2008 Woodie Awards
Niewinksi providing the offense in a down season
Mark Johnson
Issue date: 5/7/05 Section: Sports
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In what has been a difficult season for the Lewis baseball team, Morris native Brandon Niewinski has been one of the team's most consistent contributors.
Through Apr. 20, Niewinski had appeared in 36 games for the Flyers, all of them starts. He was 37-for-125 on the year, which translates into a .296 batting average, good for second on the team.
Niewinski has hit four doubles and one home run, driving in 12 runs and scoring 16 times in the process. His 16 walks give him a .389 on-base percentage for the season.
He has done all of this in his first year as a full-time player for the Flyers. Last year, Niewinski had just 40 at-bats the entire season despite appearing in 49 games. His 2004 batting average was .232 for the 16-39 Flyers.
"I mean, I played quite a bit last year, but this is the first time I've really been a full-time starter," he said. "I enjoy it a lot. I really like the challenge of playing at the Division II level. It really makes me work and play hard."
Niewinski has been used at several positions for Lewis, ranging from an outfielder to catcher. This was a complete change for him from his days at Morris Community High School.
"In high school, I was a third baseman and that was it. It's definitely been an adjustment moving around to different positions," Niewinski said.
"But I really like it a lot. It's like they always look to me to be the guy to step in where I'm needed, and that really makes you feel good. I hadn't played catcher since way back before they had me do it here, and it's a lot like riding a bike. You don't forget it."
One adjustment Niewinski has not had to make is a move away from home to play collegiate sports. He still lives in Morris and commutes to the Lewis campus in Romeoville.
"That's one excellent thing about playing at Lewis and one thing that helped make this easier for me going in. It's fun to play in front of my family, and there will usually be 10 or 15 of my family members in the crowd if we have a big game," Niewinski said.
Through Apr. 20, Niewinski had appeared in 36 games for the Flyers, all of them starts. He was 37-for-125 on the year, which translates into a .296 batting average, good for second on the team.
Niewinski has hit four doubles and one home run, driving in 12 runs and scoring 16 times in the process. His 16 walks give him a .389 on-base percentage for the season.
He has done all of this in his first year as a full-time player for the Flyers. Last year, Niewinski had just 40 at-bats the entire season despite appearing in 49 games. His 2004 batting average was .232 for the 16-39 Flyers.
"I mean, I played quite a bit last year, but this is the first time I've really been a full-time starter," he said. "I enjoy it a lot. I really like the challenge of playing at the Division II level. It really makes me work and play hard."
Niewinski has been used at several positions for Lewis, ranging from an outfielder to catcher. This was a complete change for him from his days at Morris Community High School.
"In high school, I was a third baseman and that was it. It's definitely been an adjustment moving around to different positions," Niewinski said.
"But I really like it a lot. It's like they always look to me to be the guy to step in where I'm needed, and that really makes you feel good. I hadn't played catcher since way back before they had me do it here, and it's a lot like riding a bike. You don't forget it."
One adjustment Niewinski has not had to make is a move away from home to play collegiate sports. He still lives in Morris and commutes to the Lewis campus in Romeoville.
"That's one excellent thing about playing at Lewis and one thing that helped make this easier for me going in. It's fun to play in front of my family, and there will usually be 10 or 15 of my family members in the crowd if we have a big game," Niewinski said.
