Tinley Park’s Stulga to be Part of Exciting Freshman Baseball Class at ISU

Image courtesy of St. Laurence High School Athletics

NORMAL, Ill. – National signing day recently passed across the country for college sports teams, officially welcoming new athletes to college programs for the next school year. The Illinois State baseball welcomed plenty of new recruits that will officially be joining their program next fall. One of those new players was an outfielder named Luke Stulga.

Stulga is a native of Tinley Park, Illinois and he plays baseball at St. Laurence High School where he is currently in his senior year. The St. Laurence Vikings of Burbank, Illinois play in the ever-so-tough Chicago Catholic League conference, where they along with others in the conference are considered Illinois high school sports powerhouses.

Stulga has enjoyed an impressive career at St. Laurence, where he has been a varsity starter since his sophomore year. Since Stulga joined the program, he and his teammates have won 3rd place in the state along with a sectional championship and multiple regional championships.

“My coaches at St. Laurence were huge for my baseball career,” said Stulga. “If it weren’t for the program they run over there, I don’t think I would be the same player I am today.”

Stulga looks to join an ISU program that continues to get younger. After losing experienced veterans the past couple of years, ISU will look to revamp their offense through strong recruiting classes. Head Coach Steve Holm is trying to return his program back to a Missouri Valley Conference playoff contender like it once was.

Stulga said a lot of schools reached out to him, but he felt much more wanted by the ISU program.

“When ISU reached out,” Stulga said, “I could tell they really wanted me just by the way they were talking.”

Stulga also talked about how ISU is getting a player that will work on the field, in the classroom, and in the weight room.

“Looking at myself as a player and student, one of my favorite things to do is put in hard work,” said Stulga. “I still have a lot of work to do not only this season but also at ISU, I still think I have yet to achieve my full potential.”

Stulga discussed how special signing day was with his family, teammates and coaches in attendance. He specifically talked about the impact on him that his family was able to be there.

“The coolest part about signing day was just seeing the look on my parent’s face,” said Stulga. “It’s such a great feeling when you put so much work into something and you can tell your parents are proud of you.”

Stulga plans on majoring in business when he gets on the campus of ISU in the fall.

It will not be until Spring 2024 that we see Stulga on the field for the Redbirds, but he seems more than ready to get on campus. The Redbirds season kicks off in late February.