Jake Schweitzer is a little over a week away from graduating from Trinity High School. He is recognized on campus for many things, including his crucial role on the baseball team and his eccentric sense of humor. What the Trinity community may not know about Schweitzer is that he had numerous offers to go play college baseball, but ultimately decided on the University of Louisville to continue his academic and athletic journey.
At this point it may be hard to believe, but Trinity High School was not always a guarantee for Schweitzer. He mentioned that it was more of a last minute decision, saying “Pretty much the morning of the placement test, I decided I was going to take it at Trinity.” He mentioned that his father and grandfather both attended Saint Xavier High School, so it was always expected that he attended there. However, he chose his own path, which goes to show a good deal of the appeal that Trinity carries.
The college recruiting portion of Schweitzer’s career came to be a simple choice. He mentioned his childhood history with the University of Louisville, and how when he got his offer, he was dead set on going. He attributed this to both his childhood fandom, and the ultimate success of the program over the past 30 years. The coaching staff also stuck out to him, as he felt they had meshed well during conversation. Believe it or not, while being a fan of Louisville baseball, Schweitzer actually grew up a Kentucky fan. It was a good thing for Louisville fans that Schweitzer couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play for the hometown team.
Trinity has a very rigorous baseball schedule. When questioned about how he manages to continue balancing school and baseball, Schweitzer stated how helpful “all the time built into Trinity, advising and stuff like that” is. He majorly credits Trinity’s block schedule system for his help with academic success. Schweitzer also attributes his organization skills to his success, noting that he has always done his best to be skilled in this area.
As far as studies go, Schweitzer hopes to go into a field of sports science. His reasoning for this was an injury that he endured, which caused him to have surgery on his knee. After this, he said he more or less decided that he wanted to do something in that field.
Everyone at some point has a motivator in their life. This remains very true for Schweitzer. He attributed both of his parents as a major source of motivation for him. “They’ve made a lot of sacrifices so I can be successful in the baseball field,” something that he doesn’t take for granted. Another source of motivation, would be a legendary coach and member of the Saint Matthews community, James Kozora, usually named Coach K by the community. Schweitzer credited Coach K as a huge source of his baseball knowledge, and a source of inspiration, as he spent the last portion of his life battling cancer.
When talking to Schweitzer, it’s easy to see that he’s a guy with a bright future ahead of him. He has a work ethic rivaled by few, and has a good personality to go with it. Make sure to check out Louisville baseball next year and keep an eye out for Schweitzer.
