Goal To Play College Baseball Now A Reality For Winge 

Ben Winge SS / 2B / Wooster, OH / 2025

WOOSTER - When Ben Winge moved to Wooster, a desire to play college baseball developed. Nearly a decade later, the sixth-rated senior shortstop in Ohio is an Akron commit.

“It always was the goal when I was younger,” Winge said of playing at the next level after high school. “My dad coached at Wooster College and I was shagging balls at a young age. He taught me everything he knew. He was always there wanting to hit and field with me. That was a big part of it, especially the mental side of keeping calm and having fun.”

A Prep Baseball event in February ignited a recruiting process that came to an end in August with a decision to play at the Mid-American Conference university located 50 minutes from home.

“After the first PBR event everything kicked off for me,” Winge related. “I had a good performance which got colleges interested. I had messages from Big 10 and MAC schools. After that, Akron saw me in high school and made an offer after one of our games. I waited until the summer to see how it played out. I weighed things out, talking with schools from the Big 10 and MAC.

“Coach (Gerry) Salisbury did a great job communicating with me and it seemed like the right fit. I went on a visit in the summer and the facilities were amazing. I love what’s going on there. The campus is nice and they have the right programs.”

Akron saw a lot to like in the left-handed hitting infielder.

“My bat and how I was in the field,” Winge said of what stood out about him to Akron. “I’m calm and want to play. One of the games they saw me I had an 0-4 game but we were able to find a way to win. It was good that they saw that. I just want to play and win.”

A close friend is credited with helping out in his journey to playing college baseball.

“Sam Nielsen, a friend of mine, we’re always in the gym together pushing each other to keep after it,” Winge said about his high school classmate, who is also an Akron recruit. “Coach (Chris) Check and Brian Chad, my Tops coaches, helped me to grow last fall and get ready for the season and my high school coach, Steve Young, has been another big influence.”

The 5-10 170-pounder has visions of making an impact at the collegiate level.

“I’m a competitor,” the 33rd-ranked 2025 in Ohio explained. “I’m a hard worker and a good teammate. They’re going to get one heck of a hitter trying to produce runs for them.”

A 3.7 student at Wooster High School planning on a major in business at Akron, was “relieved” when his recruitment came to an end.

“It was a long stressful process,” Winge noted. “My parents were happy for me and my coaches were super excited. I got a lot of love from family and coaches.”

There is a lot to look forward to when it comes to a future at Akron.

“I really like the vibe I got from the coaches there, and I’m excited to get on campus,” Winge concluded. “The locker room is part of the football field so I can go watch games and the indoor facility is super nice.”