Illinois right-handed starting pitcher Jack Crowder was selected during day two of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

July 15, 2024

Illinois ‘Big Ticket’ is now headed to the Baltimore Orioles organization to begin his professional baseball career.

Jack Crowder, a three-year starting pitcher with the Illini, was selected in the ninth round with the 279th overall pick by the Orioles on Monday afternoon during day two of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft.

The 6-foot-4 and 225-pound right-hander capped a roller coaster ride of a four-year career in Champaign with what was certainly his best season this past spring as the highly recruited Romeoville, Ill., native went 7-2 over 16 starts with a 4.88 earned run average by striking out 80 batters over 90 ⅓ innings of work in the 2024 campaign. Crowder used his final outing with the Illini to showcase his best stuff on a national stage as he worked career-high eight innings of work where his only big mistake was a solo home run in the fourth inning in a 4-1 victory over Indiana State in the opening game of the 2024 NCAA Lexington Regional. The victory, which was in Crowder’s 32nd career start at Illinois, gave the Illini program its first NCAA regional victory since 2015 in an exceptional 106-pitch effort.

Crowder, who currently works with a three-pitch mix of a four-seam fastball touching 92-95 miles per hour but also a slider and a cutter at 87-89 miles per hour, became the sixth Illini pitcher to be selected in an MLB draft since 2021 and the fourth consecutive Friday night starting pitcher to hear his name called by a professional organization.

Crowder, who will turn 22 years old on July 25, was the 85th right-handed collegiate pitcher selected in this draft and was taken by Baltimore with an MLB suggested signing bonus slot value of $189,000. With Crowder being a fourth-year senior with no eligibility remaining, it is currently unknown whether Crowder and his representation negotiated a deal at a higher or lower signing bonus than the slot value as the Orioles have a salary pool of $10,920,900 to spend on its Top 10 round picks before being severely taxed according to MLB rules.

After Crowder recorded his 24th out of the game against Indiana State in Kentucky’s Proud Park on his 106th pitch on a May 31st evening, the Illini ace went straight for the head coach who Dan Hartleb has admitted has butted heads with on more than one occasion through the highly touted prospect’s four years in Champaign.

“I went up, gave him a hug after the eighth inning, he said, you're not letting me go back out there, are you? I said no way,” Hartleb said with a smile. “He was locked in. Just an unbelievably efficient performance.”

Crowder’s historic afternoon marks the last three notable starting pitchers in the Illini weekend pitching rotation being selected in the Top 10 rounds of an MLB draft as in 2023, Jack Wenninger went in the sixth round to the New York Mets and Riley Gowens went in the ninth round to the Atlanta Braves.

Crowder’s road from being one of the most projectable high school arms in the state of the Illinois to being removed from the weekend rotation due to poor performance and finally reviving his status as a Friday night ace in 2024 has included several high and low moments.

“His first couple of years, didn't get in very good shape and he would break down during the year. And then he would lose his focus,” Hartleb, who first made his career at Illinois as the pitching coach to legendary Illini head coach Robert ‘Itch’ Jones, said Friday night. “And last year, he would be in situations, he'd pitch two or three innings and all of a sudden blow up. It was a focus thing. 100 percent a focus.”

After losing 25 pounds this past summer and seeing his physical conditioning improve, Crowder also figured out the ability to maintain his velocity after nearly 100 pitches - something he’s never accomplished as a teenager or college pitcher.

“Jack has done a really good job getting in shape and making adjustments and maturing. It's part of growing up, not only off the field but on the field, that maturity,” Hartleb said. “I am so proud of him when you consider where he's gotten to and just the focus (on Friday night against Indiana State) was there all night.”

Baltimore has a Florida Complex League affiliate team for rookies in Sarasota, Florida but it is also possible that Crowder could start his professional career for the Orioles franchise with the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds of the Carolina League in Salisbury, Maryland.

The final 10 rounds of the 2024 MLB Draft will conclude on Tuesday afternoon. If another Illini player is selected, it will mark the sixth of seven consecutive drafts where multiple players off an Illinois roster were picked and will be the 21st player picked since 2018.