Baseball: Rock Falls grad Jay Schueler ‘blessed’ to sign with Blue Jays organization

Last month’s MLB draft had concluded and 2019 Rock Falls grad Jay Schueler did not hear his name announced.

But he got a text asking if he was free for a phone call.

At the time, he had just gotten to the field for a summer league game in Canada with the Okotoks Dawgs.

One of the scouts who had watched him pitch for Southeastern University in March against Grand View University – where his cousin Noah Schueler plays – then gave him an offer to join the Toronto Blue Jays organization.

“He was like, are you ready to be a Toronto Blue Jay?” Schueler said. “And I was like, absolutely.”

Schueler recently wrapped up draft camp in Oldsmar, Florida, and awaits word of where he might be headed.

For now he’s grateful for his shot at the big leagues.

“It’s a blessing to have this opportunity,” he said. “You’ve just got to seize the moment whenever it comes.”

He said a lot of hard work and staying the course went into getting to this point.

“Just staying focused on being a good team player, and getting a win,” he said.

Schueler attended Parkland College for three years, including a COVID-19 year, before heading to Southeastern in Lakeland, Florida. He also played for the West Virginia Black Bears collegiate summer team in 2021 and 2022 in the MLB Draft League. Former pro Jedd Gyorko coaches them.

The 6-foot-3, right-handed junior pitcher appeared in nine games this past college season as a reliever and finished with a 2.35 ERA. He struck out 15 in 7⅔ innings pitched, holding batters to a .179 average.

Southeastern finished 52-8.

“Regardless of me not having many appearances, I still worked extremely hard in practice,” Schueler said. “I was always trying to find something I could do better and just honing my skills.”

He also had to rebound from a broken nose after taking a line drive during batting practice the day of his first appearance in summer ball.

In the game against Grand View, one of the three scouts saw that Schueler was hitting mid to upper 90s with his pitches.

“They saw command of a fastball,” he said, “and other pitches.”

Schueler’s dad, Joseph, played baseball in college and semi-professionally with the Minneapolis Millers.

“He’s been one of the best coaches I could ever have in my corner,” Schueler said. “He understands what I’m going through. And he gave me a lot of wisdom with being a pitcher because he was a pitcher as well.”

His cousins include Carter, Dylan, Noah and Madden Schueler. His older sister, Mackenzie, ran cross country at Rock Falls.

Jay was the Sauk Valley Media Baseball Player of the Year and the Big Northern Conference MVP his senior year, helping Rock Falls to a 34-2 record. He also played basketball and golf at Rock Falls.

Schueler is the third Rock Falls alum to be signed to an MLB team in the past 14 years. He grew up knowing Jakob Junis, who would visit the team at Rock Falls and was recently traded by the Brewers to the Reds. Seth Blair also signed with the Cardinals in 2010.

Schueler’s advice to others on the baseball grind is to just be persistent.

“No matter how tough times get, just keep working your hardest,” he said. “Because you never know who’s watching. And take every opportunity you can possibly get.”

He is grateful for all the coaching he has gotten to get to this point, including Rock Falls coach Donnie Chappell, an Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer in the Class of 2022. Chappell helped Schueler transition to the college level and between teams.

Nothing is guaranteed with him signing, but he should know soon if he will continue in the minor leagues.

He said the coolest part so far is being around other pros, such as the Blue Jays’ Jordan Romano, and 1993 World Series champion and 1996 AL Cy Young Winner Pat Hentgen, who is a special assistant with the organization.

“Being around a bunch of other guys who want the same goal as you, to win ballgames,” he said. “And eventually get that World Series trophy hoisted above your head.”