Photo by: courtesy of William Escala
‘An Incredible Experience’: Escala Represents Czech Republic at WBC
3/30/2023 10:55:00 AM | Baseball
On March 11, 2022, William Escala started at shortstop for Miami University in a Mid-American Conference doubleheader against Bowling Green.
On March 11, 2023, William Escala started at left field for the Czech Republic in a World Baseball Classic game against eventual champion Japan at a sold-out Tokyo Dome.
A lot can change in a year.
Escala, who appeared in all 56 games for the RedHawks as a graduate student during the 2022 season, became a viral sensation around the world after taking a 101-mph fastball off the knee from Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki in the Czech Republic's 10-2 loss earlier this month.
After initially writhing on the ground in pain, Escala got up, jogged and sprinted a bit, and then stayed in the game to a nice ovation.
"Coaches usually tend to want to take you out if something like that happens," Escala said. "I wanted to show them that I can stay in the game and play. The reception I got from the fans, essentially just for standing up, was cool. I've never had anything like that…the next inning going out to left field, all the fans were waving at me and asking if I'm okay.
"It was super sweet."
Speaking of 'sweet', the next day, Sasaki showed up to Escala's hotel with a gift of apology: Two giant bags of Japanese candy. The display of sportsmanship and respect between Escala and Sasaki became a top story on ESPN, USA Today, MLB.com and Bleacher Report.
"I wasn't expecting something like that," Escala said. "Obviously there was no malicious intent: He wasn't trying to throw at me. He just happened to miss his spot…People get hit all the time, but that just goes to show you the kind of character he has and the culture in general in Japan."
The enormous bags of treats included gum, chocolate, pretzels, chocolate-covered nuts, and much more. Escala said his favorite one to sample was a chocolate-filled, chocolate-covered pretzel stick, but he's also a fan of the mint and wild lime-flavored gum, which he continues to chew.
"I still have almost half a bag of candy, and I passed out a lot to my teammates and now to my family here as well!", laughed Escala. "It was all really good!"
He mentioned that plenty of friends stateside reached out after seeing his photo on social media or television to tease, "Oh, so you're famous now?"
"Only in Japan," Escala laughed (although his Instagram account does have several thousand more followers than it used to!). Regardless, Escala's 2023 to date has been a global whirlwind, especially for someone who was working two jobs in Florida as a hotel guest services agent and artificial turf installer just a few months ago and contemplating his long-term future in the sport.
Escala, who is Czech-Cuban, appreciated the unexpected opportunity to represent his mother's native country at the highest level this spring. The Czech Republic qualified for its first-ever World Baseball Classic, going 1-3 in the group stage with a victory over China, and is guaranteed a return trip to the next event in 2026.
"I remember when he called me after he had [found out] that he was going to be on the team," Miami head coach Danny Hayden said. "It was awesome to hear the excitement in his voice and how pumped he was to be able to do it.
"Less than one percent of people are ever going to get to have the experience he just got to have, and I don't think that was lost on him.
"He took advantage of the opportunity and has some memories that I'm sure will stay with him forever."
Although Escala had never even visited the Czech Republic before donning its jersey this year, the Miami, Fla. resident has already applied for citizenship and is in the process of obtaining a Czech passport ahead of this fall's European Championships. He is currently staying with relatives in Prague until the 2023 Frontier League season gets underway and will get a few games in for the Extraliga's Hrosi Hippos between now and then.
It's simply the latest chapter in a baseball career that has taken Escala from the University of Miami (Fla.) to Barry University to Miami University to the Sussex County (N.J.) Miners and now to the Czech national team. In the process, Escala earned a Bachelor's degree from Barry, completed a graduate certificate in Sport Psychology during his time in Oxford, and developed a myriad of friendships and connections that have helped propel his pursuit of the game he loves.
A former teammate that played for RedHawks hitting coach Bailey Montgomery at Butler provided the initial introduction that ultimately landed Escala in southwest Ohio to play his final collegiate season. A random glance at the visitors' lineup card after an unsuccessful tryout with the Florence (Ky.) Y'alls helped Escala get in touch with Sussex County through some former Miami Hurricanes. The Sussex County first base coach also serves on the Germany coaching staff and got Escala and the Czech coaches in contact.
"That was the first time they had heard my name and that I was of Czech descent," Escala said.
Seemingly every stop in Escala's baseball adventures could be accompanied by the 'It's a Small World' theme song playing in the background. "It's insane; I can't even describe it," Escala remarked. "It's been an incredible journey and I wouldn't have gotten this far without everybody's help…
"My advice in anything is always just be a good person, try to reach out, and make friendships, because you never know when down the road where it might lead or when things will work out for you."
