Texas internship opens doors for CL South's Wilson

Kyle Wilson  assumed he would spend last summer getting healthy and watching baseball.

Wilson did plenty of both as an intern in the Texas Rangers' corporate sales office. But the Crystal Lake South graduate also acquired plenty of hitting lessons and a couple of possible career paths.

"I'm so glad I decided to do it," said Wilson, a senior who starts in center field and leads off for North Carolina State. "I didn't expect all of this to come together."

What started as a chance to perform a required internship for his sport management major turned into daily lessons from a professional coach in Texas and an impressive start to the 2010 season with the Wolfpack.

Wilson passed on playing summer ball last year, but got back into the game after meeting coach Johnny Narron, who is best known for his work as a special assistant to All-Star Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton.

"I would go down into the tunnel (to the field at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington) on my lunch break and work with him," Wilson said of Narron. "I learned more about hitting this summer than I've ever been taught."

When Wilson returned to school in the fall, he continued his work with Narron.

"He only lives about 30 minutes from school here in Raleigh (N.C.)," Wilson said. 

The benefits of Wilson's lessons have been immense this season as the Wolfpack is off to a 7-1 start.

Wilson is leading the team with a .500 batting average, 17 runs scored and a .651 on-base percentage. He ranks in the top five in the Atlantic Coast Conference in seven offensive categories.

"I'm feeling pretty good at the plate," Wilson said. "I never wanted to hit leadoff. But it's made me a more selective hitter."

In eight games, Wilson has 11 walks.

During his time in Texas, Wilson got a feel for the business side of baseball and also helped teach camps for underprivileged kids.

"I'd like to get into coaching," Wilson said. "I got to teach a lot of kids the game this summer. I loved that."

The first priority for Wilson, though, would be to continue his playing career on the pro level.

"I love being on the field," said Wilson, who was drafted in the 31st round by the Cubs in 2008 but did not sign. "That's my first priority right now."

Raebel fundraiser: Wisconsin-Whitewater's Kachel Gymnasium will host a fundraiser for Cary-Grove grad and two-time Whitewater All-American linebacker AJ Raebel on Wednesday. 

"A Night for AJ: Cure 33 Benefit" will raise funds to help Raebel, who is undergoing treatments for cancer.

The event, which begins at 7 p.m., will feature basketball games involving Raebel's former teammates and coaches and Whitewater's nationally recognized wheelchair basketball team along with door prizes and a 50-50 raffle.

Tickets will be available at the door for $6. The cost is $5 in advance for tickets, which are available at locations in Whitewater and in the Cary area. For ticket information, call Whitewater athletic director Paul Plinske at 262-472-4661.

Harrington headed to nationals: Richmond-Burton grad Mindy Harrington posted a record performance in D-III Carthage College's biggest track and field meet of the season to date last week. 

Harrington won the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin indoor weight throw with a toss of 59 feet, 4 3/4 inches. The throw allowed Harrington, a junior, to better her automatic NCAA qualifying effort and break Carthage's school record by more than a foot. A week earlier, Harrington automatically qualified for this week's national meet at Indiana's DePauw University. 

Harrington also placed third in the shot put (39-11 1/4) in the CCIW meet. 

Monmouth dynasty continues: Crystal Lake South grad Brock McAnally and Woodstock's Parker Woodall helped D-III Monmouth College extend its record streak of consecutive Midwest Conference indoor track titles to 11 last weekend.

McAnally, a junior pole vaulter, defended his conference pole vault title with a vault of 15 feet, more than 8 inches better than his closest competitor. McAnally's conference-winning vault tied his mark for the league's top effort this season.

Woodall, a freshman, placed in two events for Monmouth, which scored 177 points, easily outlasting second-place St. Norbert (115 points).

In the weight throw, Woodall posted a third-place finish with a toss of 48 feet, 8 inches. Woodall finished fifth in the shot put (46-5 1/4).

Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.