Jon Carlson: Cook County baseball captain
There was a message from a Rolling Meadows baseball teammate after Jon Carlson decided to play in college at Kentucky.
It was more than just congratulations.
"We're pretty close," said senior pitcher-first baseman Pat Conlin. "Once I saw that I said, 'Now you have to go out and prove why you're going there.'
"He couldn't have done a better job."
After two solid varsity seasons, Carlson took a big step from a solid high school player to a dominant force who attracted the attention of major league scouts.
On the mound, at the plate or with his first baseman's mitt, the 6-foot-4 left-hander delivered as Meadows won its 11th Mid-Suburban League title.
It was the kind of year that made Carlson the Cook County honorary captain of the 2009 Daily Herald All-Area Baseball Team.
"The jump he made from his sophomore year when we first saw him has been tremendous," said Meadows coach Jim Lindeman. "He's come a long way from a kid who threw 81 to 83 (mph) to touching 90 (this spring).
"He grew bigger and stronger and more confident and he's really come a long way in three years."
It all came to fruition this spring.
On the mound, Carlson went 7-2 with 2 saves, a 2.01 ERA and 124 strikeouts and 37 walks in 73 innings.
He also cleaned up in the cleanup spot at .454 with 5 homers, 12 doubles and 33 RBI and only 11 strikeouts in 108 at-bats.
"It helped me tremendously getting used to the level of competition," Carlson said of his first two varsity seasons. "Each year I pitched better and hit better and playing every day I got better each day."
A combination of more confidence, better concentration, maturity and offseason weight work fueled the jump after an all-area junior season where he was 3-1 with a 4.14 ERA and 59 strikeouts and 30 walks.
Not only was Carlson throwing harder but he was able to stay in the game longer. He developed a slider and a solid level of trust with pitching coach Dave Geeve.
It was all part of Carlson helping Meadows repeat as MSL East champions and get a shot to atone for losing to Schaumburg for the league title.
"In the beginning of the year a few of us got together, me, Teddy (Metzger), (Dan) Lauria and Conlin," Carlson said. "We all knew we had to step up this year and play a significant role.
"I think we've all done our part real well and we've all stepped up tremendously."
And Carlson handled the spotlight that goes with being a future Division I player and scouts pointing radar guns at every pitch. In the MSL title game he threw a 7-hit shutout to beat Fremd 5-0.
"It didn't really bother me too much," the even-keeled Carlson said. "If they were behind the backstop I felt prepared."
It also has Carlson ready for a possible call during the major-league draft Tuesday through Thursday.
"It's definitely on my mind but whatever happens, happens," Carlson said. "If I get drafted I'll have to cross that road when I get to it.
"It's definitely what my dream is and what my goal is."
But the "B" honor roll student has another nice option in pitching for Kentucky in the powerful Southeastern Conference.
"I'm really excited about that," Carlson said. "Facing the best hitters in the nation and competing against great pitchers will be a lot of fun."
Lindeman said Carlson, as is the case with most high school pitchers, will need to work on improving his changeup to be more effective.
"He's got a chance to do some good things there (at Kentucky)," Lindeman said. "He needs to recognize he can be good and go out there and try to dominate the game.
"He's done everything he needs to do to this point to reach his high school potential. Now he needs to step up a little further in college and see how far he can go."
Which could be a long way if Carlson can duplicate his progression at Meadows.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>All-Area Teams</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Cook County</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=298406"><B>Softball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298405">Softball captain: Nikki Goranson</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298398"><B>Baseball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298397">Baseball captain: Jon Carlson</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298403"><B>Girls soccer</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298402">Soccer captains: Laura Mayer, Mary Kubiuk</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298401"><B>Boys volleyball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298400">Volleyball captain: Chris Falknor</a></li> </ul> <h2>DuPage County</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=298388"><B>Softball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298392">Softball captain: Hannah Santora</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298388"><B>Baseball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298582">Baseball captain: Jack DeAno</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298391"><B>Girls soccer</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298394">Soccer captain: Leah Fortune</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298390"><B>Boys volleyball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298393">Volleyball captain: Joe Kelly</a></li> </ul> <h2>Fox Valley</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=298676"><B>Softball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298362">Softball captain: Kimberly Pierce</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298660"><B>Baseball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298356">Baseball co-captain: Brian Brauer</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298355">Baseball co-captain: Craig Lipp</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298658"><B>Girls soccer</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298361">Soccer captain: Cori Wronski</a></li> </ul> <h2>Lake County</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=298410"><B>Softball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298408">Softball captain: Olivia Duehr</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298407"><B>Baseball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298396">Baseball captain: Chas Evans</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298404"><B>Girls soccer</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298409">Soccer captain: Courtney Levy</a></li> </ul> <h2>Tri-Cities</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=298385"><B>Softball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298379">Softball captain:Stephanie Becker</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298383"><B>Baseball</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298380">Baseball captain: Matt Milroy</a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298382"><B>Girls soccer</B></a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=298378">Soccer captain: Emily Hinchman</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>