Mercer’s New Baseball Coach Already at Work
7/05
While the Mercer baseball team may not play its first game until March of 2006, Matt Wolski, Mercer’s new head coach, is already busy developing a roster that will produce winning results in the coming year. He says he is encouraged by the core group of returning players he has talked to and the recruits he is interviewing. “I have three goals,” Wolski said. “One is to see players graduate, the second is to win baseball games, and the third is to help players transfer to four-year programs, where they can pursue both academics and baseball.” The 25-year-old graduate student knows all about the positive influence of athletics. “Playing a sport keeps young people out of trouble,” he notes. “Baseball paid for my education and kept me focused on getting my degree." |
 |
|
Former
Rutgers stand-out Matt Wolski of Hamilton is MCCC's new head baseball coach. |
A 2003 graduate of Rutgers University, Wolski played second base for the Scarlet Knights. “I was fortunate to play all four years. Rutgers has tons of talent. Freshmen and sophomores don’t always get a chance to play as much as they would like.”
And that’s where a community college can make a big difference. “I saw how it worked for pitcher Shaun Parker,” Wolski said. Parker was a star pitcher at Mercer for two seasons, graduating in 2002 and continuing his education at Rutgers, where he played with Wolski. Parker is now playing minor league ball for the New York Yankees.
With experience as an assistant coach at Steinert and at Rider University, Wolski believes he is ready to fill the head coach position. “I’m excited. I’m the one who will take the credit – and the blame. I’ve got deep roots in Mercer County. I want to see Mercer County College succeed.”
A stand-out player for Steinert High School, Wolski has been in the local spotlight as far back as 1992 when he played a starring role for Nottingham at the Little League World Series. He also played for former MCCC baseball coach Rich Freeman in the summer American Legion League.
He is currently studying for his masters degree at Thomas Edison State College. In addition to coaching, Wolski intends to teach after graduation.
