Hello and welcome to BEHIND THE SHIELD, an article series where I, your host, Denzel Valera, will be sitting down with some of your favorite Worcester State Athletes to get to know a bit more about what is inside the mind of these athletes and what inspires and motivates them everyday. 

On this week's episode I sat down with MASCAC All Academic Team, Class of 2026, First baseman and pitcher, from Rocky Hill, Conn.,  #45 Jack Pawlich.  

To ease into the interview, I started off with soft pitches for Jack:

DV: How did you find your love for baseball?

Pawlich: When I was 5 my dad tried to get me to play (Basketball, Baseball, Soccer)  then I tried tee ball and I fell in love with the sport ever since. 

To note, Jack was not only an all-star pitcher for the Lancers but, was also a 4.0 GPA student-athlete. To be able to juggle his passion for baseball, and his academics is truly a remarkable feat.

DV: What do you feel is better for your sport, weightlifting in the gym or calisthenics?

Pawlich: I would say for baseball, weightlifting is an essential towards all assets of the game. 

DV: What is more important, endurance or stamina in baseball?  

Pawlich: I would say stamina, what you do and what you play as a pitcher and a first baseman both are very important but I feel like stamina is the most important. 

DV: Why did you choose Worcester State University?

Pawlich:  I chose Worcester State because of the campus, because of the environment of the campus and it is an hour away from my house. 

As we worked our way through some standard questions, it was time to delve a bit deeper into who is Jack Pawlich….

DV: Would you rather have speed or strength? 

Pawlich: I would rather have strength because as a first baseman it fit more for the team. Honestly it depends more on your position on the team. 

DV: Do you feel as if it’s important to have a good connection with your teammates and have team building exercises or do you feel as if you’re a good player you should just be able to conform to the standards the team requires and exceed them? 

Pawlich: I would say the first one, because with this upcoming season we really intend to unite as a family, once we take the team down to Florida, it's more like a team bonding family. 

Getting to learn a bit more about Jack Pawlich has been fun, but there are some real personal questions we have to get down to now.

DV: What's your favorite movie and scene in the movie?  

Pawlich: Seven, it's when Detective Mills find out what's in the box. (Which I happen to agree with, great movie, great scene, but less about me and more about the man of the hour.)

DV: Who's your favorite baseball player, and how did they inspire you? 

Pawlich: My favorite player is David Ortiz because I grew up idolizing him and I remember him being so good. And actually watching him at a younger age really inspired me. (Let us be honest, who in New England does not love Big Papi)

DV: Who or what are your top 5 musical artists? 

Pawlich: 

Top 5 Musical Artists:

1. Kanye West 

2. Kid Cudi  

3. MF DOOM  

4. DMX  

5. Kendrick  Lamar 

Then we moved into a speed round, five seconds to see what comes out……

DV: What's your favorite food? 

Pawlich:  I love a bacon cheese burger. 

DV: Instead of making it pro what is your dream job? 

Pawlich: A professional baseball scout. 

DV: Where do you want to travel to?

Pawlich: I would love to go to Japan. 

DV: What (Field, Stadium, Arena) would you like to play in, in your future? 

Pawlich: I would love to play in Fenway Park.  

DV: Who was your biggest role model growing up?  

Pawlich: I would honestly say David Ortiz, he had a major impact on me growing up.

DV: Who do you model your play and/or style after? 

Pawlich: This is more old school but I model it after Jeff Bagwell.  

DV: What is your personal goal this upcoming season? 

Pawlich: I don't have any personal goal this season, it's more of a team goal, to win the MASCAC regular season, and get to the NCAA D3 tournament, and even win the D3 Championship. 

DV: What is your team goal this upcoming season/regular season? 

Pawlich: Not to lose as many one run games as last season, even the nine to one games are hard to do.  

For the final question of the interview, 

DV:Do you have any final remarks or comments? 

Pawlich: It was a great interview and I love to give insights into Worcester State baseball. 

Which is always exciting to hear as we all love having Jack Pawlich as a part of the Worcester State Baseball team. Thanks for joining us in this issue of BEHIND THE SHIELD and I will see you next time we lower the SHIELD!

~Denzel Valera~