By Danny Powell
“Hard work.”
With those two little words, Hofstra third baseman Matt Prokopowicz divulges the secret to the hot start of his college career. What the 18-year-old fails to mention is that there is a truckload of talent in that equation as well. Now the Colonial Athletic Association has recognized Prokopowicz’s ability to translate that combination of ability and practice into success on the field, naming him the conference Rookie of the Year. Prokopowicz, who was also named second team All-CAA, is the first Hofstra player to receiver a major award since the team joined the conference in 2002.
The Massapequa native was an integral part of the Pride’s team this year, bringing stability and consistency to the middle of a very young lineup. Hofstra used several underclassmen in key roles this past season, with six of the team’s seven seniors being pitchers. While others like freshman Dion Pouncil and sophomore Chris Mentrasti had stellar years, Prokopowicz was the young star that shined the brightest for the Pride.
The freshman led the team with a .416 batting average and 52 runs batted in, almost double that of the team’s next top run producer, first baseman Matt Kougasian, who ended the season with 27 RBI. Prokopowicz was also tied with Kougasian for the team lead in home runs with six on the year. His .416 average was also good for second in the conference among players with at least ten at-bats, trailing only William and Mary’s Greg Sexton, a senior third baseman. Perhaps the reason Prokopowicz made the transition from high school to Division I collegiate baseball look so easy is because it felt that way to him.
“It’s not really all that different to me, you still just have to hit the ball and what not,” Prokopowicz said. “Maybe it’s a little bit faster but other than that it’s more or less the same stuff.”
Despite Prokopowicz’s brilliant play, the Pride ultimately fell short of their season goal of making the CAA tournament. Hofstra’s 20-34 record on the season is somewhat misleading, however, as head coach Chris Dotolo saw great improvement in the Pride’s play.
“We weren’t swept by anyone this year,” Dotolo noted of the team’s performance in one of the nation’s strongest conferences. “This is the first time in my six season’s that we’ve one at least one game in each series and we’ve been close in many others.”
And with so many young players returning, the future is looking up for the Pride, who finished tied for last in the conference this year. The team will bring back a line-up loaded with youngsters that know how to make contact and make things happen on the bases. Still, Dotolo understands that the hard work has to continue for this team to make the jump to the upper echelon of the stacked CAA conference. Everyone must continue to improve and Prokopowicz is no exception.
“He is off to a great start but he is not in the Hall of Fame yet,” Dotolo said of his prized third baseman. “We just have to keep getting better in every aspect of the game.”
If the team can channel that hard work during the offseason into victories on the field and build of this years progress, they could find themselves rocketing toward the top of the CAA. And as for Prokopowicz, at this rate he will could blossom into a perennial candidate for player of the year in the conference. Big things could be in store for the young third baseman and the strong, youthful core around him.