Team News

The DuPage Hounds team features a diverse 26-man roster. Like every other summer ball team, the Hounds try to mix players from all ages, schools, and backgrounds in order to produce an organization that thrives off of the variety of individuals in the program.

Throughout the duration of one summer season, these athletes not only learn how vital it is to be flexible to this change, but also how working with an assortment of players from all over the country can lead to individual growth.

This experience, which may be uncomfortable territory for a first-timer, is one that Christian Bokich, a pitcher for the Hounds, is no stranger to.

In the summer of 2013, Bokich was given the opportunity of a lifetime. Sporting his Serbian heritage, Bokich packed his bags and took a flight over to Europe, where he would stay for three weeks with his dad to compete on the Serbian National Team in the European Baseball Championships in Athens, Greece.

“Playing for the Serbian National Team was an experience like no other,” Bokich reflected. “We had fun, we competed against the best baseball players in Europe, and it was an incredible experience.”

Bokich, who adds to the multiplicity of players on the Hounds’ roster with a Serbian and French background, was able to compete on the Serbian team because of his father’s roots in the country. Playing for a culture and team that was so close to home was a meaningful experience for Bokich, and one that went beyond the baseball diamond.

“To play for my half heritage, it was awesome to represent Serbia,” Bokich commented. “I think there’s actually only one field in the whole country. Making the baseball program better, and how it’s uprising, it made me feel good pitching for them.”

Similar to the experience of being thrown onto a collegiate summer league team’s roster, playing under a national team allowed Bokich to work with and compete against a range of players and talents.

“We played against 20 to 40 year olds. I have never played against anybody above 20 at that time,” Bokich stated. “I was pitching against guys who were formerly actually in the MLB.”

Competing on the Serbian team, Bokich exposed himself to some of the best baseball that Eastern Europe had to offer. After pitching against Russia and Ukraine, he felt that he improved as a pitcher because of the dynamic of hitters he would face.

“I faced the best hitters in Europe, in Eastern Europe that is,” Bokich said. “It was a different intensity, I almost can’t explain it. It was great hitters, smarter because of the age and the experience they had.”

Even though his Serbian team did not do as well as he would have hoped, Bokich still reflected positively about his experience and raved about how great the European was.

For him, working with new players and coaches in Europe was an encouraging opportunity, and also one that he hopes to have again.

In the meantime, however, Bokich reflected upon his experience and showed a growing appreciation for breaking out of one’s comfort zone and competing on new teams.

“It’s always great playing for a new team, and meeting new guys, and forming relationships,” Bokich mentioned. “Playing for the DuPage Hounds too, like, meeting new guys and winning, it’s a great feeling.”