ALTOONA, Pa. — The pitch lined off John Wilson’s bat like a missile. Impressed by his prowess in the batting cage, Wilson took a step back from the plate and sniffed the lumber.
The most senior of seniors on the Division III Penn State-Altoona baseball team plans to savor every moment of his final collegiate season, even if much of the time will be spent on the bench.
“I smell wood burning,” Wilson shouts after hitting a line drive that elicits howls from players surveying his swing. Hall of Fame outfielder Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox “used to say that, but guys didn’t believe that,” he said.
Wilson is 53. Old enough to be father to the rest of the teens and 20-somethings he calls teammates. Old enough to remember watching games at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, his hometown.
And two decades removed from a life-changing stint in a rehabilitation center to overcome addictions to drugs and alcohol that drove him to suicidal thoughts.
Wilson is believed to be one of the oldest men to play collegiate baseball, though the NCAA doesn’t keep records.
But he’s young enough at heart and in good enough shape to keep up with guys like Tony Petulla, a 22-year-old senior catcher who threw pitches in an indoor batting cage one recent chilly morning.
“The most feared hitter on the team!” Petulla said as he walks behind Wilson, who smiles and nods. Besides an ever-so-slight paunch hidden under a blue sweat shirt, Wilson’s 5-foot-9 frame is fit.
His mouth might be considered major league-ready, running almost nonstop between words of encouragement for teammates and mock self-congratulation that draws hearty laughter.
“You know what they say? Superstar? You heard that song,” he said as he smacks another hit in the cage. His coaches and Petulla let out a cackle.
“Hey, I had it on my phone before all this happened,” Wilson said. “I want you all to know that!”
Baseball has been a constant in Wilson’s life since he was a kid growing up in Pittsburgh’s rough Hill District.
His mother began taking Wilson to games at age 12 at Forbes Field, the former home of the Pirates that was demolished in 1971. Like dozens of other kids fascinated with baseball, Wilson hung around the park hoping to get a glimpse of greats like Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente.
But it was Manny Mota who really left a mark on Wilson by giving him a bat as he waited by the railing near the dugout. Mota played six seasons with the Pirates, but is best-known for being a pinch-hitting specialist with the Dodgers.
“I would be at the ballpark before the players got there. Waited until they came out, every game. I still do that today,” Wilson said.
It was after high school when he started getting into trouble. He was arrested for marijuana possession at 18 and sentenced to five years probation.
The addictions got worse.
“I drank every day. Every day until I passed out,” Wilson said. His marijuana use led to other drugs. “Whatever I could get my hands on,” he said.
Wilson said he used alcohol and drugs to “make me more outgoing, and allow me to overcome my fears.”
But in the end, he hated himself. “Basically, I was at the end of my rope.”
He spent time at a psychiatric institution before checking himself into Gateway Rehabilitation facility in suburban Pittsburgh for a 28-day program in 1986. He moved from there to a halfway house in Williamsburg, then a transitional house in Altoona the following year.
He’s been clean and sober since, “approximately 21 years and so many months,” he said proudly.
It’s in Altoona where he became an addictions counselor. He also continued playing ball, joining the competitive Greater Altoona City Baseball League.
Fast-forward to 2004, when Wilson learned that his counseling certification had lapsed. He enrolled at Penn State-Altoona and sought out Joe Piotti, an acquaintance from playing in a summer league.
Piotti coached the school’s baseball team. Could Wilson try out for the squad?
He earned a spot on the team that season, though he tried at first to keep a low profile, and “spoke when spoken to.”
Boy, has that changed.
“He’s always talking good things about everyone,” said 20-year-old junior pitcher Paul Keith. “He’s never down, always trying to pick the team up.”
Wilson plays right field. He’s appeared in just 11 games, going 2-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI in his career.
His real value comes off the field, Piotti said. Wilson coaches first base, throws batting practice and is an unofficial mentor in the clubhouse.
Wilson is friends with Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker. They met during one of those many instances over the years when Wilson hung around the ballpark. They have stayed in touch and now talk every couple of months.
Wilson said Baker helped him pay his tuition his freshman year.
“I told him if he was going to do it, I’d help him,” Baker said.
“I’ve heard the kids love him. I’m proud of him.”
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