Air Force 'A Breath Of Fresh Air' For Schlimm

CINCINNATI - Once a commitment with Ohio State fell through, Luke Schlimm had a lot of decisions to make.

“I finished out that summer season, there was one last tournament,” the LaSalle senior reflected. “After that I trained in the fall, I didn’t play at all. Then I had to start applying to schools as a student. With research and what I wanted to do from a career standpoint, I realized that a service academy might be a good fit.”

Air Force and Navy became the focal point for the 16th-rated 2022 left-handed pitcher in Ohio.

“I didn’t think I could go wrong either way,” related Schlimm, who credited Steve Chabot, a member of the House of Representatives, with nominating him to both academies.

Visits to each took place and then baseball entered the picture.

“The Air Force called and said we’d love to have you play for us if you get in as a student,” Schlimm explained. “They got video from my 2020 season and really liked my breaking ball and movement on my fastball. I also think they’re short on left-handed pitching.

“They called a week later and wanted to offer and have me on an official visit. I did that in early January, but I didn’t really know what to expect. I had more familiarity with the Naval Academy being from Maryland, but when I flew to Colorado Springs I absolutely loved it. They offer a very unique experience.

“After that I visited Navy. They learned I got nominated and that I was getting recruited by Air Force. I’d been to Navy plenty of times, but it was cool to go behind the scenes..

“It was a really hard decision,” Schlimm added. “I could go back near home and family but ultimately I chose Air Force.”

The baseball program played a role in making the choice.

“The head coach is really passionate about his job,” Schlimm said. “He pushes his guys, not just for baseball but with school. He always talked like baseball was the best team on campus and he wants you to lead like that. He’ll push me to get better.”

That connection made Air Force the fit Schlimm was looking for at the next level.

“It’s a great baseball team, a great conference and It’s the Air Force,” the 6-0 190-pounder said.

It brought a close to a difficult recruitment that included a commitment to Ohio State back in the summer of 2020 and then a decommitment one year later.

“I had a rough last season and my offer was pretty much pulled,” Schlimm explained. “I had Covid and I busted my ankle before the high school season. I had to jump in unprepared but I got hurt again and only played 10 innings the entire spring.

“Then I had a good, but not great summer season. My velo and offspeed was not as good as it was in 2020. They watched me in July in Georgia and called and said they didn’t think I could make an impact with the guys they had coming in and the guys that they have coming back after Covid.

“That hurt, but I understood and I appreciated them telling me now instead of later and then having to transfer. They didn’t want to lead me into thinking I’d be playing right away. The conversation was fine, there were no hard feelings.”

Getting back into the recruiting process was surprisingly not so difficult.

“There’s not a ton I actively did,” Schlimm admitted. “There were a handful of schools reaching out but none I was interested in.

“With or without baseball my mindset was that if I got into Air Force or Navy it would be a good opportunity, even if baseball didn’t reach out to me.”

Fortunately, playing at the next level is now in the picture.

“It feels like I’m back in the game,” Schlimm happily expressed. “In October/November I thought there was a chance I might be done. This opportunity is a breath of fresh air. I’m excited to see how far I can take it.”

A 4.7 student on pace to be the valedictorian at LaSalle, the 18-year-old looks forward to a future at Air Force with the upcoming high school baseball season not in the cards.

“I can’t play this spring because I reclassified when I moved from Maryland,” Schlimm explained. “So right now it’s just school and training. I’m 100 percent healthy from an injury standpoint, I’m throwing six days a week.

“It will definitely be challenging when I get there from a military aspect, getting up every day and doing basic training. Six weeks of boot camp will be a challenge and the academics will be difficult. I’ll just have to adjust to that.”