thought, why not give it a shot,'' he said. "It takes a lot of work. I took lessons for a year or two and taught myself how to do it."

Winiecki brings that great speed to this sport. He's a wide receiver during football season, but it's clear he's a big fan of baseball.

"I love meeting new people,'' he said. "And the game never gets boring."

As a sophomore, he hit .278 with 16 stolen bases. This season, his average has jumped to .419 with those three homers and 19 RBIs.

In addition to sports, he's also a fan of the school he attends.

"I love the school,'' he said. "South has great teachers. I love playing baseball with these kids."

When professional baseball is mentioned, naturally Winiecki lights up. But he's also realistic.

"I'm looking to play baseball on the college level,'' he said. "But I do have a back-up plan. I would like to study criminal justice. I've always wanted to be a cop."

In the meantime, he'll have to be satisfied with arresting potential base stealers.