Japan is in Czech Republic\u2019s<\/a> pool for the tournament, setting up the possibility of Vank facing off against Dodgers superstar designated hitter Shohei Ohtani when the two teams play on March 10 at the Tokyo Dome.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s every kid\u2019s dream to face Ohtani,\u201d said Vank, who will pitch out of the bullpen for the Czech Republic. \u201cI\u2019ve visualized facing Ohtani a couple times already. How I might start him off, and what I might throw in certain counts.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll take the showdown with respect, but I also don\u2019t want to give him too much respect \u2014 I want to believe in myself that I can do the job and put him away.\u201d<\/p>\n The appearance in the WBC for Vank<\/a>, the Region IX Pitcher of the Year last year for the Plainsmen, is a culmination of a lifetime of work in the game despite growing up in a soccer- and hockey-dominated country where baseball is very low on the list of sporting priorities.\n<\/p>\n Vank started playing for Czech Republic\u2019s youth national team at 12, and by age 16, he was pitching in the country\u2019s highest league, the Czech Baseball Extraliga. As a teenager competing against adult men, he won the award for the league\u2019s top junior player.\n<\/p>\n His journey on the diamond took him all around Europe and the world, including to Taiwan, Italy, Nederland, Germany, Spain and Japan already. Vank also went to London for an MLB Development Camp, North Carolina where he played his junior season of high school, and Phoenix for a showcase before arriving on Colorado\u2019s eastern plains.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n The 6-foot-1 right-hander from Prague has a low-90s fastball, a slider and a curveball and also recently added a changeup. Before he got to Northeastern, he was primarily a fastball\/slider pitcher. But the expansion of his arsenal, and a strong first season in Sterling, put him on the radar of Division I recruiters.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIn the last 18 months, him fully developing into a four-pitch repertoire type of guy is opening up opportunities for him, whether it\u2019s Division I or professionally, to now have more options and be either a starter, a reliever or a closer,\u201d Northeastern head coach Andrew Kachel<\/a> said.<\/p>\n Kachel said Vank\u2019s signature moment so far with the Plainsmen came in the regular season finale last season, when Vank baffled Western Nebraska Community College with eight innings of shutout ball, scattering three hits while racking up 10 strikeouts.<\/p>\n Vank\u2019s catcher, Northeastern Junior College sophomore Brayden Stufft, says the sacrifices the pitcher is making to come play ball thousands of miles from home \u2014 leaving behind family and friends in the process \u2014 is apparent. So, too, is Vank\u2019s \u201cenergy and aura.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt the beginning of last season, he was super quiet, and you could tell he was here for business,\u201d Stufft<\/a> said. \u201cHe was here to dominate and make his family back home proud. He has. Many of his starts have been electric.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd for him to play in the WBC, it brings a lot of attention to us as a program. We\u2019re striving as a team to win a (region) title and go to a district and eventually go to the JuCo World Series. That\u2019s our goals, and seeing our ace on the world stage gives us confidence as a team that we belong.\u201d<\/p>\n Vank\u2019s mother, Marie Vankov\u00e1, says that while growing up, her son earned the nickname \u201csrdca\u0159\u201d from his teammates. The rough English translation of that is someone who does something with immense passion, because Vank was always determined to become one of the top baseball players in his country.\n<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s had times growing up when he was not as successful as he wanted, and he wasn\u2019t on the path to (where he is now),\u201d Vankov\u00e1 said. \u201cSo he stopped speaking about it and went to work really hard. Before school, he would wake up at 5 in the morning and go to the gym. He\u2019s always given this game everything he has.\u201d<\/p>\n As the WBC begins on Wednesday ahead of the Czech Republic\u2019s first game on Thursday against Korea, back in Sterling, Vank\u2019s Plainsmen will be pulling hard for \u201csrdca\u0159\u201d.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to be eyes-locked on the TV \u2014 we\u2019ll put the game on in the clubby, or we\u2019ll just put it on a projector somewhere,\u201d Stufft said. \u201cWe will be watching and supporting him from afar, with probably tons of phones out (to record) when he gets on the mound.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd no matter what happens (against Japan), we\u2019ve all been joking with him to get an Ohtani signature to bring us back as a souvenir.\u201d<\/p>\n Players with Colorado ties in the 2026 WBC<\/p>\n
![\"Colorado](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26048789450823.jpg\")
Colorado Rockies’ Ezequiel Tovar works out during spring training baseball Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo\/Ross D. Franklin)<\/p>\n![\"Nolan](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/TDP-Z-ARENADO.jpg\")
Nolan Arenado #28 of the Arizona Diamondbacks poses for a portrait during photo day at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Feb. 18, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Colorado](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/rockies_training_001.jpg\")
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