Staff report
MOUNT ULLA – Recent West Rowan graduate Luke Ponczka turned in a humongous senior baseball season for the Falcons.
A 6-foot-1 right-handed slugger who can play either of the infield corners and has a good enough arm to help out on the mound, Ponczka has found a home where he can continue his education and baseball career. He announced Saturday on social media that he’ll be playing next year for the Guilford Tech program coached by TJ Wharton.
Wharton is a former Guilford Tech and Catawba College player. Wharton was a powerful DH for the Catawba Indians for two seasons and made all-conference and all-region teams.
As a senior, Ponczka played on a 23-6 West team that had a Division I recruit and four D-II signers. A talented group in front of him helped boost his numbers, but the extraordinary amount of damage he did was still impressive. Ponczka’s 50 RBIs had to be a program record. Those 50 RBIs not only led West Rowan and the South Piedmont Conference, they led all of 5A and placed him second on the MaxPreps list for the entire state.
Ponczka also led the Falcons with seven homers and 12 doubles, while batting .341. His on-base percentage was .432.
Ponczka made the all-region team named by the NC Baseball Coaches Association, as well as the All-South Piedmont and All-Rowan County teams.
Ponczka was a four-year starter for the Falcons, although his explosive senior year was on a different level than his first three seasons. He accumulated 10 homers, 19 doubles and 92 RBIs for his career.
Ponczka played Rowan County American Legion baseball for coach Seth Graham, who also coaches the Falcons, in the summer of 2025 and did well. He has been solid again this summer for a 10-2 Rowan team. He hasn’t homered yet, but he’s been the team’s leading hitter with a .444 batting average (16-for-36). He’s been getting a lot of singles. His on-base percentage is over .500 and he has 11 RBIs.
Guilford Tech competes in Region 10 at the D2 junior college level. A lot of Falcons have gone on to play for Surry Community College, a school that competes in D3 in Region 10.
