Former Libertyville star Quinn Schambow’s introduction to college baseball was bound to be different.
But after winning a Class 4A state championship at the end of a highly decorated high school career in which he started at catcher and quarterback for three seasons, Schambow learned much more than he played during his freshman year at national power Oklahoma State.
Stuck behind two transfers, he appeared in seven games and had one hit in four at-bats.
“I never looked at it as a negative that I wasn’t playing,” Schambow said. “I was still doing a ton of beneficial work to advance my career. It was a great time in my life. I just didn’t play as much as I would have liked.
“But I got a lot better at baseball, which is a credit to everyone there.”
Schambow will have a chance to learn more but also play more after transferring to Illinois, where the two catchers who logged all the innings this past season have exhausted their eligibility.
“I was watching some of the catchers at the MLB combine, and he’s ahead of those guys,” Libertyville baseball coach Matt Thompson said. “Illinois is a great place for hitters, and he’ll be the best catcher in the Big Ten.”
That potential prompted Illinois assistant Adam Christ, who is also the recruiting coordinator under head coach Dan Hartleb, to reach out to Schambow as soon as his name appeared in the transfer portal.
“It was a no-brainer to jump on the phone with him right away because if there’s a kid from the state of Illinois, we want to make sure we have a chance at getting them into our program,” Christ said. “He’s an ultra-competitive kid that is highly talented, and we needed a catcher. It’s a perfect fit.”
Schambow is also familiar with some of Illinois’ players, including fellow rising sophomores like pitcher Aidan Flinn, a Marist graduate who posted a 2.79 ERA and was named a freshman All-American, and first baseman AJ Putty, a Huntley graduate who led the team in batting average, hits and RBIs.
“I love the head coach, and there’s a real family community there,” Schambow said. “It’s great to come home, and it’s about being around the right people. I’m just super grateful for the shot.”
The odds were stacked against Schambow at Oklahoma State, where his roommate, junior Campbell Smithwick, became the primary catcher and sophomore Brady Francisco was the top backup. Both were transfers.
“We were all new to the school, and we all competed,” Schambow said. “It was beneficial to all of us because there are so many styles of catching. I had always had the arm, but other people have the catch and transfer. Campbell is really good at receiving.”
So Schambow picked up a few things along the way.
“I learned how much you need to take care of the pitchers,” he said. “That’s the most important thing because it’s just you and the pitcher out there, and on a college staff, there are 20 arms to manage.”
Schambow also left the Cowboys feeling good about his hitting.
“In the fall, I was trying a couple of different things with my swing, but I realized you have to do one thing, especially when you’re trying to time up 95 (miles per hour) every weekend,” he said. “You have to be really short to the ball, and when you’re hitting spin, it’s important to be on the barrel as much as you can and get on top of the ball so you can hit low-flight balls.”
Thompson, who was in contact with Schambow throughout the year, saw some of those swing adjustments when he threw batting practice for Schambow over winter break.
“He was trying to pull the ball more, and I could see a difference from where he was when he was with us the previous spring,” Thompson said.
Schambow’s progress at the plate has stalled this summer after he suffered a chipped bone in his left hand in the Northwoods League in June. But the break has given him a chance to fill out the transfer paperwork and reflect on his first year of college.
“At the end of the day, it’s still the same game,” Schambow said. “I had to do what was right for my career, and I think I made the right decision based on how my values are aligned in both baseball and in life.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
