Picture Credit: Green Bay Press-Gazette
SHEBOYGAN, Wis.–
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with Sheboygan South pitching ace Jared Reklaitis. He has been a dominant force throughout his high school career for the Redwings. Reklaitis has pitched 93.2 innings with a 9-3 record and a 1.64 earned run average in his time at South. Last month Reklaitis signed his National Letter of Intent to play baseball at UW-Milwaukee.
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Trent Keitel (Contributor to Wisconsin Baseball Central): What was the recruiting process like for you?
Jared Reklaitis: It was a lot of fun. It was exciting getting calls, letters, and emails from coaches interested in me. It was cool to know that so many schools wanted me to come to their school to play in their baseball program. The most exciting part came towards the end of last summer when I started going on visits and narrowing down my choices.
TK: Talk about your experience playing for the Appleton Panthers this past summer? How was playing for the Panthers helpful for you in being recruited?
JR: It was great experience for me and I can’t thank Rick Cavaiani, Korey Krueger and my coach, Bruce Erickson enough for everything they did for me. Before this past summer, I had received interest from colleges, but they were mostly local D3 schools. The exposure I gained from playing with the Panthers led to the opportunity to play at UW-Milwaukee. I made a lot of friends, played some fantastic competition and had a ton of fun doing it.
TK: You played in front of many college coaches this past summer while playing for the Appleton Panthers, what was that like?
JR: I knew they were there watching and knowing they were there really helped me to focus on pitching my best every time I went out there. Craig Kloes and Will Madson, my high school coaches, gave me some big game starts which I think helped me to handle the pressure of pitching in front of college coaches.
TK: What did you like about UW-Milwaukee’s campus and the baseball program that helped solidify your decision to go there?
JR: On my first visit, I was very impressed with the campus. I really had no idea what to expect and I knew I didn’t want to go to a school that was too massive or small. UWM was the perfect mix between the two; good sized school but everything is in one area. As far as the baseball program, I first talked with Coach Bigler, the head assistant/pitching coach, and I really liked him. He’s a great guy and I can’t wait to work and learn from him! After speaking with Coach Doffek, I knew that UWM was the right fit for me. Continued success in the baseball program is something I want to be a part of.
TK: While making your decision, did you want to go to an in-state school? Did you feel your options were limited since UW-Milwaukee is the only Division 1 baseball program in the state?
JR: No, I don’t think I felt limited at all. I had considered out-of-state offers but the opportunity to play D1 baseball near my hometown was a huge factor in my final decision.
TK: You play in a tough Fox River Classic Conference (FRCC) with the likes of Bay Port, De Pere, and Green Bay Preble. What are your expectations for yourself and Sheboygan South baseball in the upcoming 2015 spring season?
JR: There’s a ton of talent in our conference this year and it certainly will be fun to see how it all plays out. Bay Port always seems to be the team to beat and will be the conference favorite again with several D1 commits on their roster. Every team in our conference could do some damage this year. Our team lost a few senior leaders from last year that were a big part of our success but we hope to fill those spots with the returning varsity players and some new guys coming up from JV. I’m looking forward to the season and competing with my teammates.
Personal:
TK: What is your favorite sports movie and why?
JR: Little Big League. My brother and I have probably watched that movie about 100 times in our lives and we can each quote just about the whole movie.
All Wisconsin Athletics 
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