Latest news with #Essenburg
Chicago Tribune
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Lincoln-Way West's Conor Essenburg reacts to being taken by Atlanta Braves in MLB draft. ‘Hit me like a train.'
Conor Essenburg convinced himself that he could remain a cool customer throughout the MLB draft. But when Essenburg, an outfielder/pitcher who graduated this spring from Lincoln-Way West, heard his name called Monday, the moment was overwhelming. 'I wasn't expecting it at all, so it hit me like a train,' Essenburg said. 'I wasn't expecting to cry whatsoever, but once I heard my name on the TV and saw my picture up there, I came to a moment of realization like, 'Oh my gosh, I actually got drafted. This is insane.' 'I have to admit there were some tears. This has been my dream since I was a little kid. It finally came true. I'm just super pumped.' Essenburg, the 2025 Daily Southtown Baseball Player of the Year, was taken by the Atlanta Braves in the fifth round with the 157th overall pick. Although he had committed to Kentucky, Essenburg plans to sign with the Braves and forgo college. 'I'm extremely excited to be a part of the Braves organization,' Essenburg said. 'I've only heard great things about them. Even the players they have on the team now, I'm super pumped about them and hopefully I get the chance to meet them. That would be awesome. 'All my glory to God. He's given me so many talents here and the ability to do everything that I've done.' Essenburg expected a bit longer of a wait. He said he did not learn of Atlanta's plans to draft him until moments before the pick was made. 'I was talking to my agent,' Essenburg said. 'We had an expectation for one round later for a different team and then I found out the Braves were taking me literally 10 seconds before the pick went in. Honestly, it was crazy.' Lincoln-Way West coach Jake Zajc was thrilled for his standout pupil. 'It's awesome,' Zajc said. 'It's a great day. To have a player be able to go through this and then to actually have it happen, it's great. This is a goal he set out five or six years and it all came to fruition (Monday).' Zajc said he knew even before Essenburg started his career with the Warriors that he could be a future pro. 'He had special qualities and special skills and some strength even when he was younger, plus his hand speed and his competitiveness,' Zajc said. 'Sometimes, you have kids who get those skills and they don't work hard to build on them. 'Conor's a kid who had those initial skills and then worked really hard to improve on all of those skills.' Essenburg thrived as a two-way star at Lincoln-Way West over the last three seasons and put together his best performance this spring. As a senior, Essenburg batted .464 with 42 runs, 11 doubles, 19 stolen bases, 10 homers and 49 RBIs. On the mound, he finished 5-0 with a 0.94 ERA and a whopping 94 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings. analyst Jim Callis, during a stream of the draft, said some teams liked Essenburg as a pitcher while others viewed him as an outfielder. The Braves announced him as the latter. 'As a hitter, he's got a chance to a chance to have 20-homer power,' Callis said. This spring, Essenburg said he would prefer to be a position player in the pros, calling pitching his 'backup plan.' 'I'm in love with hitting,' Essenburg said at that time. After being drafted, he will get a chance to put that passion on display as a pro. 'If you think about it, there's nothing better in this world than getting paid to play baseball every single day of your life,' Essenburg said. 'Obviously, I've loved this game since I was a little kid and this has always been my dream. 'Now, I'm getting paid to play it. That's just awesome, and I'm just extremely pumped up and ready to get going.'
Chicago Tribune
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
‘Super cool': Lincoln-Way West's Conor Essenburg is the 2025 Daily Southtown Baseball Player of the Year
Lincoln-Way West's Conor Essenburg took a Monday night flight to Phoenix, where he participated in the MLB draft combine from Tuesday to Wednesday. But before he headed to the airport, however, Essenburg spent the day helping at the Warriors' youth camp. Not to mention signing plenty of autographs and posing for even more photographs. Essenburg, a senior outfielder/pitcher, has embraced his local celebrity status. 'It was awesome,' Essenburg said. 'I had tons of little kids coming up to me. Just being able to do that kind of stuff is super cool to give back to the community. I used to be that kid that used to follow players around and try to get their pictures and autographs. 'It makes my day every single time.' There's a good reason why Essenburg's attention is highly sought by youngsters. The Kentucky recruit just completed a prolific career as a two-way star for the Lincoln-Way West. Essenburg capped it with his best season yet. The 2025 Daily Southtown Baseball Player of the Year batted .464 with 42 runs, 19 stolen bases 11 doubles, 10 homers and 49 RBIs. On the mound, he finished 5-0 with a 0.94 ERA and a whopping 94 strikeouts in 44 2/3innings. Essenburg also was named the SouthWest Suburban Conference's player of the year and earned all-state honors. But his recognition didn't stop there. The American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings named him an All-American. He's one of four players from Illinois and the only one from the Southland to gain that honor. None of that comes as a surprise to Essenburg's teammates like junior outfielder Carson Paulas. 'It's so much fun watching Conor play,' Paulas said. 'He's such a great hitter and pitcher and just does everything well. He works really hard.' As impressive as Essenburg's numbers were, Lincoln-Way West coach Jake Zajc has been equally proud of his growth off the field. Essenburg has developed a bit of a reputation for being short-tempered. In the past, he wasn't necessarily the best leader. But this season was different. 