<p>Jacob Cantleberry’s dream of playing college baseball in the country’s most daunting conference lasted a year.</p><p>In June, the former University of Missouri pitcher began pursuing the ultimate dream — playing in the major leagues. Cantleberry signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers after being selected by the franchise in the 13th round of the MLB draft.</p><p>Cantleberry, a powerful left-hander whose four-seam fastball has been clocked as fast as 94 miles per hour, is coming off a junior season in which he pitched 72 1/3 innings for the Tigers, striking out 97 batters. Against SEC foes, Cantleberry pitched 48 2/3 frames, striking out 63.</p><p>“Being part of an SEC program is going to prepare you. You see all the big leaguers from this conference,” said Cantleberry, a 2016 Center Grove graduate who was twice named The Daily Journal’s Player of the Year. “You can’t expect a baseball season to be perfect, especially in the SEC.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>“But I feel overall it was a good year for me. There are obviously the big crowds and tough environments, but it’s also about being around the best possible baseball players. That automatically makes you a better baseball player.”</p><p>Former Missouri pitchers now playing in the major leagues include Greenfield-Central product Kyle Gibson (Minnesota Twins) and, most notably, three-time Cy Young Award winner and Washington Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer.</p><p>Cantleberry is in Glendale, Arizona, as part of the Arizona League with other Dodgers rookies. He doesn’t know when he’ll pitch as part of a team in the organization due to the high number of innings he threw in helping Mizzou to a 34-22-1 record.</p><p>Unable to simply overpower hitters with his fastball the way he could earlier in his career, Cantleberry has been developing his change-up into an imposing second pitch.</p><p><p class=""yiv0438112509MsoNormal""><span>“It’s a change-up I wouldn’t want to face,” Missouri baseball coach Steve Bieser said during the season. “It just has such late (movement) and a lot of depth to it. I’ve said it before: There’s a lot of big leaguers who wish they could throw that change-up."</span></p><p>Cantleberry currently works daily with trainers and coaches on conditioning and throwing mechanics.</p><p>He played his first two seasons of college baseball at San Jacinto-North Community College just outside of Houston. Cantleberry was named junior college all-America as a freshman after posting an 11-1 record and 1.73 earned run average.</p><p>The southpaw went 12-3 for the Gators as a sophomore, making himself a desired talent for Division I programs. He chose Missouri over scholarship offers from Arizona, Houston and Arizona State.</p><p>Cantleberry was in Indianapolis working out when notified he had been drafted by the Dodgers as the 401st overall pick.</p><p>A lifelong Cleveland Indians fan, Cantleberry, who could have returned to Missouri for his senior season, is now Dodger blue to the core.</p><p>“It was a pretty easy decision. My teammates at Missouri were all excited for me,” Cantleberry said. “I was too, but my family was much more excited. It’s a blessing, honestly. Baseball is a game, but it’s been able to take me everywhere.”</p>
