R-B’s pitcher ‘pretty amped’ for title game

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Ray Wojciechowski thinks, maybe, the hours he spent throwing to the pitchback screen in his yard might have started it all.

Unlike many young players, the Richmond-Burton junior never has worked with a true pitching coach, but his father, Paul, got him throwing around the age of 5. Every day, he would toss to his pitchback, building arm strength and also developing his keen sense of control.

Wojciechowski occasionally tops 80 mph on a speed gun, but velocity is not what matters for the Rockets’ right-hander.

“I just stick with locating my pitches and having the right mindset,” Wojciechow-ski said. “I try to get in the batters’ heads and then use my changeup.”

Wojciechowski, who holds R-B’s career wins record at 19, will be on the mound at 11 a.m. today when the Rockets (24-8) meet St. Francis (24-12) in the IHSA Class 3A Grayslake Central Sectional championship.

The winner advances to the North Central College Supersectional in Naperville against either Riverside-Brookfield or Nazareth Academy, which meet in the Nazareth Sectional championship today. R-B is trying to win its second sectional baseball title.

“He’s always been a very steady pitcher for us; he’s worked hard for three years,” said R-B coach Mike Giese, who brought Wojciechowski up as a freshman. “I’m very happy for him to be able to pitch in a game this special. The defense likes playing behind Ray; they get a lot of ground balls, and they’re going to be a lot more active.”

The Rockets’ other ace, junior lefty E.J. Trapino, is a different style of pitcher than Wojciechowski, although both have been highly effective. Wojciechowski is 9-1 with a 2.12 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 55 innings; Trapino, who no-hit Vernon Hills in Thursday’s 5-0 victory, is 9-2 with a 1.71 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 74 innings.

“I’ve never had a chance to pitch in a championship game,” Wojciechowski said. “This is the biggest game of my career so far. I’m pretty excited; I’m pretty amped.”

Giese likens Wojciechow-ski’s pitching style to that of one of Giese’s favorite former major league pitchers.

“I grew up in the 1990s, and to me, Ray is a Greg Maddux-type of pitcher,” Giese said. “He has an incredible changeup. And he spreads hits out; you don’t see too many teams string four or five hits together off Ray. He’s smart and knows how to make adjustments.

“I think of our 24 wins this year, in 22 or 23 of them we’ve given up three or less runs. ... [Pitching is] definitely our strength, and so we’re riding it as far as we can go.”