In the ten games he started this season, Northwestern quarterback Jack Lausch took a beating.
The grind on the gridiron through a college football season is no small task. From enduring hits from the fiercest defensive linemen the Big Ten has to offer to explosive tackles while stretching for the first down marker on a scramble, Lausch has seen his fair share of bruises.
But come springtime, as a new season glimmers on the horizon, Lausch won’t have to worry about taking any more proverbial punches.
Well, unless you count pitches too close to the belt.
Coach Ben Greenspan announced Lausch as an outfielder on the NU baseball squad for the 2025 season via a press release Monday. Lausch will remain on the Wildcats football team and plans to continue practicing with the group through spring.
“Jack is an elite athlete with a high-level skillset and has an opportunity to make an immediate impact,” Greenspan said in the release. “His leadership qualities and character attributes are exactly what we look for in players, and we are thrilled to have Jack as part of our program.”
The Chicago native, who started all but two games this football season as NU’s signal caller, threw for 1714 yards and seven touchdowns while tossing eight interceptions. Lausch also rushed for 213 yards and two scores.
This spring, the tight spirals will be crow hops from the outfield. The scrambles for first downs will be sprints to first base.
A three-sport athlete at Brother Rice High School, Lausch was the No. 23-ranked outfielder in the 2022 class and a top-250 MLB prospect. He received offers from baseball blue-bloods such as Vanderbilt, Texas and Notre Dame.
“The best practice for the fourth quarter of a football game is hitting with two outs in the seventh inning with guys on base,” Lausch told The Daily last fall. “Just being in a competitive atmosphere helps you be a better player, regardless of the sport.”
Lausch’s monumental senior season yielded 2022 Chicago Catholic League Baseball Player of the Year honors. He hit .386, mashing five home runs and batting in 43 runs on top of stealing 33 bases in his senior season.
The signature moment of Lausch’s high school career, which caused his phone to ring off the hook with calls from scouts and recruiters, came in a tournament against the best high school team in the country. Knotted up 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth, Lausch smashed a walk-off home run. His teammates mobbed him at home plate as Brother Rice took down No. 1 IMG Academy 7-5.
While Lausch committed to Notre Dame for baseball in June 2021, he found a true passion for playing football and drew the attention of former NU head coach Pat Fitzgerald. He flipped his commitment in December 2021 and has been a ’Cat since.
Lausch is NU’s first baseball-football dual-sport athlete since Dan Kubiuk played for both programs in 2015-16.
The ’Cats kick off their baseball season on Friday, Feb. 14, when they travel to Long Beach, California, to take on Long Beach State in a weekend series.
Jake Epstein contributed reporting.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly named Jack Lausch’s high school. He attended Brother Rice High School. The Daily regrets this error.
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