In his first at-bat with the Slammers, Jeremy Nowak got thrown out at second base Wednesday when he tried to stretch an RBI single into a double.
But Nowak wasn’t going to hear about it from the first-base coach.
“It was pretty cool. Pete Rose was coaching first,” Nowak said. “Pete just had a talk in the locker room about always playing hard. I went in hard to second base and was out.
“Pete called me over in the dugout the next inning. He told me, ‘That was the right play there. You did a great job. They had to make a perfect throw and a perfect tag.”’
It was close to a perfect night for Nowak. The 27-year-old native of Cheektowaga, N.Y., also had a two-run home run in the Slammers’ 10-4 win over Florence.
“It was a very good debut,” Nowak said. “I felt good at the plate. It’s kind of nice having a fresh start. Almost like it’s Opening Day, yet we only have three weeks left.”
Nowak played in the Baltimore Orioles’ minor league system for three years after he was drafted in 2010 out of Mount Olive College, a Division II power in North Carolina. He played on a Quebec team in the Cam-Am League in 2013.
Nowak was signed last year by Evansville and batted .265 in 75 games with the Otters in the Frontier League.
“It was a good year. For me, professionally, it was my favorite year,” he said. “The group of guys we had. We lost the wild card series, but it was cool to be a part of the playoffs for the first time in my pro career.”
Injuries limited playing time for Nowak this year with Evansville, and his average dropped to .233 in 47 games. He was released Sunday by the Otters.
“It was a tough situation,” he said. “I loved to play with those guys. I was looking forward to finding a place where I could finish up the season and play every day. I wanted to go some place right away.”
The same day he was released, Nowak heard from Slammers manager Jeff Isom, whose outfield has been depleted by injuries.
“He had a very nice season last year, kind of on and off this season,” Isom said. “What I’ve seen from him when we played against them is a very competitive guy who gets very good at-bats.”
The 6-foot, 205-pound utility player was at first base in the opener of Thursday’s doubleheader and in left field for the nightcap against Florence.
The Slammers were swept by Florence 5-2 and 9-2. Marc Flores hit a two-run home run for the Slammers in Game 1. It was the second homer in two nights for Flores. Hunter Ridge had two hits in the second game.
After baseball, Nowak will return to work in sales for his dad’s construction business in New York state, give baseball lessons and play in men’s leagues with his brother.
“This year might be my last. I’m getting married in September,” he said. “This year was going to be the make-or-break season. After getting released, I wanted to finish up on a strong note.”
The Slammers (33-48) still hope to do the same in their final 15 games. After a weekend road series against the Lake Erie Crushers, the Slammers host the Schaumburg Boomers for three games starting Tuesday.
Washington 6, ThunderBolts 5: Matt Ford walked in the bottom of the 10th to score Austin Wobrock with the deciding run as host Washington (35-46) swept the three-game Frontier League series. Max White (2-for-5) hit a three-run triple for the ThunderBolts (33-47) and Mike Torres (2-for-5, double) scored two runs.
Boys Golf
Stagg 172, Bradley-Bourbonnais 178: Jake McFarland of Stagg (1-0, 1-0) led all golfers with a 40 in the SouthWest Suburban crossover at Palos Municipal.
Shepard 196, Bremen 232: Shepard’s David Brochu (44) was the medalist in the South Suburban crossover at Joe Louis.
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Richards 177, Tinley Park 205: Medalist Mitch Crook finished with a 43 for Richards at Broken Arrow. Collin Wilma (47) led Tinley Park.
Joliet Central co-op 166, Andrew 169: Cameron Hester (38) of Joliet Central co-o edged Andrew’s C.J. Marshall by one stroke to capture top individual honors in the SouthWest Suburban crossover at Silver Lake South.
Oak Forest 192, Evergreen Park 198: Evergreen Park’s Elizabeth Stalla paced all competitors with a 45 in the South Suburban crossover at George Dunne National.
Lincoln-Way West quadrangular: Medalist Will Schieber had a 1-under 35 as Sandburg (154) bested Homewood-Flossmoor (159) for first place in the SouthWest Suburban meet at Green Garden. Lincoln-Way East (162) was third and Lincoln-Way West (197) fourth.
Girls Golf
Andrew 179, Bolingbrook 203: Medalist Sara Crane shot a 38 for Andrew (2-0, 2-0) in the SouthWest Suburban crossover at Silver Lake’s Rolling Hills Course.
Benet 177, Lemont 188: Ashley Ringo (44) had the top score for Lemont (0-1). Benet’s Abby Bitto was medalist by virtue of her 40 at Broken Arrow.
Marist 187, Oak Forest 225: Hannah McMahon of Marist (1-0) finished atop the leaderboard with a 45 at the Meadows. Emily Hendzel (53) led Oak Forest.
Women’s Soccer
Moraine Valley 5, Joliet Junior College 0: Ewelina Kim scored twice to propel Moraine Valley in the season opener for both teams. Maggie Hacker and Marbella Rodriguez each contributed one goal and one assist.
Josh Krockey is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.