Max Siedlecki’s future on the pitching mound was uncertain as recently as this time last year.
After pitching at St. Louis Community College and Oakton Community College, the 2012 Evanston graduate took a hiatus from baseball and didn’t pitch in the spring of 2015 so he could get his priorities and academics in order, and remain eligible.
During the year away from baseball, Siedlecki was a full-time student at Oakton and worked the graveyard shift at an electronics warehouse.
Siedlecki, though, got wind that Mike Marshall — a Libertyville native and two-time World Series champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981 and 1988 — was in the Chicago area scouting for New Mexico Highlands. Marshall is the associate head coach for the Division II program.
“Mike Marshall, the infield coach for (New Mexico Highlands) was scouting in the area and said he would stop by Oakton and let me pitch to him during a BP session,” Siedlecki said. “After that session, he said they were interested, wanted me to go to school there. I was thinking to myself, ‘Is this really what I want to do?’ My goal is to get a degree in physical education, and I had to take that into consideration.”
Marshall relayed his experience and a video of Siedlecki pitching to New Mexico Highlands coach Shannon Hunt, who not only liked what he saw on tape, but also liked how Siedlecki would be able to help out the Cowboys immediately. New Mexico Highlands didn’t have much pitching depth.
“We had a plan for (Marshall) to hit all the jucos in that neighborhood,” Hunt said. “The Oakton coach (Bill Fratto) was coaching the Frontier League in Schaumburg, he told me Max was sitting out for a year for whatever reason. He said he threw a lot of strikes and is able get the ball down. … We typically like to see guys early, middle and late, but we were against the clock trying to get the roster in shape. Max had the bones, looked pretty good at everything. … To Max’s credit he was out of shape, arm-wise and body-wise in the video I saw of him.”
In his first season at New Mexico Highlands, which is a hitter’s paradise because it is about 6,400 feet above sea level, Siedlecki posted a 7.42 ERA and an 0-6 record in 43 2/3 innings. Siedlecki and his coaches agreed going into the season cold and out of shape wasn’t the best recipe for success, so this summer Siedlecki is playing summer ball for the Northwest Indiana Oilmen of the Midwest Collegiate League.
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Siedlecki was named to the MCL All-Star Game after posting a 2.73 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP after pitching 33 innings in relief. The right-hander had to sell himself to get on the Oilmen, and manager Adam Enright said he was glad he bought Siedlecki’s pitch.
“One thing Max has done is be a competitor,” Enright said. “He’s always finding ways to get better, get out of trouble. He never unravels, still stays competitive.”
With a few more outings to go before the summer season ends, Siedlecki wants to continue his success on the mound, and bring momentum along with him when he returns to New Mexico Highlands in the fall.
“I want to go out with a bang, and give myself the opportunity to play overseas or maybe join an independent league after college,” Siedlecki said.
Ben Ross is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @renboss23