Albano accepts offer to go D-II

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Jacobs graduate Ben Albano would have been happy to attend NCAA Division III Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, to play baseball.

But the competitor in Albano wanted to play against the toughest competition, and a monster senior season allowed Albano to move up. The Golden Eagles’ slugger will attend D-II Lewis University in Romeoville and receive athletic and academic scholarships that will cover half his costs when he starts with the Flyers.

Albano was the Northwest Herald Player of the Year after putting up remarkable numbers of a .533 batting average, 16 home runs and 67 RBIs, all of which put him in the IHSA’s top 20 for a single season in those categories. He also had 127 total bases with 11 doubles and a 1.058 slugging percentage for the 19-16 Eagles.

“It’s awesome,” Albano said. “I wanted to play at the highest level I could. I’m happy to get the opportunity this late.”

Albano originally had planned to attend Luther and play football and baseball. There were some walk-on offers from D-I schools because many schools have exhausted their scholarship money at this point in the recruiting process.

Two weeks ago, former Jacobs coach Eric Sanders, who had lobbied D-I and D-II coaches all spring on Albano’s behalf, got him an invitation to a White Sox Area Code tryout. On the first day of the tryout, Sanders told Lewis coach Tim McDonough that Albano would be there the next day. McDonough saw Albano and offered him a partial scholarship.

“I was going to play football, but I realized my body couldn’t take it anymore,” Albano said. “Now I can focus on one thing. It’s crazy the way things worked out. The Lewis coach lost an outfielder the day before he saw me because he transferred. I wasn’t thrilled about walking on. If I’d have walked on [at a D-I] I wouldn’t have had much opportunity to play.”

Now, Albano will get that and he will be much closer to home.