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Baseball: Jankelow may be closing out his baseball career
Park Ridge Thursday 05.17.12. Glenbrook North's Dan Jankelow delivers a pitch during their game against Maine South on Thursday, May 17, 2012, in Park Ridge. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media
Updated: July 15, 2012 3:03PM
Glenbrook North baseball coach Dom Savino announced his starter before Monday’s CSL Senior All-Star game, but kept Daniel Jankelow, the Spartans’ lone pitcher available, uncertain when he would pitch.
Jankelow waited patiently on the bench, watching as the South squad jumped out to a 7-0 lead after three innings. The North managed a run in the sixth inning as Jankelow continued to wait.
Savino finally called on Jankelow to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Having not faced a batter since the Spartans’ season ended more than three weeks ago, Jankelow was unsure what to expect.
“I actually have not been throwing,” Jankelow said. “Usually I play on a tournament team every summer, but this summer I haven’t. I was kind of anxious to get in the whole time. I had waited to play the whole game, so I don’t know if I would say difficult — I would say more excited.”
Jankelow allowed a base hit to Evanston’s Jeremias Delgado, then induced two consecutive fly outs and struck out Erik Stojanoff with his final pitch in a Glenbrook North jersey.
“I thought I was throwing with good velocity and I was hitting my spots,” Jankelow said. “I was pretty happy.”
While the majority of the CSL senior all-stars have spots awaiting them at two-year colleges or four-year universities in the fall, Jankelow is making different plans. The Glenbrook North graduate has embraced his free time, after deciding not to play baseball over the summer for the first time since he was 10.
Jankelow is working as a counselor at the Northbrook Park District this summer before leaving for Indiana University, where he’ll study business. He’s weighing club baseball.
“I guess what it came down to was (Washington University) and Indiana, and I just basically decided Indiana because it was a better fit,” Jankelow said. “I also want to play club — not definitely, but if I do, there’s always that option. I kind of like that big-school feel.”
If Jankelow does decide to continue his career, he can turn to the improvements he made at Glenbrook North this season — when he both started games and came on in relief — to try to land a spot on the team.
“I think every aspect of my pitching improved,” Jankelow said. “I think my fastball picked up velocity, I gained better control. Last year I really didn’t have a curveball and this year, my curveball was a lot (better). But I’d say just about every aspect. I worked on my change-up a lot, too.”
Jankelow will take it easy this summer, possibly subbing into a few of tournaments if the opportunity arises. But, for now, he’s enjoying a break after helping Glenbrook North win the CSL North.
“Honestly, the year last year we had a great season — 33-4 — and we made it to the supersectionals, so I guess it was a little disappointing in the fact that we didn’t make it as far (in 2012),” Jankelow said. “But this year, I wouldn’t say it was disappointing in that we were still a very good team and I had a ton of fun playing on this team.”
