EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE senior pitcher Jake Bockenstedt (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) has signed a free agent deal with the Chicago White Sox.
A Second Team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection, Bockenstedt led the Cougars with 15 starts and five wins as a senior in 2023. He tied for second in the league with 15 starts while his five wins tied for 10th. The right hander was second in the OVC with 88 strikeouts. His 84.2 innings ranked fourth in the league while his opponents' batting average of .250 was fifth in the league. His 5.00 earned run average ranked eighth in the OVC.
"I'm really happy for Jake getting the opportunity to continue on in his baseball career," SIUE Head Coach Sean Lyons said. "It is a stressful couple of days waiting to hear your name in the draft but then to immediately get an opportunity as a free agent sign is really exciting."
In his final regular season start for the Cougars, Bockenstedt pitched a career-high eight innings at Lindenwood to team with Hayden Cooper on SIUE's first-ever combined no-hitter. Bockenstedt struck out eight in the win.
"This is what you dream of as a kid, getting the chance to play," Bockenstedt said. "I'm grateful for the opportunity and I'm going to make the best of it. It's up to me to get where I want to be."
Bockenstedt was selected as the OVC Pitcher of the Week four times during the season marking the most for an SIUE player in a single season. Additionally, he was chosen as one of Collegiate Baseball's National Players of the Week following the no-hitter.
"SIUE played a big part in getting me to where I am at now," Bockenstedt added. "They got me prepared for a moment like this."
For his career, Bockenstedt made 52 appearances and 24 starts for SIUE. Both totals rank 10th in SIUE's Division I history. With 13 career wins, Bockenstedt is tied for third in Division I wins for the Cougars. His 184 total strikeouts and 9.63 strikeouts per nine innings both rank third in the Cougars' Division I history while His 172.2 innings are ninth. Bockenstedt held opponents to a .257 average, which also ranks third. His career ERA of 5.55 is 10th lowest in SIUE's Division I era.
"Jake served so many roles for us from starter to closer," Lyons continued. "He was a huge factor for us over the past three years and I couldn't be happier for him."
Bockenstedt joins Avery Owusu-Asiedu and Brennan Orf, both of whom were drafted, making three members of the 2023 team to advance to professional baseball.