Several of those lasting relationships are tied directly to Escala's 2022 season wearing the Red and White. "It's a place I'll never forget," Escala said of Miami University. "I still talk to Coach Hayden and Bailey and everybody over there.
"Sometimes I wish I went there earlier, you know? It was an awesome experience at Miami; I really loved the city, the school, and all the people I met."
"Willie's a great teammate," Hayden said. "He was very intentional about his relationships with the guys on the team. For only being here a year, I think he made some lifelong friends in a year's time and thinks very fondly of his time at Miami —even though it was brief—because of how intentional he was when he was here."
Escala admitted it's been somewhat difficult to follow the 2023 RedHawks with the time zone difference in Prague, but he is able to keep tabs on the team by reading game recaps and checking in with former teammates. "I'm definitely proud of Miami and it's a part of me that I'm always going to hold on to and always try to keep in touch," he said.
His time in the RedHawks' program helped drill into Escala's mind the importance of not making excuses and doing anything it takes to find a way to win, whether that's moving from infield to outfield to fill in due to injury or even experiencing the bruise an errant triple-digit fastball can leave behind. "Whatever the team needs," Escala smiled.
Although sharing a diamond with MLB standouts like the Angels' Shohei Ohtani (the 2021 American League MVP) seems like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Escala said the Tokyo trip helped encourage him to continue to pursue his long-term baseball dreams.
"It was a surreal feeling, being on the same field as him…something I'll never forget, but it's something that inspired me to keep pushing now in my journey in baseball and keep getting better," said Escala.
"I want to be able to compete at that level every day…I love playing baseball way too much to give it up, so I'm going to give it my all, and I'm definitely more motivated to go play in 2026. That's another goal on my list now: Make sure I qualify for the team and that I can make an impact for the team in the next WBC."
"Willie's biggest strength is how much he loves baseball," Hayden said. "You'd have to tear the glove off his hand...every day he wakes up to make himself a better ballplayer. That's incredibly rare.
"it's the thing that sets him apart and will serve him well for [not only] the rest of his baseball career, but then whatever's next as well."
Find more Front Row Features at MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures.
*All WBC photos by Tomas Icik or Lenule Hugina Rokjda Brozova, courtesy of William Escala*
On March 11, 2023, William Escala started at left field for the Czech Republic in a World Baseball Classic game against eventual champion Japan at a sold-out Tokyo Dome.
A lot can change in a year.
Escala, who appeared in all 56 games for the RedHawks as a graduate student during the 2022 season, became a viral sensation around the world after taking a 101-mph fastball off the knee from Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki in the Czech Republic's 10-2 loss earlier this month.After initially writhing on the ground in pain, Escala got up, jogged and sprinted a bit, and then stayed in the game to a nice ovation.
"Coaches usually tend to want to take you out if something like that happens," Escala said. "I wanted to show them that I can stay in the game and play. The reception I got from the fans, essentially just for standing up, was cool. I've never had anything like that…the next inning going out to left field, all the fans were waving at me and asking if I'm okay.
"It was super sweet."
Speaking of 'sweet', the next day, Sasaki showed up to Escala's hotel with a gift of apology: Two giant bags of Japanese candy. The display of sportsmanship and respect between Escala and Sasaki became a top story on ESPN, USA Today, MLB.com and Bleacher Report.
"I wasn't expecting something like that," Escala said. "Obviously there was no malicious intent: He wasn't trying to throw at me. He just happened to miss his spot…People get hit all the time, but that just goes to show you the kind of character he has and the culture in general in Japan."The enormous bags of treats included gum, chocolate, pretzels, chocolate-covered nuts, and much more. Escala said his favorite one to sample was a chocolate-filled, chocolate-covered pretzel stick, but he's also a fan of the mint and wild lime-flavored gum, which he continues to chew.
"I still have almost half a bag of candy, and I passed out a lot to my teammates and now to my family here as well!", laughed Escala. "It was all really good!"
He mentioned that plenty of friends stateside reached out after seeing his photo on social media or television to tease, "Oh, so you're famous now?"
"Only in Japan," Escala laughed (although his Instagram account does have several thousand more followers than it used to!). Regardless, Escala's 2023 to date has been a global whirlwind, especially for someone who was working two jobs in Florida as a hotel guest services agent and artificial turf installer just a few months ago and contemplating his long-term future in the sport.
