Baseball: Colin Barczi, DuPage County All-Area Captain

Naperville Central senior catcher Colin Barczi is motivated to make his mark at the next level.

But Barczi remains uncertain about which level that will be next season - playing college baseball at Vanderbilt or electing to sign a major league baseball contract depending on his selection in next month's draft.

"I'm super excited about my future," Barczi said. "I'm going to have to make a decision, but I'm really excited for it. I have two great options for my future, in pro ball or college. I'm so excited for either one, from my childhood dream of playing pro ball or my dream of playing for Vanderbilt. I'm really excited."

Barczi, the Captain of the 2023 Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area Baseball Team, is a rare elite area player with a future filled with possibilities.

Naperville Central coach Mike Stock said Barczi is just scratching the surface of his potential.

"His future is so bright," Stock said. "He's got everything out in front of him, even though he's not sure what will happen with the (MLB) draft. We traditionally don't get many (high school) drafted players. He's got more attention from pro scouts of any position player I've known since I've been a head coach.

"With pitchers, you can measure velocity, but I've had more scouts contact me and say he just stands out. Even when I talk to other coaches or college coaches, the conversation would always come around to Colin. Everyone is excited to see what's next for him. We will all take that ride with him."

After smacking 13 home runs, driving in 31 runs and finishing with a .482 batting average last season, Barczi endured some rough patches this spring.

His numbers dropped off a bit due to an injury causing him to miss three weeks of the season. Barczi, who was also named the DuPage Valley Conference Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, played in just 21 games. He batted .417 with 8 home runs and 31 RBI, while being walked 23 times.

Led by a talented senior group, including Barczi's leadership, prolific hitting and stellar play at catcher, the Redhawks captured the DVC conference regular season and tournament championships for the second time in three years.

The Redhawks, the No. 2 seed in the Class 4A Romeoville sectional, failed to carry their momentum into the playoffs, suffering a shocking 4-1 defeat to No. 16 seed Plainfield East in a regional semifinal.

"Me and the team dealt with a whole lot of stuff during the whole season," Barczi said. "We played great all season, but at the end we had some things that happened out of our control and we struggled. It doesn't take away from our season and how much fun we had playing. We had a great record going into the playoffs. It was a successful year."

In an odd way, Barczi admitted his early-season injury helped him become a better player.

"Baseball such a mental game," he said. "I just tried to stay strong mentally and be positive no matter what, whether it was because I was out three weeks with an injury or struggling, just as long I stayed mentally tough."

Stock said Barczi was a game-changing player for his program.

"He lived up to everything he did," Stock said. "He always came through at the plate or behind the plate. He did everything we asked. I'm bummed he missed three weeks, but he met every challenge and exceeded them."

Since he started playing baseball at young age, whether it was in youth leagues or wiffle ball in his backyard, Barczi said baseball has been his main sport despite also playing soccer, basketball and football. His size and talent always led to annual inquiries from his teachers about playing football at Naperville Central, but Barczi kept his focus on the diamond.

Catching, for Barczi, fits his personality and family background. His father, Scott, played for Northwestern and in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system. His older brother, Christian, was a standout at Naperville North and Valparaiso.

"Catching runs in my family because my brother and dad both played at a high level," he said. "I like being involved in every single part of the game. You get that aspect of the game with catching, and being a vocal leader and running the game and keeping everyone in control."

After missing an opportunity to play in his freshman season due to the pandemic, Barczi said he was motivated to make the most of his final three seasons. He credits a strong work ethic for his success, but revealed he's even surprised at all of his accolades.

"It's been crazy how everything turned out after my freshman year," Barczi said. "I knew I was pretty talented, but if you told me during my freshman year that I was going to my dream school and would have such a great high school year, I would be pretty shocked. It just showed how much hard work pays off.

"I work out a lot, especially behind the scenes outside of my season or with my team, when you are the only one working out and others are resting or taking a break. I'm always working to accomplish my goals. I want to make it as far as I can in baseball. I don't think there's ever a day I don't want to work out. I want to accomplish my goals and have to always work toward them."