Daily Pilot High School Athlete of the Week:

A sense of finality typically generates greater urgency for high school athletes competing in their senior year. But a sharper focus for Newport Harbor High shortstop Austin Wobrock, a big reason why the Sailors are off to a 7-0 start heading into today’s Sunset League baseball opener against visiting Fountain Valley, has a more practical explanation.

“I have [contact lenses] now that I never wore last year,” Wobrock said. “I love them. I can see the ball, like, perfect. It’s wonderful.”

With enhanced vision, Wobrock, who hit .341 as a junior, is seeing much greater success.

The 6-foot, 171-pounder is 12 for 20 this season, with half of those hits being doubles. He has seven runs batted in, and is slugging .900 to go with his .600 batting average. He is also three for three in stolen-base attempts and has earned praise for his smooth defense.

“I’ve never had a start like this,” Wobrock, who is nearsighted, said. “The contacts have made a huge difference. Not only have they helped me see better, they have helped my mentality.

“I had some bad experiences last year when I did not wear glasses or contacts. I remember one night game, I felt like I was blind up there. There were some scouts at the game and I struck out three times. I told myself I never wanted to do that again.”

Wobrock has struck out once this season.

“I see the ball better and I know when the guy is throwing a curveball, because I can pick up the spin,” Wobrock said. “I’ve also had better success hitting the fastball.”

Greater success is a team theme this season for the Sailors, who won the Foothill Division title in the Newport Elks Tournament with a 9-1 triumph over Martin Luther King of Riverside Saturday.

The Tars, under first-year coach Patrick Murphy, swept Back Bay rival Corona del Mar in a nonleague doubleheader Tuesday, in which Wobrock went four for six with three doubles.

“Winning the tournament was really special for us,” Wobrock said. “We’re really growing as a program and we’re together.”

The players aligning universally behind Murphy’s system has had a lot to do with Wobrock, Murphy said.

“Austin is off to a fantastic start, offensively,” Murphy said. “He’s one of those guys who has made a lot of adjustments since September. He is somebody I feel is on board 100%. You can hear him talking about our system in the dugout. And when he talks, you can hear the things we [coaches] say to him and that is what he is saying to his teammates.”

Murphy and his players are reluctant to discuss the specifics of the hitting system that has helped the Tars compile a .364 team batting average, with eight home runs and 27 extra-base hits. But it has clearly helped Wobrock.

Wobrock’s contribution, however, has also been in the field, where his athleticism prompted Murphy to shift him from second base to shortstop.

“Defensively, we knew coming in that he was a notch above,” Murphy said. “He’s a stellar athlete.”

Wobrock has also found ways to contribute beyond his physical abilities, Murphy said.

“He is committed to the success of his teammates as he is his own,” Murphy said. “And he has a smile that’s contagious. I like to see him smile, because that always means good things are happening.”

Wobrock, who tried cross country, soccer and water polo his first two years at Newport Harbor, before concentrating on baseball the last two years, said his love for baseball is the genesis of his consistent upbeat presence.

“I just like to be around the game, because I’m always having fun,” the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week said. “When I’m at school, period, I’m always laughing and I’m always just happy. I just don’t see a need to always be down in the dumps.”

Wobrock’s play has likely helped him rise on the radar of college recruiters.

“I had an offer from Division II Cal Poly Pomona, but I feel like I can maybe do better,” said Wobrock, who mentioned Cypress Community College as his likely destination, should he not get any interest from a Division I college program.

“I think he’s capable of playing at the Division I level,” Murphy said. “But whether he gets there directly out of high school will be determined by Division I coaches.”

So, it would appear that just how far Wobrock’s talent will take him, remains to be seen.