The 2026 college baseball season is just beginning and Northwestern center fielder Jack Lausch has already earned his first honor of the year.
Lausch, a 2022 Brother Rice graduate, received the Paul Stevens Lifetime Teammate Award from the Wildcats’ baseball program. As a result, Lausch will wear No. 13 this spring, commemorating the life of Will Trautwein, son of former NU baseball player John Trautwein and brother of former Wildcat Michael Trautwein.
The award is presented annually to the Northwestern baseball senior who best embodies the spirit of a life teammate: a leader on the field, in the locker room and in the community, as voted by the other players on the roster.
“This is pretty cool to be voted on by my teammates and having only been there for a year with the (baseball) program,” said Lausch, who threw for 1,714 yards and nine touchdowns in 10 starts at quarterback for NU as a redshirt sophomore in 2024. Lausch is the first athlete to play football and baseball for the Wildcats since 2016.
“It means I’m doing something right there and I’m treating people the right way. Being voted (the award) by my guys is the best feeling in the world. I really appreciate it and I’m really happy about it. (Wearing No. 13) has a really cool and special meaning behind it. That’ll be really fun to represent that every time I step out there.”
Last spring in his first season on the diamond for NU, Lausch hit .268 with five stolen bases, nine doubles and six home runs. Lausch’s .795 OPS was fourth on the team.
“This season is going to be awesome,” Lausch said. “Obviously, this was the first year in my life I haven’t played football in the fall, so I’ve been itching to get out there and compete for a while now.
“We’ve got a really good squad with a lot of really good players and really good teammates, so I’m really excited about it. It should be a special year for us. We’re ready to get out there and I couldn’t be more excited.”
In all, Lausch is happy with his decision to focus solely on baseball.
“It hasn’t been the most straight trajectory coming here and just playing football and then joining the baseball team in my third year,” Lausch said. “(But) there’s no better group of people and group of coaches that I could have done this with. I say all that because it’s been a great experience.
“For the first time in my life to just be a baseball player, this is the perfect place to do that. I’ve met great people and am continuing to build great relationships with those people. Hopefully, we can cap it off with a really successful year for us as a team, which is the goal.”