WINONA LAKE - Nate Wottring seems to be the perfect fit at Grace College.
Following in his father's footsteps, Todd, Wottring is donning the red and black Grace College Lancers baseball gear, and impressing along the way.
As a 19-year old freshman, Wottring is leading the 9-32 Lancers with a .405 batting average, resulting in 45 hits and 17 RBIs.
"I came in not really knowing what to expect," Wottring, whose .405 batting average ranks eighth in the Mid-Central College Conference. "I knew the program wasn't really where it needed be, but I sure didn't see myself hitting over .400. It's something new for me to bat No. 3, but I'm blessed to hit this well.
"In high school, I batted in the low .300s," he added. "In Legion ball, I hit around .365. So I never had an idea of hitting .400."
He may not have been batting over .400 while at Rochester High School, but that didn't keep first-year Grace coach Josh Bailey from scouting him.
"I drew interest to him because his parents were alumni," Bailey said. "So, I went to see him as a junior, as he possessed everything we were looking for. He was confident and had good speed and a strong arm. He was pretty good, but had room to improve. I just thought he would be a good fit for us while we were trying to turn things around here."
Improving the Lancer program has been a priority for the Wottring, Bailey and his teammates, even if the going has been a bit slower than anticipated.
"I know you can't change too much in a year, but this has been a little slower than I thought," Wottring said about Grace, which is coming off a 3-35 2008 season. "We are making strides.
"(My teammates and I) would sit in the dorms and say, "Wouldn't it be nice to go .500,'," he added. "But we never really set any team goals, besides maybe getting over three wins, which we knew we would do."
The biggest change to the program may be the feeling surrounding it.
"People that come to the games, and sit in the stands, talk about how the atmosphere is different," Wottring said. "That's one of the best compliments we could get."
And, according to Bailey, it's players like Wottring that are helping to change that atmosphere.
"He's real social," Bailey said. "I think he knows just about everyone on campus. He's a good kid, and the kind of kid you want to bring in to turn a program around. He can really be the face of an organization."
And that face hasn't been all smiles this year.
While playing in Clearwater, Fla. over spring break, Wottring sprained his posterior cruciate ligament.
"I stole second base, and as I slid, I hurt my knee, but I didn't think anything of it," Wottring said. "Our next batter came up and hit a double, but on my way around the bases, it gave up on me."
The injury forced the utility player to miss a few conference games, but after an MRI revealed that he could still play, he returned.
"It still hurts each game," Wottring said. "The pain gonna be there, but if you can play though it, you can play."
The injury has slowed his base-running, but he's still doing pretty well for himself.
"It's taken away about half of his game, because of the speed, but he's still batting in the middle of our order," Bailey said.
That kind of resilience has turned the freshman into a leader on the team, but he's quick to deflect the credit.
"Out seniors are great leaders," he said. "But as the younger guys get older, we will need to become leaders. But Josh Petry, Kyle Knapp and Jake Fitzgerald are doing really well. And coach Bailey has only been here for two years, and doing a great job with recruiting. Things are going to get better - it has to."
And Wottring is a good step in making those things improve.
"He brings an excitement that is helping the program get to another level," Grace College Athletic Director Chad Briscoe said. "He's been great on and off the field, and falls right in line with the mission of Grace College."
