Pontiac Notre Dame Prep senior pitcher Luke Shilling has been performing in the spotlight all season. Now, he has been rewarded with being named the Gatorade Player of the Year for baseball in Michigan.
The annual award has been given out for over 30 years by Gatorade and USA Today, honoring the best athletes in each state and, eventually, the entire country in every sport.
Not having been a pitcher since he was playing for 12-and-under teams, Shilling returned to the position for his senior season after he was able to throw 95 miles per hour in the offseason at a prospect workout in Chicago.
So far this spring, Shilling has had impressive numbers as Notre Dame Prep prepares to start the Division 2 state tournament on Saturday. Shilling has a 7-1 record with a 0.70 ERA in 49.2 innings pitched. He only has had 5 earned runs allowed and has given up just 11 total hits with 104 strikeouts. His opponents have a batting average of .073 against him.
At the plate, he is batting .400 with 6 home runs, 8 doubles and 23 RBI so far. He now spends time playing first base when not pitching.
Despite his recent move to the position, he has accepted an offer from Illinois to pitch but has gotten interest from the entire Major League Baseball landscape. Shilling has gotten in-home visits from the Texas Rangers, Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres and New York Mets.
"It's just crazy that 10 months ago, nobody even knew who Luke Shilling was," Shilling said. "Now, all of the sudden, it's kind of blown up on me pretty quick here. It's exciting. It's good for my family and it's good for representing my school. Getting some recognition is always nice as well. It's just been a blessing." (MLive.com, May 28, 2015)