Eric Silkwood, after a year at Crowder College, got a chance to play closer to home.
The Blue Springs High School graduate recently became a preferred walk-on to the University of Central Missouri baseball team, one of the premier NCAA Division II programs in the country.
“He was a one-year transfer that threw some valuable innings out of the bullpen for us,” Crowder coach Travis Lallemand said. “On any other staff, he would be in the top four of our rotation, but we had one of the deepest rotations we ever had last year.”
Silkwood played one year at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., where he threw 30 innings in 2008. He then came to Crowder and pitched in 10 games this spring, tossing 25 total innings and striking out 18 batters. He had a 4.32 earned run average.
Silkwood has four pitches he can throw for strikes, including a fastball sitting between 83-87 miles per hour. Lallemand noted his best pitch is a “plus” breaking ball.
“I’m very glad that I went to Crowder,” Silkwood said. “I learned a lot about the game of baseball and tons of things about mental toughness because we had to be outside every day for five or six hours. Whether it was hot or cold, we had to run a lot.
“I also learned a lot about the team aspect of baseball, how everyone on the team must have a bond on the field no matter what kind of friends they are off the field.”
The Mules were 44-15 in 2009, before losing to Emporia State in the South Central Regionals in the Division II playoffs.
Silkwood, 21, is the son of Bill and JoAnn Silkwood of Blue Springs. He is an art education major at UCM.
“In my eyes, I’m tons more prepared by going to a juco,” Silkwood said. “There’s a lot of good players at the juco level and the workouts and conditioning was way longer and more intense than here. So, coming to UCM is actually a little easier than juco.”
Neosho, MO —
