RICHMOND, Va. – Former UW-Stout baseball player Charlie Szykowny is living the dream – as a professional baseball player.
I have seen numerous talented baseball players at UW-Stout during my 40-plus years of covering Blue Devil baseball, but Charlie Szykowny was perhaps the most unique. The gangly infielder from Palos Heights, Ill, could hit for average and for power, was solid in the field at shortstop and even threw in some limited time on the mound. Before every at-bat, Szykowny would look to the livestream camera and signal to his family back home. After every walk, Szykowny would run, not trot, to first base.
After his four years at Stout where he was a three-time All-WIAC selection, Szykowny used his extra season granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 season the right way. Szykowny graduated from Stout, then transferred to NCAA Division I Illinois-Chicago to play as a graduate student where he earned all-conference honors even after moving to third base from shortstop.
Szykowny was drafted in the ninth round of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft by the San Francisco Giants and has been working his way through the Giants’ minor league system. After playing rookie ball Single A at San Jose and High-A ball at Eugene, Ore, Szykowny is now playing at AA Richmond, Va. Szykowny has played shortstop, third base and first base while in the pros.
As of last Thursday, over his four minor league seasons, Szykowny has played in 358 games and is batting .271, going 374 for 1379 with 205 RBI, 81 doubles, 15 triples and 43 home runs, along with 23 sacrifice flies. He has stolen 21 bases in 33 attempts.
This season at Richmond, Szykowny is hitting .252, going 109 for 432 with 53 RBI, 21 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, five sacrifice flies and 11 stolen bases in 14 attempts.
Blue Devils Get Fall Seasons Underway
The Blue Devil football team gets the 2026 season going this week when they travel to the University of Dubuque, Saturday, Sept. 5. Stout will be home Saturday, Sept. 12 when they host The Blue Devils, who advanced to the Culver’s Isthmus Bowl last season, received votes in the D3football.com preseason poll. UW-Stout Polytechnic is picked to finish sixth in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) preseason bowl.
Menomonie players on the Polytechnic roster include: Brooks Brewer, Ben Bystol, Isaiah Giron, Luke Bystol and Max Branch.
The Blue Devil volleyball team will open their season by traveling to Walla Walla, Wash., Sept. 4-5 where they will play host Whitman College, as well as Whitworth University and Beloit College. The Blue Devils open at home Wednesday, Sept. 8 when they host St. Catherine University. Stout is picked to finish seventh in the WIAC preseason poll.
The Blue Devil men’s and women’s soccer team both open their home schedule this week when the women hosted Cornell College, Tuesday, Sept. 1, and the men host Beloit College, Wednesday, Sept. 2. The women were tabbed to finish seventh in the WIAC preseason poll and the men sixth.
The women’s tennis team, coached by MHS grad Anthony Michels, opens at home Saturday, Sept. 5 by playing Simpson College and Crown College.
The Blue Devils men’s and women’s golf get underway with the men’s team at the Culver’s Edgewood College Classic at Glen Erin Golf Course in Janesville, Sept. 4-5, and the women’s team making the short trip to River Falls to participate in the UW-River Falls Falcon Invite, Sept. 5-6, at River Falls Golf Club.
The men’s and women’s cross country teams open their season Saturday, Sept. 5, with the annual Jamie Block/Alumni Meet at Riverside Park. The Blue Devils will be at the UW-Oshkosh Titan Fall Classic, Sept. 18.
The story “Szykowny Still Living The Dream” by Layne Pitt is licensed under a CC BY SA 4.0 International license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Menomonie Mustangs Athletics and Activities | UW-Stout Blue Devil Athletics
