By FRED KRONER
Alec Bergman’s original childhood dream is a thing of the past, but his future will include an acceptable substitution goal.
At one time, Bergman had high expectations in a sport he no longer favors.
“Before seventh grade, I had wanted to be a college swimmer and swim in the Olympics, but eventually quit swimming and focused on baseball,” Bergman said. “Swimming was my No. 1 sport and got in the way of baseball until I started enjoying baseball more after moving to Mahomet (going into fifth grade).”
These days no activity gets in the way of baseball.
A senior pitcher for Mahomet-Seymour’s baseball team, Bergman was the first member of the Class of 2024 to commit to Parkland College.
He did so nearly 13 months ago.
Since then, Parkland’s program underwent a coaching change when Anthony Silkwood departed for a four-year school. Assistant Zack Pych was promoted to the head coaching position, but Bergman never wavered in his future plans.
“I chose Parkland because I liked the coaching staff, and the success of players in the past who have developed and moved onto the next level,” Bergman said. “Coach Silkwood was the head coach of Parkland at the time who I had known from the Yard Goats travel team, and his off-season throwing programs.
“This helped me decide sooner knowing him, and his assistant coach, Coach Pych, would be good for me. I see myself fitting in with the Parkland team because of the good team culture there and great coaches who want to see you get better.”
Nic DiFilippo has not only has been Bergman’s coach throughout high school, but also as he came through the junior high program.
“He grew, got bigger and stronger and kept developing,” DiFilippo said.
As a freshman, Bergman demonstrated his potential.
“Him and Finn Randolph (another current senior) started dominating the conference (opponents) on JV as freshmen and sophomores,” DiFilippo said, “and it continued as he continued to work on his craft and spent a lot of time in the weight room.
“He set himself up for where he’s going.”
By his junior season, Bergman was one of the most dependable pitchers on a 31-win Bulldog team, behind major league draftee Blake Wolters.
A year ago, Bergman compiled a 4-1 record and struck out 41 batters in 25 2/3 innings.
His numbers have dipped somewhat as a senior on a 24-win team. He owns a 1-2 record with 25 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings.
“His size (6-foot-3) gives him the ability to be a power pitcher,” DiFilippo said. “Average hitters, and below average, will struggle against Alec.
“His fast ball and breaking stuff are almost unhittable. If he gets a change mastered, he could be a Division I pitcher.”
Pych tells potential recruits that if they continue to develop, there can indeed be baseball beyond the junior college level.
“Parkland is not everyone’s dream school,” Pych said, “but it can be the steppingstone to your dream school.
“Central Illinois has a lot of great baseball talent. Finding the best kids in our area is super important for the growth of Parkland’s baseball program.
“It seems like Alec is a guy who fits in with our staff. We were impressed with the way he was able to compete on the mound. He needs more innings, more development and to work hard in the weight room to see how much of his ceiling he can reach.”
Bergman is looking forward to applying himself to the challenge that is ahead.
“I think next year I could grow in strength, and help my mechanics with (Cobra pitching coach) Luke Fitton which can help me make a good impact on the team,” Bergman said. “I definitely like the fact that I can come in and help right away and I always want to see myself succeed wherever I play.”
Some expectations have already been established.
“The Parkland coaches talked last summer about things I could fix, which I’m excited to help fix during next year’s season,” Bergman said.
The right-hander has captured learning experiences from “many throwing programs and practices with different teams,” since he entered the youth baseball program in Champaign as a 6-year-old.
“At first I wasn’t the best at baseball and never pitched regularly until I was a freshman in high school,” Bergman said. “I like baseball and pitching because I like being in control of the game on the mound and helping my team win games.
He subsequently played for the Champaign Tribe, Mahomet Diamond Dogs, Champaign Xpress, Champaign Dream and, most recently, the Yard Goats.
“A big part of my development has been my family and especially my dad (Stan), who pushed me to get better,” Alec Bergman said. “Coach DiFilippo, (Brian) Bajer, (Blake) Begner, (James) Katsinas, and Silkwood have all been key coaches to help develop me pitching.”
The teen-ager has tried to take something from each experience, whether the outcomes were positive or negative.
“I find the appeal of baseball is that it can teach you lessons like failure and how to deal with it,” Bergman said. “I think my strength is always keeping good body language, and attitude even if I’m not doing my best.”
He recently learned that a high school teammate and fellow pitcher – Cade Starrick – will be a collegiate teammate at Parkland.
“Having Cade Starrick as a teammate for another couple of years is very exciting because we have always been good friends in school and during the seasons together,” Bergman said. “His decision to also play at Parkland and pitch has made me even more excited to want to play there by having a close connection on the team.
“Cade coming to Parkland was a complete surprise because he was planning on going to UIUC for school, but wanted to keep playing and caught the attention of Parkland baseball.”
Bergman plans to major in engineering with a long-term goal of working in the mechanical engineering field.
During his own recruitment, Bergman heard from eight schools, but only had offers from Parkland and Kankakee Community College when he finalized his choice in 2023.
There are advantages to choosing a school less than 15 miles from his home.
“Staying close to home for college makes it an easy transition by being in a familiar area,” Bergman said, “and I can always ask for help from my parents or friends nearby.”