Escala, who is Czech-Cuban, appreciated the unexpected opportunity to represent his mother's native country at the highest level this spring. The Czech Republic qualified for its first-ever World Baseball Classic, going 1-3 in the group stage with a victory over China, and is guaranteed a return trip to the next event in 2026.
"I remember when he called me after he had [found out] that he was going to be on the team," Miami head coach Danny Hayden said. "It was awesome to hear the excitement in his voice and how pumped he was to be able to do it.
"Less than one percent of people are ever going to get to have the experience he just got to have, and I don't think that was lost on him.
"He took advantage of the opportunity and has some memories that I'm sure will stay with him forever."
Although Escala had never even visited the Czech Republic before donning its jersey this year, the Miami, Fla. resident has already applied for citizenship and is in the process of obtaining a Czech passport ahead of this fall's European Championships. He is currently staying with relatives in Prague until the 2023 Frontier League season gets underway and will get a few games in for the Extraliga's Hrosi Hippos between now and then.
It's simply the latest chapter in a baseball career that has taken Escala from the University of Miami (Fla.) to Barry University to Miami University to the Sussex County (N.J.) Miners and now to the Czech national team. In the process, Escala earned a Bachelor's degree from Barry, completed a graduate certificate in Sport Psychology during his time in Oxford, and developed a myriad of friendships and connections that have helped propel his pursuit of the game he loves.
A former teammate that played for RedHawks hitting coach Bailey Montgomery at Butler provided the initial introduction that ultimately landed Escala in southwest Ohio to play his final collegiate season. A random glance at the visitors' lineup card after an unsuccessful tryout with the Florence (Ky.) Y'alls helped Escala get in touch with Sussex County through some former Miami Hurricanes. The Sussex County first base coach also serves on the Germany coaching staff and got Escala and the Czech coaches in contact.
"That was the first time they had heard my name and that I was of Czech descent," Escala said.
Seemingly every stop in Escala's baseball adventures could be accompanied by the 'It's a Small World' theme song playing in the background. "It's insane; I can't even describe it," Escala remarked. "It's been an incredible journey and I wouldn't have gotten this far without everybody's help…
"My advice in anything is always just be a good person, try to reach out, and make friendships, because you never know when down the road where it might lead or when things will work out for you."
Several of those lasting relationships are tied directly to Escala's 2022 season wearing the Red and White. "It's a place I'll never forget," Escala said of Miami University. "I still talk to Coach Hayden and Bailey and everybody over there.
"Sometimes I wish I went there earlier, you know? It was an awesome experience at Miami; I really loved the city, the school, and all the people I met.""Willie's a great teammate," Hayden said. "He was very intentional about his relationships with the guys on the team. For only being here a year, I think he made some lifelong friends in a year's time and thinks very fondly of his time at Miami —even though it was brief—because of how intentional he was when he was here."
Escala admitted it's been somewhat difficult to follow the 2023 RedHawks with the time zone difference in Prague, but he is able to keep tabs on the team by reading game recaps and checking in with former teammates. "I'm definitely proud of Miami and it's a part of me that I'm always going to hold on to and always try to keep in touch," he said.
His time in the RedHawks' program helped drill into Escala's mind the importance of not making excuses and doing anything it takes to find a way to win, whether that's moving from infield to outfield to fill in due to injury or even experiencing the bruise an errant triple-digit fastball can leave behind. "Whatever the team needs," Escala smiled.
Although sharing a diamond with MLB standouts like the Angels' Shohei Ohtani (the 2021 American League MVP) seems like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Escala said the Tokyo trip helped encourage him to continue to pursue his long-term baseball dreams.
"It was a surreal feeling, being on the same field as him…something I'll never forget, but it's something that inspired me to keep pushing now in my journey in baseball and keep getting better," said Escala.
"I want to be able to compete at that level every day…I love playing baseball way too much to give it up, so I'm going to give it my all, and I'm definitely more motivated to go play in 2026. That's another goal on my list now: Make sure I qualify for the team and that I can make an impact for the team in the next WBC."
"Willie's biggest strength is how much he loves baseball," Hayden said. "You'd have to tear the glove off his hand...every day he wakes up to make himself a better ballplayer. That's incredibly rare.
"it's the thing that sets him apart and will serve him well for [not only] the rest of his baseball career, but then whatever's next as well."
Find more Front Row Features at MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures.
*All WBC photos by Tomas Icik or Lenule Hugina Rokjda Brozova, courtesy of William Escala*
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