Neuqua Valley senior outfielder Matt Knapczyk knows all about the recent athletic achievements in his family.
Knapczyk has two sisters who played volleyball at Neuqua Valley. His cousin, Christian Knapczyk, was a baseball star at Joliet Catholic and Louisville and was picked by the Cleveland Guardians in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB draft.
“I have a very athletic family,” Matt Knapczyk said. “My extended family, like Christian, is a very big inspiration for me. Just seeing someone of his size at 5-foot-9 succeed at a high level was a big inspiration for me.”
So Knapczyk, a Parkland commit, was inspired to begin making his mark for the Wildcats last season.
“I was excited for my junior year,” he said. “I wanted to have a good season.”
Knapczyk was on target to have one, according to Neuqua Valley coach James Thornton.
“Matt came out of the gates hitting in his junior year,” Thornton said. “He was hitting .400 or something. Matt comes from a good lineage and has really good family support. He’s a sponge, will ask questions and is always looking to get better. We were all excited about his start last year.”
But injuries started to take a toll on Knapczyk, who seemed to have an easier time with 90 mph fastballs.
“He pulled his hamstring and was out for two weeks or so,” Thornton said. “He came back and was really hitting well in the Naperville Central series, then hurts himself again.
“His junior year was hampered by injuries. It was such a blow to us last year. We kind of struggled with our outfield last year.”
Knapczyk ended up playing in just 11 games. He hit .389 with nine RBIs.
“It was terrible because I felt amazing last year,” he said. “My swing felt great, felt fast, so to go down at my peak performance, it was not a good feeling. I had to watch my team go through the season without me, knowing I could help the team. It was a struggle for me.”
Knapczyk said he rushed back from his initial injury, which led to more problems.
“I was supposed to be out two to four weeks but came back premature,” he said. “That was not a smart decision. I rehurt my hamstring. I had to keep it safe, but I came back for the last week or two of the season. I wasn’t 100%. I just wanted to help my team.”
Knapczyk’s father, Mark, a 1982 Brother Rice graduate and former Mount Carmel assistant, understands the affect of injuries on performance.
“It’s tough when your kids suffer because you suffer as a parent,” Mark Knapczyk said. “He came into his junior year healthy and ready to roll. He was so excited. He had grown. He was a late bloomer. He started getting better and stronger and really getting more confident. It was all kind of coming together — his defense was there, his arm was stronger. He was doing so well, and he was so excited.”
Knapczyk struggled at the plate early this season while batting leadoff for the Wildcats (3-6). But he heated up during a spring break trip to Tennessee and hit his first career home run.
Knapczyk is hitting .333 with a .394 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage after going 1-for-3 during the Wildcats’ 8-1 DuPage Valley Conference loss to Naperville North on Monday. He has seven hits in his past 15 at-bats.
“It was a rough start for me at the beginning of this season and not fun mentally, trying to figure out my swing,” Knapczyk said. “But the last couple of games, I’ve been feeling good. I’ve got my timing down and am seeing good pitches.
“I think it’s all about confidence. I was facing very good competition in Tennessee.”
Knapczyk credits his hitting coach — Christian’s father, Tom — for helping him over the years. But he said his remaining goals are team-based.
“I want our team to win conference, make a deep playoff run,” Knapczyk said. “We have a senior-led team. We can lead the team to a deeper playoff run to show everyone we’re a very good team.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
