Playing baseball at the next level has been a dream for St. Vincent senior Jake Seabaugh ever since he first put on a glove when he was a little kid.
This vision came to fruition last Thursday when Seabaugh signed a national letter of intent with St. Charles Community College to keep playing the sport he loves.
“It’s really important to me — it’s something I’ve always wanted,” Seabaugh said. “Coach [Corey] Sauer really helped me get up there and have a workout with them. When I got up there, [the St. Charles coaches] were pretty impressed.”
Seabaugh was also taken with St. Charles as he remarked about the school’s campus being rather big for a junior college.
Jake is also a fan of the student housing there, which is actually apartment complexes instead of on-campus dorm rooms.
At St. Charles, Seabaugh will continue his career on the mound, which is where he has thrived during his career with the Indians.
Even though he plays other infield positions, Seabaugh has been a standout pitcher for St. Vincent with 89 career strikeouts and a combined 3.26 earned run average.
Along with setting up a workout with his future college team, Seabaugh said another way his current coach Corey Sauer has helped him is with his pitching mechanics.
“I’m more of like a short-arm guy due to [playing] catcher, but as I came into high school my freshman year, Coach Sauer helped me get more separation with my hips and shoulders,” Jake explained. “That helped me throw harder, and I also just got stronger in the weight room, so that all really helped me on the mound.”
Seabaugh described the feeling of being a future college pitcher as pretty surreal, seeing as how few high school athletes are even given the chance to play somewhere collegiately.
Another reason why Jake is shocked by this is because he started off with a less-than-desirable pitching velocity at the beginning of his high school baseball career.
“I didn't really expect [playing college baseball] to happen because coming into freshman year, I was a low 70s guy — maybe if that,” Seabaugh said. “Really seeing the improvement over the past couple years was nice. I think it's gonna be really fun — I'm excited.”
What Seabaugh enjoys the most about pitching is being able to not just control the game itself but also the pace, especially as a former catcher.
“Being an ex-catcher, I know how aggravating it is when a pitcher doesn’t help the pitcher out to get a guy out on base,” Jake remarked.
Currently in what is his final year with the Indians, Jake has helped guide St. Vincent to a 4-2 record through the first two weeks of the season.
During that span with two starts under his belt, Seabaugh has recorded a team-high 14 strikeouts for a 1-1 record, posting a 3.50 ERA.
Along with Seabaugh, the Indians return other top arms from last spring like fellow senior pitcher Nick Buchheit.
Not only do these two share chemistry from last baseball season, but they also made strides on the gridiron together this fall.
With Seabaugh playing wide receiver and Buchheit at quarterback, the two friends helped St. Vincent’s football team reach the Class 1 state semifinals and finish with a nearly perfect record of 12-1.
Interestingly enough, Jake hadn’t played football through his first three years of high school, but it’s safe to say he enjoyed the sport after striking paydirt for the first time.
“It was really fun after I scored my first touchdown, and I thought, ‘Wow, I really like this sport,’” Seabaugh recalled. “Nick played all four years, but this year was his first year starting. It was cool to have him throw me the ball, and then we get to do the same thing now over on the baseball field.”
Seabaugh hopes the success from football can carry over into baseball as the Indians haven’t won a district championship since 2017 back when they took fourth place at state.
Regardless of what happens this season, Jake is just happy to keep playing the sport he loves at a school like St. Vincent, which he will represent proudly at St. Charles Community College and on.
“This school has played a big part in how I am as a player and person — it’s really shaped my character,” Seabaugh said. “No matter where I go in my career, I’ll always remember St. Vincent.”
