Jack Lausch is headed to the MLB after playing football and baseball at Northwestern.
It has been a historic year for Northwestern athletes turning pro, and the Wildcats have shattered several lengthy droughts in the process.
In April, left tackle Caleb Tiernan (Minnesota Vikings) and right guard Evan Beerntsen (Baltimore Ravens) were both selected in the NFL Draft, marking the first time since 2023 that a Wildcat was picked. Two months later, the Los Angeles Clippers drafted forward Nick Martinelli, the second consecutive NBA Draft to feature a Northwestern player. Prior to Brooks Barnhizer's (Oklahoma City Thunder) selection last summer, the last 'Cat to be drafted into the NBA was Evan Eschmeyer in 1999.
Now, a pair of athletes are heading from Evanston to Major League Baseball. After junior shortstop Ryan Kucherak was picked during Sunday's 15th round by the San Diego Padres, the Cincinnati Reds drafted senior outfielder Jack Lausch in the 17th round.
Lausch, the No. 512 overall pick, was a dual-sport athlete at Northwestern. The Chicago native was originally committed to Notre Dame as a top-100 baseball prospect in the Class of 2022 before earning a scholarship offer to play football at Northwestern. He flipped to the Wildcats, putting his baseball dreams aside to line up under center as NU's quarterback.
After receiving limited action as primarily a running quarterback, Lausch finally got a full-time opportunity as a redshirt sophomore in 2024. He started Northwestern's final 10 games, completing 53.7% of his passes for 1,714 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions. Lausch also ran for 213 yards with two touchdowns on the ground.
Nov 2, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Northwestern Wildcats quarterback Jack Lausch (12) throws a pass during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn ImagesLausch returned to the diamond the following spring as he attempted to balance both the Wildcats' baseball season and a quarterback position battle with transfer Preston Stone simultaneously. It took Lausch some time to find his groove in a sport he hadn't played since high school, and he hit .268 while starting 43 games.
However, the 2026 season showed exactly why Lausch was such a highly-ranked prospect several years ago. The outfielder emerged after stepping away from the football team to focus on baseball, hitting a team-best .312 with an OPS of 1.047. Lausch showed off his power with 16 homers, drove in 41 runs and stretched out three triples. Each of those led the Wildcats this spring.
Lausch now heads to Cincinnati, which currently sits last in the NL Central with a 43-52 record.
Kucherak and Lausch are the first pair of Northwestern teammates to be drafted to the MLB since 2021, when catcher Michael Trautwein (Cincinnati Reds, Round 13), pitcher Tyler Uberstine (Boston Red Sox, Round 19) and shortstop Shawn Goosenberg (Chicago White Sox, Round 19) were all picked.
