Andrew Czech Signs Extension to Spend 2nd Pro Season in Washington
WASHINGTON, Pa. (Dec. 7) - The Washington Wild Things and first baseman Andrew Czech have reached an agreement to extend Czech's contract through the 2022 season, which will allow the young infielder to spend his second professional season with Washington after leading the Wild Things in the power department last summer.
Czech slashed .271/.375/.496 in 2021 as a true rookie with 14 doubles, 15 home runs and 38 RBI. The 15 home runs were the most on the Wild Things' roster. Czech also hit one home run and drove in three during the playoff run.
"Czech proved to be a real offensive threat in his first season and we are excited to have him return. Transitioning to the pro game is a process and I am sure he learned a lot about what it takes to be consistent and overcome the day-to-day grind," said president and general manager Tony Buccilli. "We look for Czech to take that next step in his development and provide well-rounded run production to our lineup."
In all, Czech played more than 130 games during 2021, with 41 coming at Walsh, 83 during the regular season in Washington and the 10 playoff games. At Walsh, over four years, Czech clubbed 49 home runs and drove in 164 runs. Thirty-two of those home runs came between his sophomore and junior athletic seasons before he hit 17 in his final season. In all three of those seasons, he drove in at least 47 runs, with a career high 63 in his junior year.
He also won a Division 2 gold glove as a senior, which was announced in the midst of the 2021 Wild Things' season. Czech made only three errors at first base this past season. He also at one point had an on-base streak of 14 games and a long hit streak of 13 games.
"The 2021 season for myself was an exciting season because it was the first year back to baseball after I had missed the 2020 season from tearing my ACL," said Czech. "I was fortunate enough to play an entire college season and then have the opportunity to join the Washington Wild Things' organization and compete at a high level. For our team, we came up a game short, but we were a gritty club that battled all the way to the end."
Czech said the goal now is to win the division again and get back to the FLCS to be the "ones lifting the trophy." He said he wants to do whatever it takes on offense and defense to help put the team in the best situation to win games "by doing my job wherever my name is written in the lineup."
His return to Washington comes after a strong first impression and acknowledging a "contagious atmosphere."
"A factor that resulted in me making my decision to come back to Washington was due to the passion that the owners, front office, coaching staff, staff members, fans and other returning players bring on an everyday basis to the ballpark. The atmosphere surrounding the city and field is a contagious atmosphere that anyone would want to be a part of."
The Wild Things will kick off their 20th Frontier League season May 13 at home against the New York Boulders. The full schedule is available at washingtonwildthings.com. Check out the roster as it gets announced by clicking here.
