Hampshire grad Goebbert earns Big Ten honor

Hampshire alum Jake Goebbert got off to a slow start this year for the Northwestern University baseball team.

But the junior outfielder has been anything but slow lately. Goebbert was recently named the Big Ten Conference player of the week. It was Goebbert's fourth career player of the week honor. He won the award twice as a freshman and once as a sophomore.

Goebbert earned the honor after going 5-for-8 (.625) at the plate in Northwestern's 2-game series against Purdue, while drawing a pair of walks for a .700 on-base percentage. He also posted a 1.000 slugging percentage and a 1.700 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage).

After recording a run-scoring double in a 4-3 loss to Purdue, Goebbert returned to go 4-for-4 with a walk and a pair of doubles in a 13-4 victory over the Boilermakers. Goebbert also scored 3 runs and drove in three in the win. Northwestern scored in all 5 innings in which he came to the plate.

The 2-game effort against Purdue raised his batting average 40 points.

To start the week, Goebbert was leading the team in doubles (7) and RBI (18), while hitting .273 (with 2 home runs). Goebbert belted a school-record 22 doubles last season.

"It's always a great honor to get," said Goebbert. "An award like that makes all of the hard work worth it."

Goebbert said his early-season slump was something he wasn't accustomed to.

"I started pretty slow, which was an adjustment from last year when I was real hot," said Goebbert. "It's easy to gain confidence when you are hitting well. I just went back to basics and focused and had fun with the game and I let my abilities take over. I wasn't hitting terrible, I was just hitting the ball right at people."

Goebbert was in the .230 range with his batting average to start the season.

"I couldn't catch a break," said Goebbert. "Now the ball is falling and I'm starting to come back into form. My swing has really come back. I'm hitting line drives into the gaps. Against Purdue I felt great in every at-bat. That's when I knew I was back where I wanted to be, especially in that last game where I went 4-for-4."

Panicking is something Goebbert stayed away from when he wasn't hitting.

"You don't panic," said Goebbert. "Coaches say pitchers don't put a hitter into a slump, hitters put themselves in slumps. To get out of it, you have to mentally control your emotions and take each at-bat as a fresh start. That will help you get out of it."

Goebbert didn't make any major adjustments over this past off-season.

"I try to work on the same things like keeping my swing short," said Goebbert. "The big thing is recognizing pitches out of the pitcher's hand and knowing the strike zone. That helps me be the best hitter I can. I truly believe pitch recognition is very important. I've taken a million swings. There's not much I can change at this point. It's about making the most out of what you have. Alex Rodriguez says he tries to put a good swing on the first good pitch he sees. It's good advice."

Goebbert is having a blast at Northwestern.

"I've enjoyed the camaraderie with my teammates and the opportunity to play," said Goebbert. "Everything about Northwestern has been very satisfying and enriching in my life."

Goebbert admits he has thought about a potential professional career.

"It's always a dream and always a goal," said Goebbert. "I may get the opportunity to do it at some point, but it's not something I'm focused on right now. I'm living in the moment and enjoying my junior year and making the most out of my college experience. That's all based on performance. I just go out there every day and do my best and have fun doing it and take what comes."

Goebbert is a psychology major and would like to pursue medical or dental school after completing his undergraduate work. He sports a 3.2 grade-point average.

He also sports a true love for college baseball.

"It's truly remarkable," said Goebbert. "For anybody that loves playing the game, I would suggest it. I've met a lot of great people. This has been a great experience."

Pelka at Carthage: Elgin Academy graduate Michelle Pelka recently competed in the NCAA Division III women's swimming championships at the University of Minnesota's Dorothy L. Sheppard Pool. Pelka, a sophomore, helped Carthage College finish ninth in the country. The team took 27th last year.

Pelka took fourth in the 400 IM in a Carthage-record 4:25.24. She bettered her old school record of 4:29.86. She also took eighth in the 200 butterfly (Carthage-record 2:05.14) en route to earning CSCAA All-American honors.

Pelka also tamed with Sarah Reynertson, Alyssa Messina and Amanda Croix to take sixth in the 200 free relay (Carthage-record 1:35.23 and CCIW open record) and eighth in the 400 free relay (Carthage-record 3:30.44 and CCIW open record). The foursome also took 16th in the 800 free relay (Carthage-record 7:44.88).

Maisto at Upper Iowa: Former Burlington Central star Erica Maisto, the 2007-08 Daily Herald Female Athlete of the Year, is now a freshman pitcher on the Upper Iowa University softball team. Maisto recently came out of the bullpen to throw 4 innings of relief to help Upper Iowa score a 9-4 victory over Northern State. Maisto allowed 6 hits and fanned one in the 4 innings to notch the victory. To start the week, Maisto was 3-2 with a 2.62 ERA. She had pitched in 6 games (4 starts, 2 complete games). In 29 1/3 innings, Maisto has allowed 31 hits and has struck out seven while walking only 1 batter. Upper Iowa was 11-7 overall and 2-1 in conference play to start the week.

Arceneaux at Loyola: Jacobs product Lauren Arceneaux has contributed immediately as a freshman to the Loyola University-Chicago softball team. To start the week, Arceneaux had started 24 of the 25 games she had appeared in and was hitting .253 with 19 hits in 75 at-bats. Arceneaux had scored 14 runs and had 7 doubles and a triple to go with 9 RBI. She was also a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen base attempts and sported a .936 fielding percentage. Loyola was 14-11 and 2-1 in Horizon League play to start the week.

Aurora softball: A pair of local products are contributors for the Aurora University softball team. Larkin alum Karisa Hansen was hitting .379 to start the week. Hansen had 11 hits in 29 at-bats (2 doubles and 2 RBI). Hansen also sported a .419 on-base percentage and had 4 stolen bases to go with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage (13 putouts, no errors). Hampshire grad Abby Young was hitting .257 for Aurora through the team's first 10 games. Young had 9 hits in 35 at-bats and 1 RBI. Aurora was 7-3 through 10 games.

Off at College wants your help: Send information and/or statistics on Fox Valley-area athletes playing collegiately to Mike Miazga at mmiazga@dailyherald.com.