Although Jack Bollengier plays baseball for an NCAA Division II school, he’s proven he can hold his own alongside Division I-level talent.

Which begs the question: Will that be enough for the Aptos High graduate to convince a team to select him in this year’s Major League Baseball draft?

Paul Svagdis, Bollengier’s coach at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, thinks so.

“He has the arm strength, foot speed, and bat speed to play at (the pro) level,” Svagdis said via e-mail. “The reduction in rounds of the MLB draft makes it more difficult for college players to get their name called.

“That being said, I believe he has the ability to make that transition and be successful at the next level.”

Now a senior at Westmont, Bollengier began his college career at a Division I school back in 2021. The center fielder started 26 games for Sacramento State that season and appeared in 37 overall, but struggled at the plate, hitting a dismal .185.

Bollengier’s struggles appeared to dissipate in his first postseason game: Bollengier went 3-for-3 with a sacrifice fly, three RBI and a run scored, leading Sac State to a win over the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley in the teams’ opening game of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament.

It remains one of his most cherished college baseball memories.

“The WAC Tournament was pretty intense for me as a freshman,” Bollengier said. “I was locked in and playing really well for my team.

“Anytime you can help your team win, it’s a good time.”

That turned out to be the highlight of Bollengier’s lone season at Sac State.

“Some core culture issues didn’t align with my personal values,” he said.

Bollengier thus came home and spent a season at Cabrillo College before moving on to Westmont. One of his former coaches at Sac State, Tyler LaTorre, recruited him there.

Since arriving at Westmont in 2023, Bollengier has thrived. The left-handed hitter batted .311 last season, collecting 51 hits and driving in 21 runs in 45 games.

He’s doing even better this year: Through 25 games, he was hitting .360 with 14 RBI — three of which came on Saturday in Westmont’s 11-2 triumph over Azusa Pacific — and 19 runs scored. His efforts have led the Warriors to a 22-3 record (17-1 in the PacWest Conference).

Chief among Bollengier’s 31 hits was his first collegiate home run, a solo shot he swatted over the right-field fence on Feb. 17 in the Warriors’ 11-2 victory over Hawaii Pacific.

“Jack battles at the plate and competes with each at-bat,” Svagdis said via e-mail. “I believe Jack has more power than his stats indicate. … I believe he has more in the tank.”

As solid as he’s been at the plate, Bollengier has even more so in center field. He enters play this weekend with a perfect fielding percentage in 62 chances this season.

“My coaches tell me I have an above-average arm and I get a good jump on fly balls,” Bollengier said.

To hear Svagdis tell it, Bollengier is being modest.

“He has great instincts and gets going full-speed quickly,” the coach said via e-mail. “He has the ability to make plays at full speed, which makes him special in the outfield.”

Lest anyone believe Bollengier is merely a great Division II player, his time last summer with the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League suggests otherwise: Against players from the Southeastern Conference, the former Pac-12, and other elite Division I conferences, Bollengier hit .312 with a triple, six RBI and nine runs scored in 21 games. He also proved he could excel as an infielder, playing primarily at second base.

“I think I picked up the role pretty well,” Bollengier said.

Bollengier isn’t the only player from Santa Cruz County on Westmont’s roster: Soquel High graduate Brady Spencer pitches for the Warriors. The sophomore right-hander, who pitched for Cabrillo last season, has made just one appearance this spring.

“It’s super nice to have that hometown connection,” Bollengier said.

A communications studies major, Bollengier is interested in pursuing a career in sports marketing or some other sports-related field once his playing days are over. For now, though, his career goals lay on the baseball diamond.

“Scouts have been coming out to my games and watching my batting practice and throwing,” Bollengier said. “Coach believes that if I’m good enough offensively and defensively this year, and the end of the year, I could find myself a job.”