Midwest Future Games Spotlight: H-F's Jeremy Orbik and Jesse Forestell
July 21, 2013
By Sean Duncan
Executive Director
In the hyper-competitive south suburbs of Chicago, Homewood-Flossmoor HS has often gotten overlooked in baseball.
That is, until now.
The Vikings have an influx of extremely talented underclassmen coming up the ranks, including two Class of 2015 prospects who have been selected to represent Team Illinois in the Midwest Future Games on August 2-4 at Indiana University.
With the likes of RHP Jeremy Orbik and C Jesse Forestell, along with several other promising prospects, Homewood-Flossmoor should become a recruiting hotspot in the coming years.
The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Orbik is a high-ceiling prospect, one who features long limbs and a quick, athletic arm. Ranked No. 6 in Illinois’ 2015 class and No. 23 overall, Orbik works in the 85-87 mph range, climbing as high as 89. His curveball has shown potential to be a legitimate swing-and-miss pitch as well. As a sophomore, Orbik established himself as the team’s ace. With his projectable frame and arm quickness, Orbik should continue to add velocity as he physically matures.
While Orbik has been a known prospect since he emerged at the Underclass Invitational as a freshman, Forestell has been a more recent revelation. Word slowly began to leak out about the 6-foot, 180-pound left-handed hitting catcher in the spring. As a sophomore, Forestell established himself as a middle-of-the-lineup run-producer. He has an advanced plate approach, one that is simple, quiet and compact, resulting in consistent hard contact. Defensively, Forestell registered a top pop time of 1.97 at the Midwest Future Games Tryout in late June.
In addition to Orbik and Forestell, Homewood-Flossmoor also has 2016 catcher Bryce Gray coming up the ranks. The 5-foot-10 Gray is currently ranked No. 12 in Illinois’ 2016 class. Malcolm Grady, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound 2015 right-hander, is also a highly projectable prospect who’s currently ranked No. 52 in his class. And LHP Michael Shereyk, a strong-bodied 6-foot, 205-pounder, recently showed well at the PBR Class of 2015 Showcase in July.
Orbik and Forestell will be competing against the top 2015 prospects from eight states at the third-annual Midwest Future Games.
CLICK HERE to view complete Midwest Future Games rosters and schedule.