Jack Moroknek currently leads Butler with 13 home runs and a batting average of .411. Photo courtesy of Butler Athletics.

NHU-HAN BUI | STAFF REPORTER | hbui@butler.edu 

Although redshirt junior outfielder Jack Moroknek is one of the longest-tenured players on Butler’s baseball team, he did not play in his first collegiate game until last year.

A lack of playtime due to an experienced outfield group led Moroknek to redshirt his first year. During that time, Moroknek hit the weight room four to five times a week, working to develop as a player. The following year, he felt ready to play, whether he was in the outfield or any other position the coaches wanted him in.

However, Moroknek’s progress towards making the lineup took a step back in the fall.

“At a regular practice in September [of 2022], [I] threw a ball [and] just kind of felt a click and pop at my elbow,” Moroknek said. “[I] got an MRI, [and] it was a full tear of my UCL. I had to go through Tommy John surgery in October, which wasn’t great, but we did it.”

Moroknek would medically redshirt that year, and while the recovery process was hard, he felt that it fully prepared him for his first year of playing baseball.

“I was in a brace for three months, not able to do anything,” Moroknek said. “I rehabbed at Forté Sports Medicine, and started hitting around five months. The first full throw I [made] was almost a year later. My arm has never felt stronger, thank God, but it was hard those first two years. I think it worked out for the better, I was more prepared for my third year than anything else.”

When Moroknek began playing again, sophomore outfielder Ryan Drumm was starting his first year at Butler. 

Drumm recalls how Moroknek’s first game back went and how he has grown since.

“His first weekend, he actually [had] six strikeouts against Florida State and I got put in for him,” Drumm said. “I’ve seen him grow a lot since then. I think he has matured a lot as a baseball player. The experience on the field has just improved him as a player, and the more reps he gets, the better he is. I don’t think there’s any sort of change that’s happened, I think he’s matured as he’s gotten more experience.”

Now in his second full year of playing, Moroknek has taken a large step forward. As of April 12, he leads the Big East in runs scored, hits, RBI, home runs, at bats and doubles. The outfielder is also 5th in the NCAA in total bases, 14th in home runs, 17th in slugging percentage and tied with fellow Bulldog Jack Bello at 30th in batting average.

Moroknek is glad the honors are helping him prove his preseason accolades, which included a spot on the Preseason All-Big East Team and ranking 89th on D1Baseball’s Preseason Top 100 Outfielders list. However, what feels better than leading the conference is knowing that he is putting his team in a position to compete in every game.

“It’s a great honor,” Moroknek said. “I’m glad I’m proving some of those preseason rankings a little bit more, but it’s nice to come through for my team. It’s all I really care about, making sure we’re in the best position to win every single time we’re on that field. We just gotta keep going, there’s no stopping. Especially when me and [Jack] Bello are both on the same track, I don’t think there’s anything that can stop us.”

Head coach Blake Beemer came to Butler before Moroknek’s injury and saw the outfielder go through recovery and regain his arm strength. 

Beemer says Moroknek is one of the hardest workers on the team due to the adversity he faced.

“He’s a guy I would bet on going forward,” Beemer said. “[As a player who] unfortunately had Tommy John [surgery] earlier in his career, [he had to] relearn how to throw, get his arm strength back, get in the weight room [and] put on 25 [to] 30 pounds of muscle. [He has] a relentless work ethic, and he’s in the cages all the time, really trying to refine his game. It’s a big part of who he is.”

Moroknek’s stellar start to the season lets the team have fun while playing, and he also makes the game easier for certain players.

“It’s really easy to play with a guy like that,” Drumm said. “It’s a lot of fun, too. He makes my job a lot easier. I’m usually batting right before him in the lineup, and they’re trying to pitch to me because they don’t want to face him, or if I go down base, there’s a good chance I score. It’s really nice to have that kind of comfort, and also to have someone like that to emulate right behind you.”

Moroknek is on track to continue having a strong season, and the team looks to follow his upward trajectory. Baseball means the world to Moroknek, and even if he never plays again after Butler, the sport has left lasting impressions on him.

“I don’t know what it is about this sport, but for some reason, it’s everything to me,” Moroknek said. “I can’t stop thinking about every single day, just every single little thing about it: how it connects, and what little things really change your baseball game. It’s [also] just a metaphor for life itself. I think it’s made me a better man just because of how much I’ve had to fail and learn from myself, and how the struggles of injury and not being able to play my freshman year have made me a better person in general.”