Winning a World Series is the ultimate dream of every baseball player who steps across the white lines.

It’s no longer a dream for former Palmerton High School standout Brock Bollinger.

On June 6 in Eastlake, Ohio, Bollinger and Misericordia Cougar teammates defeated Wisconsin-Whitewater, 10-5 in the deciding game of a best-of-three championship series to claim the first title in school history. The win also had marked Coach Pete Egbert’s 600th career victory.

Bollinger was the starting catcher for the Cougars and batted third in the lineup. The junior was instrumental in the victory, ripping a first-inning double to drive in the first of seven Cougar runs in the frame that put the Warhawks behind the eight ball for the rest of the game.

“We put up a touchdown right away,” said Bollinger, who started two years at Palmerton before enrolling at Misericordia University, located in Dallas, PA.

The final out of the series concluded a grueling 13-game tournament run for the Cougars that covered three states. Misericordia hosted and won the Regionals in Pennsylvania before winning the double elimination Super Regionals in Virginia to advance to the World Series in Ohio.

Bollinger won the starting catching position for the Cougars as a freshman, and since then he has compiled a career .344 batting average in 148 games. He’s belted 44 doubles in that time frame.

“I’m not a big home run hitter,” he said. “I’m more gap to gap hitter. I trust my approach at the plate. I look for a straight fastball or a hanging breaking ball. The thing is when you get your pitch, you have to recognize it and you can’t miss it.”

Bollinger definitely didn’t miss many pitches. In 194 plate appearances this season, Bollinger struck out just 17 times. Last year, he was selected First Team All-Mid-American Conference Freedom Division.

In the World Series match up against Wisconsin-Whitewater, he doubled in two runs in the Cougars’ 12-9 win in the first game. He was 2-for-3 in the second game won by Wisconsin, and in the title game, he had the double in four at bats. Through the three games, he hit .545 with two doubles and three RBIs.

Behind the plate, Bollinger rarely misses a ball in the dirt or outside the strike zone, which was an impressive accomplishment because of the number of pitchers he had to catch.

“At Palmerton, I caught four pitchers,” he said. “At Misericordia, I catch 15 different pitchers. I have to learn what they throw and adjust to the differences in their deliveries.

“Communication is the key. We have to be on the same page for every pitch.”

At Palmerton, Bollinger’s assistant coach was current Blue Bomber head coach Tyler Svetik. Svetik, who watched the title game on an internet stream, had plenty of praise for his former player.

“Brock was an extremely hard worker at Palmerton,” said Svetik. “He showed a ton of growth between his freshman and senior years. He committed himself to getting stronger by lifting and training, and his commitment has paid off.”

Playing baseball since he was five years old, Bollinger was asked why he loves the game as much as he does.

“It’s my competitive nature and the fact that it’s the ultimate team sport, where we have to count on each other to be successful,” he said. “It’s also a game of failure, but you always get another shot if you strike out or make an error because the ball will find you again if you’re not prepared. So you have to stay focused and be ready.”

A sports management major at Misericordia, Bollinger said the achievement of winning a College World Series title has not been given enough time yet to fully sink in. Following a team celebration on campus, he left for Virginia earlier this week to play in the Valley Summer League where he will play another full schedule of games.

Bollinger is already looking into the future as well. He intends to become a coach and he already has a proven philosophy to bring with him. “I love the small ball game. It’s a team approach to scoring runs, and if done correctly, every team at every level has trouble defending it.”

For now, he will continue to play the game he had begun when he was literally a small ballplayer - at age five. When the day comes that he finally hangs up his spikes, Brock Bollinger will look back and realize he accomplished something few who have played the game of baseball ever achieve.

He is a World Series champion.