Miami of Ohio pitcher Peyton Olejnik got the words out eventually.
But the 2021 Hanover Central graduate was still processing the fact that his lifelong baseball aspirations are being realized.
“It’s kind of a dreams-to-reality moment,” he said. “I’ve been dreaming of this ever since I was a little kid. I’m kind of at a loss for words, honestly. I’m still taking it all in because it doesn’t feel real.”
But it is real. On Monday afternoon, the Los Angeles Angels selected Olejnik during the sixth round of the MLB draft, three rounds before the Milwaukee Brewers picked recent Lake Central graduate Griffin Tobias. So Olejnik has to decide whether to go back to college for another season or begin his professional career.
“Right now, I’m just taking it all in,” he said. “That’s going to be a discussion with my agent and my family. I’m going to celebrate tonight.”
Olejnik’s draft selection comes after he emerged as one of the top pitchers for the RedHawks during his junior season. The 6-foot-11 right-hander went 9-1 with a 4.76 ERA in 19 appearances. He had team highs with 64 1/3 innings pitched and 84 strikeouts, and he limited opposing hitters to a .244 batting average while walking 27.
Olejnik transferred to Miami after spending the 2023 season with Oklahoma following his freshman year at Triton. He pitched just 3 2/3 innings in five appearances for the Sooners, which affected his confidence.
“When you don’t pitch a lot, you’re sitting on the bench thinking, ‘Why not me?’” he said. “But the coaches at Miami took a chance on me. They gave me the ball without me having proven anything in college baseball yet. But I got to work. I learned from my past experiences and put it all together for a good year at Miami.”
People who watched Olejnik play in high school had a hunch there was pro potential in his towering frame. Among them was Hanover Central athletic director Ryan Bridges, who was Olejnik’s coach for his senior season, when the Wildcats were the state runners-up in Class 3A.
“He had as much upside as any guy on that team,” Bridges said. “When you’re growing like that in high school — and he always had pretty good mechanics — it was only a matter of time.”
Olejnik arrived at Hanover Central as a 5-10 freshman and was about 6-8 by the time he left for college. But Bridges said Olejnik’s intimidating presence on the mound wasn’t the only thing that suggested he had a bright future ahead.
“It’s a mental game,” Bridges said. “As soon as you figure it out mentally and can start blocking things out, that’s when it starts to click, and he’s getting accustomed to his 6-11 body now. Those were the two biggest things.”
Purdue Northwest’s Bret Matthys was Hanover Central’s other dominant pitcher in 2021 and played with Olejnik for years, well before they became high school teammates. Matthys also believed Olejnik had potential.
“When you’re 6-11 and throw in the 90s, that’s the perfect mold for a pitcher,” Matthys said. “His fastball always had some zip on it, and you could start to see some things coming together. Then, in college, everything just came together even more.”
Matthys spoke from the Olejnik family’s home, where friends, coaches and teammates were among the people invited to celebrate Monday night. But Olejnik knows his work toward a pro career is just beginning.
“The end goal was always for me to play in the pros,” he said. “Getting drafted is one thing, but playing professional baseball is another. Obviously, one step leads to the other, and this is the first step for me.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.
