Making a Difference
April 19, 2010 05:01 PM | General
April 19, 2010
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - In Division I college baseball, it is a year-round chore to excel at every facet the game has to offer. Players at nearly every school, including West Virginia, spend their fall days working on their game as the weather cools, practice inside an indoor facility during the winter, come to play in the spring and then participate in an offseason league during the summer.
Oftentimes, players become so entrenched in America’s pastime that they might forget some of the most important things in life. Because they are Division I athletes playing one of the country’s most cherished sports, WVU baseball players truly do have fans, many in the form of children that look up to them.
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| Mark Dvoroznak brought a smile to multiple faces in the Dominican Republic.
Photo submitted to WVU Sports Communications |
Mark Dvoroznak, a redshirt junior from Westlake, Ohio, was fortunate enough to experience that firsthand on a global scale last summer. Known as a hard-working player who always keeps the glass half-full, Dvoroznak joined SCORE International and traveled on a short-term missionary trip to the Dominican Republic. It was there when he learned just how lucky he was to have his health and excel at a sport that many Dominicans worship.
Aside from teaching many of the country’s children about the game of baseball, Dvoroznak and his teammates put their charitable efforts to the test. Each person traveled to stricken areas of the community and bought food in order to satisfy each family.
“We basically did something different everyday,” Dvoroznak said. “We went into different villages and talked to a lot of the civilians and had a great time playing with the kids. We also went to the grocery store and did what we could to feed each family.”
What Dvoroznak and his teammates were hoping to do was instill a sense of hope and pride for children in the community. The athletic centerfielder was admittedly stunned by how impoverished the areas were in the Dominican Republic, leaving children and its families living in insanitary conditions.
But for a short time span, it was up to Dvoroznak and members of SCORE, which travels overseas annually to make a cultural and spiritual impact on communities, to provide an escape for these kids. They were able to showcase the beauty of the game, and made the children temporarily forget its cultural and economic environment with three simple items – bats, balls and gloves.
“A lot of kids in the Dominican Republic don’t go to school and their homes aren’t that great,” Dvoroznak added. “Baseball is one of the only ways for them to enjoy themselves. They don’t have the nicest things, but they wake up early and work hard everyday.”
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| Dvoroznak plays around with some of the children in the Dominican Republic.
Photo submitted to WVU Sports Communications |
One of the things Dvoroznak marvels over is how excited each child was when the SCORE International van pulled up toward their community.
“When they saw our van coming down they knew we were there to play with them,” Dvoroznak mentioned. “They played with us a lot, and even though there was a little language barrier, everything went real well. We enjoyed being with them the whole trip.”
Dvoroznak was first approached about the idea of traveling to the Dominican Republic through WVU assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Pat Sherald. After receiving a text message from Sherald asking if he’d like to go to the Dominican Republic, Dvoroznak quickly learned that what he was about to take part in would be a life-fulfilling experience.
“I was really excited from the start because I didn’t know what to expect,” Dvoroznak said. “I didn’t know yet what type of community work we’d be doing, but in the end everything was worthwhile.”
Dvoroznak keeps in touch with three or four of his teammates on Facebook, and with the college season in full gear, the most he can do now is reflect on how much his trip benefitted some of the dire communities of the Dominican Republic. His focus has shifted to helping a youthful Mountaineer squad journey through the BIG EAST season, but he’ll always have an intriguing story to tell that involves the greatest amount of goodwill.
The BIG EAST Academic All-Star is now doing what he can to lead WVU toward another spot in the conference tournament, which would mark its third consecutive year of making the eight-team field. He continues to get the job done each day in centerfield, flashing the leather on several plays this season that include diving grabs while covering a tremendous amount of ground in the outfield.
“I’ve always had confidence in my abilities at centerfield,” Dvoroznak said. “The coaching has worked hard with me in batting practice and working on my jumps. I’m getting comfortable everyday out there and able to relax.”
Already halfway through conference play, Dvoroznak and his playmaking abilities will be on display for the rest of the season. But no matter how flashy he can be in the outfield, Dvoroznak’s star has never shined brighter than this summer, where he helped make a difference in the lives of many children.
