Athletics News

(Photo of Jeremy Macklin, left, by Ron Macklin; Photo of Jacob Kaase, right, by Drew Engelke)

 

SEGUIN, Texas – Former Texas Lutheran baseball players Jacob Kaase and Jeremy Macklin are enjoying current success in the professional ranks.

 

Kaase, a 2007 All-American for TLU, was recently promoted to the Bakersfield Blaze, the Class A-Advanced squad of the Texas Rangers. Kaase, an infielder, is in his third season as a professional in the Rangers’ organization. He was a 23^rd round selection in the 2007 June Draft of Major League Baseball.

 

Last month, Macklin signed a contract with the Big Bend Cowboys of the independent Continental Baseball League. Macklin, a TLU All-American in 2009, is a third baseman for the Cowboys.

 

Macklin, an Austin native, has played in 10 games for the Cowboys since joining the club. He is hitting .378 with 12 runs scored, two doubles, two home runs, 10 RBI, and three stolen bases. He has a slugging percentage of .595 and an on-base percentage of .385.

 

Macklin earned a spot on the 2009 D3baseball.com All-America Second Team as a utility player. Macklin and freshman pitcher Brad Orosey were the 24th and 25th playing All-Americans in TLU baseball history following their 2009 honors. They were the first All-American honorees from TLU since Kaase’s award in 2007.

 

Macklin, TLU’s 2008-09 Male Athlete of the Year, set new Bulldog single-season records for RBI per game (1.63) and hits per game (1.88) and led the Bulldogs to the 2009 ASC West Division title. Macklin starred as the team’s clean-up hitter with offensive numbers that included a .456 average, 67 RBI, 12 home runs, three triples, and 17 doubles. He also stole nine bases in nine attempts.

 

Late in the 2009 season, with TLU in need of another starting pitcher, Macklin stepped into the role. He finished the year with a 6-1 record and a 1.99 ERA. Macklin tossed a complete game to defeat Hardin-Simmons in Abilene as the Bulldogs clinched the ASC West title outright. Macklin struck out 12 and tossed a complete-game, four-hitter in defeating the University of the Ozarks in the ASC Championship Tournament Division Series clincher.

 

Kaase, also an Austin native, started the 2009 season with the Hickory Crawdads, the Rangers’ Class A team in the Southern Atlantic League. He played in 52 games for Hickory before the call-up and hit .259 with 11 doubles, four triples, four home runs and 22 RBI.

 

With Bakersfield in the California League, Kaase is hitting .237 through 10 games and 38 at-bats. On Tuesday, Kaase started at third base, hit a home run, and drove in two in Bakersfield’s 8-7 win over Modesto. He is hitting .333 over his last six games.

 

Kaase is a career .262 hitter over his first three seasons in the professional ranks. In 171 games in the minor leagues, Kaase has 27 doubles, six triples, nine home runs, 14 stolen bases, and 75 RBI.

 

Kaase has played for five different clubs within the Rangers’ organization. He started at the Rookie League level in 2007 and has played Class A-Short Season, Class A, and Class A-Advanced.

 

Kaase was drafted after his junior season at TLU. He finished second in the voting for 2006-07 American Southwest Conference Male Athlete of the Year.

 

Kaase led the TLU baseball team to its third consecutive ASC Championship in 2007 and to a third straight appearance in an NCAA Division III regional tournament. The Bulldogs posted an overall record of 37-10-1 and finished the year ranked 15th in the ABCA/Collegiate Baseball poll for DIII.

 

In 2007, Kaase enjoyed career-bests in nearly every offensive category for TLU. He hit .422 with 56 RBI, 15 doubles, two triples, and four home runs. He had a slugging percentage of .583 and an on-base percentage of .477. Kaase was also one of the top defensive shortstops in the country. He recorded 146 assists, 69 putouts and 15 errors in 230 defensive chances, and he was involved in turning 25 double plays.

 

Kaase was named a 2007 D3baseball.com Honorable Mention All-American and a 2007 ABCA All-West Region Second Team selection for NCAA Division III. Kaase also was a 2006 ABCA All-West Region Second Team choice. He was the ASC West Division Co-Most Valuable Player and was named to the All-Tournament teams at the ASC Championships and the NCAA West Region Championships.