By Mike Penn
Michigan Director of Scouting

Austin Lukaschewski (Bishop Foley HS, 2014) didn't take long to commit to Illinois-Springfield once he received an offer. Lukaschewski is on the smaller side of the height chart but has always had a good arm.  At Pre-Season All-State last February Lukaschewski tipped the radar gun at 87mph.  He comes from an outstanding high school program that has won back-to-back-to-back state titles.

Here is what he had to say on his commitment:

PBR:  Where have you decided to attend college and why did you make this choice?
Lukaschewski: I am committed to play baseball at the university of Illinois-Springfield. I made this choice because they have a brand new staff of tremendous coaches and they also showed a high interest in me.

PBR:  What other schools were you considering?
Lukaschewski: I was considering Ashland, Lake Erie and Wayne State.

PBR:  Was distance from home a factor in your decision?
Lukaschewski: The distance was not a factor in my decision.

PBR:  Where did the coaches first see you?  How did your relationship develop with their coaching staff?
Lukaschewski: Coach Banfield first saw me at a PBR event this past summer. I got a text from him explaining his interest this fall, and I called him a day later and he went over everything with me and said they were ready to make an offer.

PBR:  What role do the coaches expect you to play your first year on campus?
Lukaschewski: The coaches expect me to compete for a job in the rotation or in the back end of the bullpen.
 
PBR:  What is your biggest strength as a player and how do you feel that will help your team?  Lukaschewski: I believe my biggest strength is that I have learned 'how to pitch'. I have phenomenal coaches that have really elevated my game, especially in the last two years.
 
PBR:  Who do you play for in the summer and what was your most memorable experience from this past summer?
Lukaschewski:I played for the South Oakland A's 17U Robinson team. My most memorable moment had to have been when I threw a complete 2-hit game against the Midwest Pelicans and also had the walk off hit.

PBR:  Now that you have your commitment out of the way, what are your goals both individually and for the team as you finish your senior season?
Lukaschewski: My goals for our team this year is to defend our catholic and state title. No doubt, it will be tough to do that, but a lot of sweat and sacrifice can put us in the best position to do that. Also, we want to lead the classes under us and put them in a position to continue what we have going on at Bishop Foley.
 
PBR: Who is the best player that you have played against? Best pitcher you have faced or best hitter you have faced in Michigan?
Lukaschewski: Best player I have went up against would have to be Hector Gutierrez, he was hitting 92mph multiple times on the radar gun.

PBR: Is there anyone you would like to thank or give credit to for your success?
Lukaschewski: I'd first like to thank Coach Penn on giving Illinois-Springfield my information so they could pursue me harder, Id like to especially thank my coaches Buster Sunde, Justin Robinson, David Leffler and Larry Zubrick. They have made and developed me into the player that I am today these past four years.