Freshman infielder Will Dobil is making a name for himself with Lafayette College’s baseball team, but his talent has been known across the Lehigh Valley long before he arrived on College Hill.
Dobil was a three-year starter at Parkland High School outside Allentown and served as captain his senior year, earning first-team All-State honors in the infield.
That success has already carried into his first season with the Leopards, as Dobil was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Week on March 30 after posting a .600 batting average across a four-game span.
“A year ago at this time, I wasn’t even sure if I’d be playing college sports,” Dobil said. “Every opportunity I get to just play, I’m so grateful for.”
The shortstop slashed 91 hits across his four years for Parkland, steadily increasing his batting average from .380 in his freshman year to .479 by his final season. Along with becoming an All-State selection, he led the Trojans to wins in both their conference and district title games.
“He was instrumental in our success,” Parkland baseball coach Kurt Weber said. “He was really a solid player all three years, offensively and defensively. When the games were the most important, he stepped up big time.”
Weber noted that Dobil’s impact stretched well beyond the box score, emphasizing the consistency and presence he brought to every game.
“As good of a player as he was, his leadership we miss even more,” Weber said. “He doesn’t jump off at you with having a huge arm, or all the measurables that are easy to look for. The stuff that he does jump off the chart with is his competition level, character, toughness and heart. There aren’t analytics for that.”
When Dobil made his decision to go local for college, he followed in the footsteps of his parents, Barry Dobil Jr. ‘00 and Lindsay Dobil ‘01, and stamped his ticket to Lafayette. The close proximity allows his parents to make it to all of his games.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I was kind of wanting to come here,” Dobil said. “It wasn’t until I really started looking at schools and figuring out what I wanted out of my school that I figured Lafayette was a good place for me.”
Dobil made his collegiate debut in the Leopards’ 11-6 upset victory over then-No. 13 North Carolina State University, collecting his first hit in the ninth inning.
It took some time to find his footing — posting a .154 batting average ahead of his rookie of the week-winning stretch — but he broke out with nine hits across the team’s matchup with Monmouth University on March 24 and three-game series against Holy Cross, including the game-winning double in the first game of a March 29 doubleheader against the Crusaders.
“I’m still a young freshman trying to learn the ropes of what it takes to be a good college athlete,” Dobil said. “If it means laying a sac bunt down, or just doing my job on the field, I’m going to do what it takes to help the team win.”
Although the team has faced its share of challenges this season, sitting at the bottom of the Patriot League standings, Dobil said his main focus is “learning from his mistakes” every opportunity he gets.
“I’m just focused on how I get from point A to point B,” Dobil said. “It doesn’t matter if I’m the star guy on the team or the last guy on the bench, I’m just here for the team over myself.”