CARROLLTON - Colleges that begin with Southern Illinois University have been willing to take chances on Carrollton Hawk pitchers.
In 2011 Sammy Coonrod signed with SIU-Carbondale and is currently pitching in the San Francisco Giants farm system.
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This summer, Blake Struble made it official by committing to SIU-Edwardsville. He is the first baseball player that has been offered by a Division-1 school since Coonrod.
“It’s always been my dream to play at the next level. Division-1 is what I’ve always strived for,” Struble said. “The opportunity came, and I jumped on it. I’m still on cloud nine.”
He was contacted by Illinois, Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois and was offered by a couple of JUCO schools, but SIUE was the lone D-1 school that offered Struble. After visiting the campus, he was sold.
“I visited SIUE, and I loved it as soon as we got there. Their facilities, weight room, and their field is top of the line. The best was the coaches; they were awesome.”
Location was also a factor.
“I wanted to stay close,” Struble said. “I didn’t want to go 20 hours away.”
Struble certainly has the look of a next level pitcher.
He’s six-foot, five-inches and throws left-handed, which is difficult to find in Class 1A, let alone in Illinois and he acknowledges it. He throws a low nineties fastball with a changeup and a sinkerball. Struble is also working on adding a curveball into the mix. He describes himself as a strikeout pitcher
“If they do make contact, it’s usually a ground ball, or if I leave something up they hit it hard. The majority of the time I get a strikeout.”
It did take awhile for scouts to notice the tall southpaw. Of course, pitching for a Class 1A school like Carrollton, who mostly play other 1A schools doesn’t do Struble many favors. However, he was patient and eventually made himself known at a Prep Baseball Report showcase during the off-season.
“In 1A those coaches never saw me until I went to the [Prep Baseball Report] showcase and then they saw me. This summer is when I really started getting contacted by anyone.”
That’s when Struble got the SIUE coaching staff’s full attention, which led to a text and wanted him to come back for a visit and the rest is history.
Before this past season, Struble’s record was an overall 9-2 and had an impressive E.R.A. at 1.99. His 2017 season was decent in his opinion but felt he walked too many batters and wasn’t consistent enough.
“I think I did alright, but my main problem was the walks. If I can strengthen that up, then I’ll definitely do a lot better and help out the E.R.A. a lot.”
Here’s an example of his inconsistency: In his last start of the regular season he gave up 13 runs in two innings against Central A&M, but luckily the Hawks lineup bailed him out and won in an incredible come from behind victory. Then on the other side there’s this: His best performance was a one-hit complete game shutout against Athens. Another game Struble is proud of is the complete game he pitched against Calhoun at home, surrendering one run.
“They were by far my two best games,” Struble said. “[Athens] was a good game. I had quite a few strikeouts, and it was one of those where everything went right. I think I had one or two walks and I was hitting the zone really well.”
He is a part of the 2018 class of Hawks that has played a huge role in revitalizing the baseball program into a state power. Along with Alex Bowker, Tyler Barnett, Kyle Waters, Hayden Stringer, and 2016 first team all-state pitcher, Kolten Bottom, Struble and the rest have been everyday starters since their freshman years.
In their high school careers, their record is a fantastic 73-22-1, including two WIVC outright conference championships and three straight regional championships. However, Struble and his fellow Hawks haven’t gotten out of the sectionals each time. The team goal for 2018 is simple.
“This year we were so close to beating Valmeyer, and they went to the state championship. I think everyone sees that’s the team we gotta beat to get there. We’re going to have another great year, and we’re definitely all ready for it.”
The future is bright for young Struble indeed. He will be going off to college to further his education and play baseball, in that order. But, in the nearer future, he’ll be helping the Carrollton Hawks trying to win a state championship. If he does improve and becomes more consistent, then he has the potential to be one of the best pitchers at any level in the Riverbender area, which boasts some of the best baseball players in Illinois.
