By Steve Nielsen

The Prep Baseball Report recently spoke with Louisville commit Jacob Sparger. Sparger is a 6-foot-5, 180-pound, right-handed pitcher out of Memorial HS in Eau Claire, WI. The Class of 2013 graduate is committed to play for Louisville following his senior season. Sparger’s big fastball and prototypical long limbed pitcher’s frame, raises his ceiling to unlimited heights. Here’s our conversation with Sparger, his thoughts on committing to Louisville and what his future might hold.

PBR: Who is the best player you have faced in your state, and why?

Sparger: The best player that I have faced in my state would have to be Tony Butler from Sun Prairie, WI. He is just an all-around hitter that seems to always make good contact with the ball and he is fast which makes him such a tough out at the plate.       

PBR: What is your No. 1 personal goal for the 2013 season?

Sparger: My No. 1 personal goal for the 2013 season is to just continue my growth as a pitcher and as a baseball player. I am hoping to gain a few miles per hour on my fastball as well as improving control with my off speed pitches.

PBR: What are some team goals that you have for 2013?

Sparger: As a team this year we are looking to be pretty strong, so my No. 1 goal this year as a team is to win our conference and make a run in the postseason.

PBR: What are you looking for out of a college program to continue your baseball career at?

Sparger: Number one I am looking for a school that has a good education, secondly I am looking for a team that will win and that will give me the best chance to make it to Omaha for the College World Series, and last I want to get drafted so I am looking for a program that has a good track record of developing their pitchers and having their pitchers get drafted.

PBR: What is your best attribute as a baseball player and how does that transfer onto the field for your team?

Sparger: My best attribute as a baseball player I would have to say is my baseball knowledge. I have grown up around the game my entire life with my dad being a head high school baseball coach so I know the game really well, and it shows on the field when I am pitching. I always know what the batter is looking to do in situations so I try my best to prevent him from getting his job done; if I do that than it also means that I am getting my job done.

PBR: What do you feel is the biggest adjustment you need to make in taking your game to the next level?

Sparger: Location, locating all of your pitches at the next level is essential because it doesn’t matter how hard you are throwing, at the next level they have the ability to catch up to it and to hit it. But, if you locate your pitches well, then it makes them that much more difficult to hit.

PBR: What do you like about the college you have committed to and why did you choose them?

Sparger: I think the biggest deciding factor for me choosing Louisville was Coach Williams, the pitching coach. Everyone that I talked to told me that he was the best pitching coach in college baseball and he has proven it with how good his pitching staffs are year after year. So I think that was the main deciding factor for me.

PBR: What advice would you give to young baseball players striving to get where you are?

Sparger: I would tell them that with hard work anything is possible. I never thought when I was younger that I would be where I am today, but I worked hard for it and now all that hard work is starting to pay off.

PBR: What do you do in the offseason to keep yourself in baseball shape and prepare for the upcoming season?

Sparger: In the offseason is when I really get after it in the weight room because during the offseason is when you truly get better. I always do a throwing program to try and build arm strength and velocity.

PBR: What is the most memorable moment in your baseball career to this point?

Sparger: The most memorable moment in my baseball career so far would have to be this last fall down in Fort Meyers, Florida for the WWBA Underclass championships. I pitched the very first game there on Friday and I went all 7 innings and we ended up tying 1-1. We ended up winning our pool and making it to the round of 16 against a team from Florida that was very good, and people were saying they were going to win the whole thing. Before the game started, I went up to my coach and told him that if he needed me to close the game out, I could. So the 7^th inning roles around and my coach tells me to go get loose just in case, at this point we had a 7-4 lead. So I’m down there getting loose and then our pitcher gives up a hit and then ends up walking the next 2 guys, having the bases loaded with 1 out. My coach brings me into the game and I ended up striking out the 3 and 4 hitters in their lineup and getting the save for our team so we could advance in the tournament. It was just the biggest adrenaline rush I have ever had, it was a great feeling.