Wanner taking baseball talents to Washburn University

Former Rochelle standout spent first two college seasons at JUCO level

Russell Hodges
Posted 7/26/18

Mark Wanner’s baseball career has taken him to several different places over the last few years, but the former Rochelle Township High School standout has found his new home, and he doesn’t plan to hold back on pursuing his dream of playing professional baseball anytime soon.

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Wanner taking baseball talents to Washburn University

Former Rochelle standout spent first two college seasons at JUCO level

Posted

Mark Wanner’s baseball career has taken him to several different places over the last few years, but the former Rochelle Township High School standout has found his new home, and he doesn’t plan to hold back on pursuing his dream of playing professional baseball anytime soon.

After spending his first two college seasons at Indian Hills Community College and McHenry County College, Wanner committed to play his junior season at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas this past winter. The former Hub appeared in 40 games for McHenry County College during his sophomore season, hitting .354 with two home runs and 36 RBIs while scoring 38 runs and stealing five bases.

“I visited a couple of schools and Washburn seemed to be the best fit for me,” Wanner said. “I’m pretty excited about it… I think I’ve improved in dealing with adversity and having the ability to move forward. I think I’ve been a lot more consistent over the last few years, and the thing I want to keep improving on is just becoming more consistent in each aspect of my game.”

Wanner spent his first three years of high school with the Rochelle baseball program, earning an All-Conference Honorable Mention as a sophomore before being named to the All-Conference First Team by the Northern Illinois Big 12 his junior year. He transferred to Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida to play his senior season after taking the advice of his hitting coach Kevan Burns.

“I loved being around my friends every day at Rochelle,” Wanner said. “Coach [Nick] Reinick and coach [Jarrod] Reynolds are two great coaches and they helped me a lot with my game. It was a great time and it was hard to leave… I spent a lot of time during the winter of my junior year with my hitting coach, and he got a job down there before my senior year. He thought it would be a good opportunity for me to play against better competition.”

Wanner graduated from Montverde Academy in 2016, and he began his college career at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa. While he said he enjoyed his freshman season, he wasn’t sure about his long-term fit with the program, leading him to transfer to McHenry County College for his sophomore season.

“It was a good experience and I think I grew a lot as a player,” Wanner said. “It just wasn’t a good fit for me over there, both academically and athletically, so that was the main reason why I decided to transfer to MCC.”

Wanner excelled at MCC during his sophomore season, helping the baseball team finish 44-14 overall and come within two victories of reaching the College World Series. His top performances included going 5-for-6 with a season-high six RBIs in a 26-0 win over Waubonsee Community College on April 27.

“Coach [Jared] Wacker is a great coach,” Wanner said. “The atmosphere we played in over there was a great experience for me, and it was really a breakout year for me.”

Wanner now has an opportunity to take his game to another level at Washburn, which is an NCAA Division II university. After playing two years at the junior college level, Wanner is confident he can finish both his academic and athletic careers strong. He said he plans to finish his college baseball career at Washburn while earning his degree in hopes of potentially pursuing physical therapy.

“I’m hoping I can keep going beyond college,” Wanner said. “I definitely have a goal of playing professional baseball if that opportunity arises, and if not, I’m studying to become a physical therapist. I think I’ll be in good shape either way.”