Jacob Schroeder dreamed of something bigger. He bet on himself and won.
After starting his college baseball career at Northern Illinois, the Homewood-Flossmoor graduate left for John A. Logan Community College with the hope it would lead him to a major conference.
Eventually, that path took Schroeder to Illinois, where he ended up starring this spring as a senior catcher. He earned first team all-conference honors for the Fighting Illini, who won the Big Ten’s regular-season championship and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
“It was really hard,” Schroeder said of his decision to leave NIU. “I had some hard conversations with my parents. I was comfortable. I was on track to graduate without any loans or anything. I was in a position where I’d play.
“But it was worth it. To end up at Illinois where my family could come to every home game and to play for a program that competes for championships, it worked out so well for me.”
Schroeder, who has graduated from Illinois, still has one season of eligibility remaining and plans to use it while starting grad school next year.
The decision to stick around for another season in Champaign was certainly aided by his breakthrough performance this spring, which also increased his hopes for a future in the pros.
“Success definitely makes it easier,” Schroeder said. “It’s hard because I’m 23 and you want to get on with your life, start making money and make a good life for myself. But the success and wanting to go back to grad school helped me make that decision.
“The plan is to go back, enjoy my last year of baseball at Illinois and get rolling with grad school.”
Schroeder hit .306 with 14 home runs and 41 RBIs in 47 games for the Illini (35-21). Illinois won the Big Ten’s regular-season title and played in the NCAA Tournament’s Lexington Regional in Kentucky, going 1-2.
“It was unbelievable,” Schroeder said. “We took a game from Indiana State, and we were in a good spot in the winner’s bracket against Kentucky. That environment was unbelievable. They were chanting ‘blue, white’ going back and forth with the bases loaded and two outs, and I’m getting chills when I’m trying to catch the ball.
“It was awesome. I can’t even put into words what the experience was like and what it was like just to compete at that level.”
For Schroeder, that postseason experience represented reaching the ultimate destination of his college baseball journey.
“I left NIU because I wanted to play in that environment,” he said. “It worked out for me. We got there, and it was everything I dreamed of. I always watched on TV and wanted to play at that level and being able to do that was surreal.”
Lincoln-Way East coach John McCarthy, who coached Schroeder at H-F, was thrilled to see it all work out the way it did.
“Jacob Schroeder wanted to bet on himself,” McCarthy said. “He trusted his ability and he believed in himself. These elite guys have that belief, and Jacob has that.
“Jacob’s the best. He was a leader at H-F. He’s a leader at Illinois. I’m not shocked to see his growth.”
Homewood-Flossmoor’s Jacob Schroeder connects against St. Laurence during a nonconference game on Tuesday, July 11, 2018. (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown)
One of the highlights of Schroeder’s season came on April 14 when he hit three home runs against Northern Illinois, his former team.
“It was bittersweet,” he said. “I have friends on the team still. I think that program’s going up and I’m happy for them. But coming into the season, that was definitely a weekend I had marked on my calendar and wanted to play well.
“To be able to hit three home runs in a game and sweep the series was a lot of fun.”
Schroeder said he got off to a slow start to the season. But he never gave up.
“It’s such a hard sport that you get those thoughts all the time like, ‘Why did I pick baseball? I should have done golf or something,’” Schroeder said. “But when you do get that success, it’s so worth it.”
