The Region's Team Of Northwest Indiana

Whiting, Ind. – April 7, 2018 – Before he joins the program with one of college baseball’s most storied traditions, Jake Plastiak will make the adjustment to the collegiate level by playing for a summer team with a strong history of its own.

Plastiak, a high school senior at Andrew in Illinois, will compete for the Oilmen this summer before taking his talents to Wichita State to play for the Shockers beginning this fall.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Oilmen,” Plastiak said. “I’m really looking forward to playing with a different group of guys this summer and learning what college baseball is all about. I can’t wait to get started.”

Plastiak, an infielder, hit .425 with four home runs last summer for Chicago Elite Baseball. As a junior, he helped his prep team to a 25-8 overall record as he hit .310 with a .410 OBP.

“My high school baseball experience has been good,” he said. “I play with some guys I’ve been playing with my whole life; I’ve grown up with them. Last year had a disappointing ending, but this year hopefully we end with a win instead of a loss. My high school experience has really helped me in my baseball life and my regular life, becoming a man and a leader.”

Plastiak, a switch hitter, started this season on a tear, hitting .706 with six triples over the first five games. Once his prep days and his summer with the Oilmen are said and done, he’ll join a Wichita State team that is in its first season in the American Athletic Conference after 72 years in the Missouri Valley Conference.

The Shockers have made the College World Series seven times, winning the national championship in 1989. Wichita State has the fourth-highest winning percentage in NCAA Division I history, trailing only Texas, Florida State and Miami.

“I committed relatively early, after my sophomore season,” Plastiak said. “Wichita State was an obvious choice. It was a perfect fit with the coaches, the university and the baseball team. There are two players there now who are projected to go in the first round, so you can see that they develop kids into great players. The move to the American Athletic Conference has really helped them step up to the next level. I’m excited to get down there.”

Plastiak plans to use the summer as a time to make the transition to facing next-level competition in the MCL.

“I want to be as ready as I can for college baseball,” he said. “This summer, playing against some of the top competition around, I’m going to be ready for whatever comes my way in the fall. Seeing great quality pitching and playing college competition is really going to benefit me.”

This past fall, Plastiak played for the Reds scout team in Jupiter, Fla. The experience allowed him to play with and against players who are projected to go in the first five rounds of the MLB First Year Player Draft.

“It was incredibly beneficial for me to learn a lot of new things playing with guys who are really good and will excel at the next level,” he said. “We played one of the top teams and beat them in front of around 200 MLB scouts. I was able to get a couple hits in that game as well, so it was a very memorable experience.”

In addition to his many baseball-related successes, Plastiak has thrived in the classroom, where he owns a 4.5 GPA and has numerous AP credits. He plans to double major in business and marketing at Wichita State.