Jacobs’ Paulie Rudolph is a football player through and through.
Rudolph was a jack-of-all-trades for the Golden Eagles through the years, and in the fall, he will continue his career in that sport at Wisconsin-Platteville.
From January through June, though, the senior left fielder turns attention to his hobby, baseball.
“I just come out here with the guys every day,” Rudolph said. “I’ve been playing baseball all my life. I’m still pretty solid at it, so I just want to do the best I can and contribute the best I can to my guys every single day.
“I just want to have fun and enjoy it — senior year.”
Rudolph enjoyed Friday’s 10-5 Fox Valley Conference win over Dundee-Crown in Carpentersville. The Chargers were up 3-1 with two outs in the fourth inning before the Golden Eagles rallied.
Of course, Rudolph was in the middle of a five-run rally for Jacobs (13-4, 5-3). The Golden Eagles’ leadoff hitter cracked a two-run double and scored during that inning.
“Honestly, I thought we were kind of dead in the dugout,” Rudolph said. “It was 3-1, but we needed a spark. I just went up there with a calm approach like I have all year.
“It was a 2-0 fastball, which is something I always love. I just wanted to get a good hit for my guys, and I thought that was the way to get guys going.”
Dundee-Crown’s Jared Russell (14) tries to tag Jacobs’ Paulie Rudolph (15) at second base during the sixth inning of a Fox Valley Conference game in Carpentersville on Friday, April 19, 2024. (Brian O’Mahoney / The Beacon-News)
Dundee-Crown (2-18, 0-9) drew four walks in the bottom of the sixth and all four came around to score to cut the lead to 8-5, but the Chargers were unable to complete the comeback.
“It’s no accident they’re ranked where they are,” Dundee-Crown coach Patrick Conlin said. “They’re a great team. They have good arms. They have bats up and down the lineup. And they’re well-coached.
“I’m proud of the way our guys fought. My hope is that they take that with them.”
Jamie Murray, along with most coaches at Jacobs, is a big proponent of multisport athletes. He particularly likes having football players on the team.
“They bring that edge, that toughness,” Murray said. “They don’t care about the weather.”
Murray knows he can’t have Rudolph around all year, but he maximizes his time.
Jacobs’ Mark Takasaki (7) looks to bunt against Dundee-Crown during the seventh inning of a Fox Valley Conference game in Carpentersville on Friday, April 19, 2024. (Brian O’Mahoney / The Beacon-News)
“He starts hitting in January,” Murray said. “He’s always around the program. The guys are really close. Even last year in that sectional game here, he had his head shaved for football.
“He couldn’t wait for camp. He said, ‘Coach, I’ll give you everything I have. Let’s win the state championship.’ That’s just how he is.”
Rudolph enjoys bringing the football attitude to a different sport.
“Of course, I’m a football guy, but I always love to bring the football intensity to baseball,” Rudolph said. “Murray expresses all the time that he loves football guys. I love it too.
“I bring a different mentality to baseball.”
Jacobs’ Paulie Rudolph (15) plays in the field against Dundee-Crown during the fifth inning of a Fox Valley Conference game in Carpentersville on Friday, April 19, 2024. (Brian O’Mahoney / The Beacon-News)
Rudolph is just a natural athlete with natural power. Murray said his teammates still talk about when Rudolph was 12 and he hit in the vicinity of 40 homers.
Getting back into the sport after a long hiatus has never been a problem.
“Honestly, I’m pretty quick, maybe a couple games,” Rudolph said. “First week, it takes me a little bit to get the timing back, but I’m pretty good throughout the season.”
Allowing athletes like Rudolph to follow their passion but still contribute in other sports is a culture that permeates through the halls at Jacobs.
“We’re big in our school about multiple sports,” Murray said. “If a kid loves football or another sport first, empower him and let him go there. Know that when you can be here for us from March to June, that’s perfect.
“He brings that element.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
