Lincoln-Way East baseball star Jack Bauer is something to behold on the mound
The Lincoln-Way East High School baseball team in southwest suburban Frankfort, Illinois, is having a very good season led by a hard-throwing lefty.
His name is Jack Bauer. No, he is not a TV action hero, and he is a bit young to be played by Kiefer Sutherland. But this Jack Bauer can throw a baseball amazingly fast, and when he takes the mound, it's something to behold.
"It's just amazing. One of a kind. One of our coaches said, 'The ball kind of sizzles out of his hand,'" said Lincoln-Way East baseball coach John McCarthy. "It's amazing to watch, right? Like that type of talent."
Bauer, the senior leader of a talented Lincoln-Way Griffins pitching staff, had a viral moment earlier this season at a tournament in Georgia — and for good reason. He hit 102 miles per hour on the radar gun.
"You know, it doesn't feel that fast when you're on the mound. You don't get to see it like from the side like some of these other guys do, or from the plate view," said Bauer. "I'd love to hit against myself and just have no chance."
Bauer was already garnering attention before breaking triple digits. He committed to Virginia as only a sophomore. But he has taken his game to another level this season — adding better control to go with his increased velocity.
"You know, 3-2 counts, 1-1 counts, counts that we've got to win — he's done a good job throwing strikes, and you know, forcing them to hit his, you know, really good stuff," said McCarthy.
"I've increased my workload in the weight room a ton — especially within my legs and within my core," said Bauer. "Putting on the extra weight really got my body under myself, and my legs especially. The motion is a lot easier to repeat now."
And even though he is a little young for the show, Bauer leads into the fact that he shares his name with a pretty iconic television character. In fact, he wears the number 24 because of that other Jack Bauer.
'I used wear 8 just because of my birthday. I was like, you know what? I'll play into a little bit, because like, everyone always asks me, you know, like, '24, like after the show?' I said, 'I men, yeah,'" he said, "and my parents got some jokes in them for that."
Bauer, who was not born yet when "24" went on the air, said he has not yet watched it.
But while Jack Bauer the baseball player may not be saving the world, he is helping lead Lincoln Way East to a great season — as the Griffins chase a conference title and maybe even more in the playoffs.
"You know, he's just been great as a leader. That's what I've been telling a lot of Major League scouts. Obviously, the stuff on the field is great and it speaks for itself," McCarthy said. "But for me, I think the biggest thing is what he's doing for the program and for the younger guys, and really setting the right tone, and for the future of this program."
Bauer is excited for his future, and sounds ready to meet his lofty goals of pitching at the highest level.
"I just want to pitch on the biggest stage. I want all the pressure on me," Bauer said. "I feel like I can compete on that level, and so that's really what I'm working towards.
With a fastball that's already MLB-ready, that sure seems like a reachable goal.
Young Jack Bauer is on a mission. He has been climbing up MLB Draft boards with MLB.com listing him as the No. 32 overall prospect in their latest rankings released in late April.
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