Weigel looks East for baseball

Updated: October 25, 2011 6:17PM

Seton Hall has produced at least two notable standouts that went on to long careers in Major League Baseball with Mo Vaughn and Craig Biggio. Oak Park-River Forest senior Zack Weigel has probably not heard of another former Seton Hall star, Chuck “The Rifleman” Connors, who played for the Cubs before becoming a TV star.

Weigel will have plenty of time to learn about Seton Hall lore. OPRF’s left-handed starting pitcher and center fielder verbally committed to the South Orange, N.J. university last week.

Weigel is currently a starting defender for OPRF’s boys soccer team as the top-seeded Huskies played fifth-seeded Hinsdale Central in a Class 3A sectional semifinal Tuesday in Hinsdale.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Weigel was one of the baseball team’s top hitters last season and eventually became an ace of the pitching staff with a 5-2 record. The Huskies (29-9) lost to St. Rita 13-7 in a Class 4A sectional semifinal.

Weigel becomes the second Huskies baseball player to make a Division I commitment after catcher Jack Picchiotti selected Purdue last winter.

Weigel chose Seton Hall over Indiana and Missouri. He took an official visit over the summer just weeks after being seen by a Seton Hall recruiter at the Stevenson Showcase in June.

“It was awesome. I fell in love with it,” Weigel said.

Though he could possibly play both positions in college, Weigel said the Pirates’ current plan is to use him as an outfielder. Seton Hall’s roster is dominated by local New Jersey players. There is currently no player from the Midwest on the Pirates’ 2012 roster.

Weigel’s private hitting instructor, Mark Hayward of Glen Ellyn, also gave Weigel more information about the program through a friend who is an alum of Seton Hall.

Weigel took care of his baseball recruitment during the fall.

“It’s been busy. Usually it’s all about soccer and then I come home and do homework,” Weigel said. “I wanted to definitely know where I was going to go to school before baseball started.”

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