Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
(written by Hannah Bevis, Student Sports Information Assistant)
May 10, 2016 - North Central College senior Bryan Polowy has worn Cardinal red for the last four years, but not everyone might know that the pitcher has been a fan of the Cardinals for longer than just his four years in Naperville.
"I'm a St. Louis Cardinals fan, and I'm from the area too," he said, a bit ruefully. "My grandfather grew up around Wrigley Field and worked there, and he just couldn't stand Cubs fans, so he picked their rivals [to cheer for] and it got passed down to me. Like it or not, I'm a Cardinals fan."
North Central fans are surely grateful that being a Cardinal was in Polowy's blood, because he's played an instrumental role in North Central's success on the baseball diamond. Growing up in a sports family where his brother played baseball and his dad was a huge fan, it was natural for Polowy to play too.
"Baseball was pretty much the main sport for me," said Polowy. "I didn't really have the passion to do anything else, just kind of always dreamt of being the best I could at that."
Polowy's been on the Cardinals' baseball squad for all four years of his college career, switching from a position player to pitcher once he made the jump to college ball. Polowy had an incredible individual season last year where he earned CCIW Pitcher of the Week honors twice, was named Pitcher of the Year in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) and the NCAA Division III Central Region and was named to the ABCA/Rawlings and D3baseball.com All-America First Teams. He also established a new North Central single-season record with an earned-run average of just 1.09.
It'd be hard to top that during his senior season, but this year, he's enjoyed a different kind of success as the team has excelled at a level equaled few times in the program's history. This year, North Central defied expectations and are ranked nationally for the first time since 2010, when the team was 22nd in the D3baseball.com poll. The Cardinals have been ranked as high as 10th in the nation this season and were ranked No. 1 in the most recent NCAA Division III Central Region rankings.
Polowy has enjoyed the team's rise to national acclaim and has grown himself along the way.
"It's funny looking back at the roster pictures from when you're a freshman to now, seeing the baby face go away, the facial hair be a little less patchy," said Polowy. "I've grown a lot, gained a little bit of muscle mass and weight and developed not only as a player, but as a teammate, too."
The Cardinals shared the CCIW Championship with Augustana College this season, winning back-to-back conference regular season titles, and Polowy has been part of a strong pitching rotation, going 5-1 in seven starts with a 3.45 ERA and a team-high 36 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings.
In his final season, the Carol Stream native is playing more of a leadership role on a team that's younger than it's been in years past. It's nothing new for Polowy, he says, but it's still something he's thankful for.
"I experienced it in high school, a little bit last year--it's definitely humbling, when you look back and you have so many people looking up to you and new people in the program."
The team is close-knit and are focused on the CCIW Tournament this weekend. The second-seeded Cardinals will face off against third-seeded Illinois Wesleyan Universityto try and win the tournament and earn their way into the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, either by winning the automatic bid or qualifying as an at-large selection.
After graduation, Polowy will be working at Navistar in Lisle in a financial accounting leadership development program. He wants to come back and watch some of North Central's baseball games, but he doesn't think he'll do any coaching unless he can find time in his schedule. For now, this looks like the end of his competitive baseball career, but he's leaving the door open.
"Maybe down the road when I have a kid, I'll coach his games," said Polowy.
Maybe he'll deck him out in Cardinal red, too.