'Over his four years at Lincoln-Way West, he's obviously improved on the field, but he's made a lot of vast improvements off the field,' Zajc said. 'It's been a learning experience along the way. 'His improvement with all that stuff from junior to senior year was very impressive. He made a conscious effort to be a good teammate and he was a great leader for us.' Back to the autographs. Essenburg said a few years back he would follow around Max Clark, then a highly touted high school player in Indiana who was selected third by the Detroit Tigers in the 2023 MLB draft. 'I never got an autograph or a picture, but I got to see him play,' Essenburg said. 'I have his autograph now, though. I have family who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he plays (for the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps) and I went to a game. 'He signed two of my cards and took a picture with me.' Essenburg, who plans to focus on hitting and playing in the outfield at the next level, could be following Clark's path soon. He was one of five high school players from Illinois invited to the draft combine and one of two locals along with senior pitcher Jack Bauer from Lincoln-Way East. 'It was my goal to be able to finish off my high school career by going to the combine,' Essenburg said. 'When I got the invite, it was amazing. I called my dad (Troy) and he was like in tears over how proud he was of me. I thought that was the coolest thing ever.' One thing that may top that would be hearing his name called in next month's draft. Then Essenburg will likely have a big decision to make between going to Kentucky or signing with a pro team. 'I think I'm prepared for it,' Essenburg said. 'I think I'm starting to understand that no matter where I end up, I'm going to be in a really good spot. 'It's kind of just a win-win situation.'
Chicago Tribune
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
As MLB scouts watch, Kentucky-bound Conor Essenburg knows role for Lincoln-Way West. ‘I'm in love with hitting.'
Lincoln-Way West's Conor Essenburg is doing his best to block out the outside noise, but he knows a big choice is not far off. The senior outfielder/pitcher, who is committed to Kentucky, has several MLB scouts watching him at every game and figures to hear his name called in July's draft. Then he'll have to decide between college and turning pro. 'I've done a good job with ignoring it, but recently, it's been getting a little bit harder,' Essenburg said. 'We're getting close to the draft, obviously, and there are a lot of things I have to think about. 'It's hard stuff to figure out as an 18-year-old. I'm definitely going to take it slow because this decision is going to change my life no matter which way I go.' For now, Essenburg's focus is on continuing to dominate at the high school level. He delivered with a key two-run double Wednesday to help himself earn the win on the mound as the host Warriors edged crosstown rival Lincoln-Way Central for a 4-3 SouthWest Suburban Conference win in New Lenox. Essenburg struck out nine in five innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits. He went 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and a run to lead Lincoln-Way West (21-7, 10-5). Quentin Lange was 2-for-2 with a run, while Roosevelt recruit Ian Hazelip and Jackson Mansker each added an RBI single. Rock Valley commit Tyler Bartley pitched the final two innings, striking out three, and allowed just one unearned run to record the save. 'This is the reason why I play baseball,' Bartley said. 'Being on the mound in a one-run game in the last inning, these are the situations that I find so fun. Baseball is a fun game, but in those situations, it's even more fun. I just love it.' Conor McCabe came up with an RBI single for Lincoln-Way Central (15-9, 10-3). Cade Andrews went 2-for-3 with a run, while Toledo recruit Liam Arsich singled and scored a run. Arsich also threw 4 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and striking out three. Arsich took a shutout into the fifth inning and the Knights led 2-0 before the Warriors put up four runs. Essenburg tied the game with a two-run double before Hazelip and Mansker's RBI singles gave the Warriors the lead for good. Essenburg, who knew his pitching day was over, was motivated to make an impact another way. 'It definitely lit a fire in me,' Essenburg said. 'My competitive edge came out and I was getting sick of losing, so I wanted to do something to change the game around.' Lange, the ninth hitter in the batting order, singled ahead of Essenburg's at-bat and was confident something good was about to happen. 'The whole game plan is just to get on base by any means and get it back up to Conor and let him do the magic,' Lange said. 'It's awesome having him behind me. He drives us in all the time.' Essenburg is hitting .461 with 31 runs, eight homers and 42 RBIs. He's also 5-0 on the mound with an 0.95 ERA. Even more important than those dominant numbers, according to Lincoln-Way West coach Jake Zajc, is how he has become a better team player. 'This year, he's been a tremendous leader,' Zajc said of Essenburg. 'He leads by example, and he's trying to be a vocal leader. He celebrates with his team. He's doing everything he can to help others and I'm very proud of him in that aspect.' Essenburg plans to be a full-time outfielder after high school, so his pitching days are numbered. 'Pitching is fun still so I'm trying to enjoy it while I can,' he said. 'But I'm also excited to be able to put the ball down and put all my focus on swinging the bat every day. It's going to be fun. 'I'm in love with hitting.'
