Czechia’s Marek Chlup made the best of a short stint with the Lake Country DockHounds of the independent American Association (AA), slashing .325/.393/.627 while smashing nine homers in just 34 games to wrap up the 2023 season for the Wisconsin-based DockHounds.
Chlup joined the team as one of the most promising European baseball talents. In 158 games over three seasons with the University of North Greenville (NCAA D2), he slashed .357/.461/.657, with 43 doubles and 38 homers.
He also stole 58 bases in his collegiate career, going a perfect 20-for-20 in 2023, and he was the Conference Carolina’s Player of the Year in North Greenville’s national championship season in 2022, with All-American accolades to boot.
His performance with the DockHounds shows that Chlup can also perform at the professional level. He hit safely in 24 of his 34 games, with a 10-game hitting streak towards season’s end and 10 multi-hit games on his CV as well.
Chlup, of course, is no stranger to big stages. At this year’s World Baseball Classic in Tokyo, “The Machine”, as he was called by his North Greenville teammates, went 4-for-12 with three RBI as the Czechs qualified for the tournament’s next edition.
The end of the AA season now leaves Chlup free to prepare for the 2023 European Championship on home soil. The 16-team tournament is scheduled to run from Sep 24-Oct 1 at four sites across Czechia.