FOND DU LAC — The Northwoods League is full of high end baseball talent ranging from recently graduated high school kids, to players heading into their senior year of college.
Most of them are looking to improve aspects of their game to one day maybe reach the big leagues. For one Fond du Lac Dock Spiders player, he left everything he’s ever known to pursue his dreams.
“The first time I heard fixin' and in Texas they said, ‘I’m fixin’ to do something,’ I was like I didn’t get it,” said Dock Spiders outfielder Paul Wittmann.
Wittman is still working on figuring out American slang. Let’s be honest, we all are. He hails from Tegernheim, Germany. Not a country known for producing many baseball prospects.
“They had the WBC qualifier I want to say 2010, somewhere around that and we went to the games and I played soccer until I was 12 and my team wasn’t very good and for some reason, I couldn’t even now tell you why, I just started playing baseball and I’m grateful for it,” Wittman said.
In Germany if you don’t sign with a MLB team at 16 years old you normally reach the end of the baseball road. Wittman didn’t want to be done yet, his coach told him the next opportunity would be to reach out to colleges in the United States
“ I was looking at a bunch of colleges, I sent out over 200 emails over christmas break, so a bunch of the,” he said.
Division II college, West Texas A&M was one of 10 schools to get back to him. Which is where he will be a junior next year. American ball is quite the step up from Germany.
“The Northwoods (league) you see everybody throwing 90 (mph) almost and they have stuff to go along with it,” Wittmann said. “Over there, it’s if you throw high 80s, not a whole lot of people can hit you.”
Over 4,000 miles away from home, Wittman admits he misses home, but it’s a sacrifice he’s willing to make to make his dreams come true.
“I think in the end it just comes down to dedication and hardwork....how bad do you want it and that’s what I’m willing to sacrifice right now,” the outfielder said. “I have friends right now who are coming over now too, I talk to them and they miss home. I’ve seen my parents once right now over christmas. It’s not easy. but nothing in life is easy right.”
If there’s anything Wittman knows, he enjoys every second playing baseball and it hopefully leads to a pro career.
“I know that’s what I want to do in my future and just being able to do it right now, hopefully for the next two years, hopefully get a chance again he (with the Dock Spiders) next year, I mean it’s great,” he said.
