By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – As a three-sport athlete, Bedford North Lawrence’s Kline Woodward avoided the temptation to specialize during his high school career. Now he will get the chance to focus on his favorite pastime at the next level.
Woodward signed with Lincoln Trail College to play baseball on Tuesday. After competing in football (he was All-Hoosier Hills Conference as an offensive lineman and linebacker) and basketball (a reserve off the bench), he will pinpoint his energy on his best sport.
“I just like the competitive nature of baseball,” Woodward said. “If this kid who is pitching wants to be better than me, but I want to be better than him as a hitter, I like the fact it’s always one on one. But it’s a team thing, and I love being around my friends.
“Playing three sports always kept me in shape, always kept me doing something. But even in my free time, I would go hit or throw. I wasn’t just sitting around.”
Woodward has shown his true potential on the diamond for the Stars this spring. He’s currently hitting .463 with two home runs, nine doubles and 27 RBIs while slugging .716. On the mound, he’s 4-1 with a sensational 0.95 ERA, with 40 strikeouts (and only six walks) in 29 innings.
Lincoln Trail head coach Collin Maynard indicated he will use Woodward both ways in his first season with the two-year junior college, then decide the best path and position going forward.
“I’m hoping to see how good I can be at baseball for these two years, then transfer to a big school,” Woodward said. “That’s the best place for me to get to my full potential. I like the campus, there are a lot of kids I know from around Indiana that are going there, I like the coaches. When I got there, they showed a lot of interest in me.”
The Statesmen are currently 18-28-1 this season after going 21-30 a year ago.
