Dauphin's William Hlady is well into his first season of college baseball with the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers and it's going very well.
"Things are going pretty good," said Hlady. "The transition from Manitoba to out here was definitely different. Everyone's a lot bigger down here, and we use metal bats."
The 18-year-old Freshman has pitched in six games totalling 6.1 innings, and his 2.84 ERA is second on the team. Opponent's are batting just .208 against Hlady, and he's racked up four strikeouts while going 2-0.
"I'm just going up there and not looking to strikeout batters," said Hlady. "I'm looking for groundouts or flyballs. I'm just trying to make things as easy as possible for myself."
Despite playing Division III this year, Hlady has plans on moving up to Division II or I, and he knows the success he's had this year will help him.
"The success this year will definitely help me going forward," said Hlady. "I'm just getting more confidence as I go, and we have some great coaches that are teaching me a lot of new things, and how to be successful on the mound."
Playing ball in the states has not only given Hlady a chance to pitch against some of the top hitters around America, but the views are something he's also enjoying.
"The travelling aspect is a lot of fun," said Hlady. "We've been to St. Louis and Kentucky, so that's been really cool."
Hlady and the rest of the Tigers (6-7) continue their busy schedule tomorrow when they're in Illinois for a two-game trip against Blackburn College.
The club will be looking to get back on track during the set. They've lost six of their last seven games after starting the season with a 5-1 record.
