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After slow start, Wilton's Freie finds success with Hawks

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By Steve Batterson | Wednesday, May 7, 2008 8:12 PM CDT | () comments

IOWA CITY — Tested by time, Wes Freie now understands the value of patience.

In the midst of his junior year on the Iowa baseball team, the former Wilton prep is seeing a more patient approach at the plate pay dividends after a couple anxious seasons in a Hawkeyes uniform.

“Coming out of high school, I was swinging at everything when I got here,’’ Freire said.

It’s easy to understand why.

A .500 hitter in each of his final three seasons at Wilton, Freie was named the Iowa Class 2A player of the year in 2005 as part of a state championship team. Expectations then followed him to the Big Ten.

Freie says he benefits from the time he has spent working with Hawkeyes hitting coach Ryan Brownlee and the experience he gained in a college summer league.

“I’m learning how to play the game, and it’s making a difference,’’ Freie said.

Splitting time between first base and designated hitter duties for Iowa, Freie’s batting average of .353 is almost 100 points better than the numbers he put up during his first two seasons of college baseball.

“I wanted everything to happen right away, but it doesn’t work that way,’’ Freie said. “I was tested. I had to put in the work to learn and get better, and now I finally feel like that is showing up on a daily basis.’’

Freie’s 15 extra-base hits and four homers rank third among Iowa players.

Last season, he struck out 33 times in 114 plate appearances. This year, Freie has been retired on strikes 18 times in 163 at-bats.

“He’s becoming the type of player that people expected him to be,’’ Iowa coach Jack Dahm said. “There were such high expectations placed on Wes from outside the program that I think it would have been nearly impossible for any player to live up to them as a freshman.

“It takes time. This is a different level of baseball. I’m seeing a different player now than I saw in the past. A lot of that has to do with maturity and the way Wes has learned with the work he has put into his game. I’m seeing a different player.’’

So is Freie.

Brownlee has worked on shortening and strengthening Freie’s swing and teaching him discipline at the plate.

On the field, Freie has learned as well.

He spent last summer playing for Quincy in the Central Illinois Collegiate League, a college wood-bat league. He started in each of the 42 games he played. He also was joined by Iowa teammate and former Rockridge standout Tyson Blaser, on the Gems roster.

“That experience was a good one for me. It was a chance to play every day, and it gave me 200 at-bats in a competitive situation. That is the thing that is helping me the most,’’ Freie said.

“This game is all about experience and learning from the experiences you have been through in the past. I realize that a lot more now. The more I play, the more I’m able to go back to similar situations in the past and do something better or differently because of what I learned the last time I was in the same spot.’’

Freie attempts to make that happen with each at-bat.

“This isn’t an easy game. If you are successful three-tenths of the time in baseball, they start talking about you being a candidate for the hall of fame. You have to learn through the tough times and if you do, it will only help make the good times even better and more frequent,’’ Freie said.

“That’s my approach and the learning, I feel, is starting to pay off for me.’’

Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.