Blake Albers was considering Kishwaukee College for his academic studies, but when Albers began receiving phone calls from coaches on the Kishwaukee baseball program staff, the Rochelle senior graduate knew he had found his new home.

The three-sport athlete was part of Rochelle’s Signing Day Ceremony this past month, when Albers signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his baseball career with the Kougars. Albers hit three home runs for the Hubs this season, helping the purple and white finish 14-8 and earn their first conference title since 2006.

“I was already on the verge of choosing Kishwaukee, then the baseball coaches called me,” Albers said. “It just solidified the deal. I’m looking forward to gaining a better understanding of the game I love and to hopefully expand on the game.”

Albers will be taking general education courses at Kishwaukee, and he said he’ll be looking to take more history courses since he’s enjoyed learning history for many years. Albers spent three seasons with the Rochelle baseball program, and he played four years of both football and basketball with the Hubs.

“I think I’ll bring some power to the plate and hopefully I can be a solid first baseman,” Albers said. “I feel like once I make contact with the ball, my power helps me. But I feel that I can improve on everything.”

Albers played baseball for Rochelle over his first two years of high school before missing his junior season to rehab an injury he suffered playing football. His return this year provided a big boost to the Rochelle offense, and his defense proved valuable for the Hubs, who finished 9-3 in conference play this year.

“I’m going to try and improve on everything this summer and the years I’m at Kishwaukee,” Albers said. “I want to improve as much as I can and continue to play the game I love.”