ESPN College Sports

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- John Wilson will finally get a start on Senior Day. How appropriate for the 53-year-old outfielder.

The affable Wilson will get his first collegiate start Sunday for Division III Penn State-Altoona when the school honors its seniors. A seldom-used reserve, Wilson is penciled in to play right field and lead off the first game of a doubleheader.

Not that Wilson is taking extra swings in the hitting cage. In fact, he said Thursday he's throwing batting practice more than usual to give regulars more time at the plate as the team tries to get into its conference playoffs.

"It doesn't matter much for me," Wilson said in a phone interview about his own batting practice. "I'm a natural!"

He's believed to be one of the oldest men to play collegiate baseball, though the NCAA doesn't keep records. He struck out in his only plate appearance this season, and he played in just 10 games before this season.

But Wilson says just being able to play college baseball is a blessing after drug and alcohol addictions earlier in his life drove him to suicidal thoughts. The Pittsburgh native credits a stint at a rehabilitation center in 1986 as the start of a turnaround, and he proudly boasts that he's been clean and sober since then.

Baseball, he says, has been the one constant through the ups and downs. He also plays in summer leagues and coaches kids at clinics.

"Baseball is always going to be part of my life. That's what makes me happy," Wilson said.

He's also more of a mentor to the teens and 20-somethings he calls teammates on the Penn State-Altoona team, a role he relishes. In fact, he's been a little hard on some younger teammates this season with the squad's record at 17-21 entering the weekend.

"I've got to try to keep my composure and don't go off the deep end," Wilson said. "I realize that they're just doing what they can do. I teach them to be patient and the right way to play the game."

They feel comfortable giving Wilson guff right back, especially for the media attention he's received this year, said catcher Tony Petulla.

"If he wasn't at practice, we were like, 'He's doing another interview,'" the 23-year-old Petulla joked. "He's a good guy though, brings a lot to the table. He helps out the younger guys."

Especially, it seems, Petulla, who the school boasts as possibly the best player to suit up at Altoona. Wilson said he's put in a good word about Petulla's potential with Wilson's friend, Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker.

Wilson's eligibility runs out after this season, and he is scheduled to complete his degree in human development and family studies in 2009. He has aspirations to coach full-time when he finishes his studies.

He said he's not nervous about Sunday, though Petulla intimated that Wilson may be doing more than just throwing batting practice in the days leading up to his first start.

"He's been a hitting a little more at batting practice lately," Petulla said, "so I guess he's getting ready to hit."

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press