Highland outfielder Ottensmeier makes his college baseball choice official

Life is changing quickly for Highland’s Jake Ottensmeier.

Ottensmeier, a May 2024 graduate, who helped lead the Highland High School baseball team to the IHSA Class 3A tournament in Joliet earlier this month, will be heading to Eastern Illinois University in Charleston in just two months to continue his education and play baseball.

“I’m excited and it’s very exciting,” Ottensmeier said. “I’m a little nervous more than anything but I’m very excited.”

Last fall, Ottensmeier had the likes of Belmont University, Northern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Southeast Missouri State University, and Eastern Illinois vying for the outfielders’ services.

All were good potential fits but it was one final weekend visit last October that swung the pendulum toward EIU for Ottensmeier..

“It was the hometown feeling I got from them,” Ottensmeier said. “Charleston, Illinois feels like Highland and it’s a very nice place and small community which I enjoy. The baseball history is very good ... and they also gave me a very generous scholarship offer I couldn’t turn down. So those things all played a factor and they really helped my decision.”

Ottensmeier also got to bond with fellow EIU recruits that weekend, which also swayed him to the Panthers program.

“On my final visit, we had a recruit weekend and that’s when all the recruit came in and we all stayed together, got to know each other and that was a really good time,” Ottensmeier said. “We went out there, toured everything, took pictures in our uniforms, and watched the football game and that was a cool experience getting to bond with my new teammate.”

Going to school close to home was a big priority for Ottensmeier because he wanted to his family to be able to come see him play in college.

“The reason why I stayed close to home is I wanted my grandparents to still be able to see me baseball and it would have been tough if I did go somewhere like Belmont (which is in Nashville) or Northern Illinois,” Ottemsmeier said. “Eastern’s a two-hour drive from my house, so it’s really not too bad and the conference is somewhat local.”

Since the summer began, Ottensmeier has been working as a carpenter in HIghland weekdays and then playing weekend tournaments with his travel team of three years, the Gateway Bruins.

“They’re based out of Freeberg, Illinois but they get kids from all over the place and it’s a great organization run by Jason Smith and he does an amazing job at getting coaches who are best fit and getting guys to college,” Ottensmeier said. “All 12, 13 guys on my team are going to play college baseball, so it just shows you the job he does in getting kids to college.”

Ottensmeier hit .397 as a senior at Highland leading the team to the Class 3A tournament.

He said that Eastern Illinois coach Jason Anderson has discussed with him what his potential role will be with the team next spring as a freshman is hopeful in making an impact in the outfield with his base stealing speed and hitting ability.

“I’m gonna work as hard as I can, summer, fall, winter, and see whether it gets me and the goal is to start right when I get there but I’m just gonna do whatever I can to help the team win,” Ottensmeier said. “I want to have an outfield spot and coach (Anderson) said I have a shot at being a starter and said he just needs me to keep working and get better at my game and we’ll see where that takes me.”