Suburban Life Athlete of the Week: George Wolkow, Downers Grove North, baseball, senior

Name: George Wolkow

Sport: Baseball

Why he was selected: Wolkow hit two homers – one was a grand slam – and had five RBIs in a win over Plainfield East and also hit a grand slam in a win over Plainfield Central. He was selected the Athlete of the Week in an online vote. Here is his interview with Sports Editor Joshua Welge.

Welge: You’re obviously off to a good start the first few games. How are you feeling at the plate? Any of the homers stand out that you recall?

Wolkow: I am feeling great at the plate right now. Patient and finding my pitch to hit. A lot of teams are trying to pitch around me, so it’s just a matter of taking my walks and cheering on my teammates when they hit me in. With a lineup so deep at DGN, having patience and taking what is given to me is a key for us to score some runs and win some games. My second home run of the year is a perfect example of my approach. First pitch, just being ready and attacking because all I may see is one.

Welge: How much of a challenge was it transitioning from an extended basketball season to baseball?

Wolkow: Not a challenge at all. Being my third year going from basketball to baseball, I feel like this year was the easiest even with a state run. A lot of sacrifices and discipline along the course of the season whether it’s early mornings or late nights finding ways to work harder than my competition. For me, one of my goals was to come out hot and ready this spring, so it was a big focus of mine to make sure I was prepared both physically and mentally. A lot of that comes with early mornings or late nights in the gym or in the cages at times when others might not have been, giving me an edge to prepare myself to succeed this season. Sacrificing my Friday nights and Saturday nights to focus on my goals and what will help me in my career in the long run.

Welge: Was there a particular emphasis of your offseason work?

Wolkow: I always have a motive to my work and a plan when I step into the facility whether it’s the weight room or the cages. Overall this offseason I worked on cleaning up my bat path as well as utilizing my legs and staying poised in my lower half. Hitting with my hitting coach weekly gave me that opportunity to get better. In the weight room I was focused on getting stronger while maintaining my athleticism. For me that means moving heavy weight very fast. Overall my work was very specific with a lot of attention to detail. I feel like I learned how to train like a pro from having an opportunity to get around some big league guys this winter. I was down in Florida for an event and was able to stop by Cressey Sports Performance and hit with some guys like Trea Turner and Brady House. Also took infield with Trea and Paul Goldschmidt. Being around guys at a level like them and learning from watching but as well as talking to them and picking their brain totally helped push me to take my game to the next level the rest of the winter.

Welge: Your team seems pretty strong. What kind of excitement level is there for this year and what goals do you have?

Wolkow: We have the best team in the state. The guys on our team bond and mesh well together like some brothers. A lot of us have played together at some point growing up and have relationships that go years back. A lot of us also train amongst various local travel programs. That gives our team an advantage amongst some others having a group of guys that trust one other and can have fun with one another. On top of that we have multiple Power Five Division I commits as well as some DIII powerhouse commits. On paper we are one of the most intimidating lineups and roster-wise and we love the target on our back. We have all the potential we need to achieve our goals. Our biggest goal is to bring a state championship home to Downers Grove.

Welge: So you’re a big kid! Where does the big frame come from - genes?

Wolkow: For sure! My dad is 6-foot-5, mom is 5-10 and mom’s dad is 6-5. Lots of height in the blood line. With the height, though, training has helped me start to fill the frame out as I continue to mature.

Welge: What played into your decision to reclassify?

Wolkow: The decision was a big one and we wanted to take our time through the process. For me the idea came up in 2021 when I hit .500 in Jupiter at the World Wood Bat Association Championship, one of the circuit’s biggest tournaments with the Chicago Scouts Association fall team. For me that event and opportunity as a sophomore really motivated me to push myself to get to the next level. After taking our time through the process and looking at the pros and cons, and opportunities the decision was clear, to graduate a year early. I was ready to push myself and challenge myself at the next level amongst the best. By doing so I was able to play amongst the best high school players in the 2023 draft and mature and grow as a player myself while solidifying my name in the class as the youngest 2023 draft eligible guy.

Welge: Do you have a baseball player you look up to?

Wolkow: I love to look up to Bryce Harper. The way he plays the game with energy and enthusiasm make it so fun to watch. He was a guy with a massive target on his back and he excelled and proved himself to be one of the best players in baseball. Also, learning about his reclassification process and how young he started his career motivated me to work as hard as him, to some day be better than him!