Travel Baseball Teams in Nebraska

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MLB Players from Nebraska

Baseball Almanac lists twelve active major league players from Nebraska (http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/birthplace.php?order=FinalYear&loc=Nebraska). Among them we find Alex Gordon, Joba Chamberlain, Jake Diekman, and Zack Kroenke.

Alex Gordon

Alex Gordon was born in 1984 in Lincoln. He played in Little League for the Rebels (http://www.kearneyhub.com/sports/local/article_c6d03c7e-cbd8-523a-aee3-4f553ab99803.html).

Gordon was a starter beginning his freshman year at Lincoln Southeast High School. As a junior in 2001, he was selected Male High School Athlete of the Year by the Omaha World-Herald.

Gordon also did a bit of showcase ball in 2001 (https://www.perfectgame.org/Players/Playerprofile.aspx?ID=117253). He continued to win honors during his time in the infield at the University of Nebraska. He was a high first round draft pick in 2005 at age 21. He played briefly for the Wichita Wranglers before he was called up to the majors for the first time in 2007.

Gordon would see a little more time in the minors, playing for teams like the Northwest Arkansas Royals and the Omaha Royals. It's been the Kansas City Royals full-time, though, for a while now.

Gordon recently helped a local Little League team with their dual effort of raising money for the American Cancer Society and attending the Dreams Park National Invitational Tournament (http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110901).

Joba Chamberlain

Pitcher Joba Chamberlain, a member of Nebraska's Winnebago Tribe, was born in 1985 in Lincoln. His father couldn’t walk, but did play ball; the two played a lot of catch.

Chamberlain played for the same Little League as Alex Gordon, his long-time friend. He was an All-Star at twelve, but struggled some in the years after (http://www.kearneyhub.com/sports/local/article_c6d03c7e-cbd8-523a-aee3-4f553ab99803.html). One obstacle was physical: He needed to take off some weight.

Chamberlain made the varsity team his junior year of high school. He began his college baseball career at Division II University of Nebraska-Kearny and then transferred to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. ‘2005 Big 12 Newcomer Pitcher of the Year’ was among the many honors he won as a college player.

He was selected in the 1st round of the 2006 draft. The Trenton Thunder and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre were among the teams he played for during his brief time in the minors.

His debut came in August of 2007 at age 21. One of the first things he did as a major leaguer was take a trip to Disney World. He called up his old high school coach, an elementary P.E. teacher, and asked him to recommend some folks to go with him -- a deserving student with a family who couldn't afford to take a vacation (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/sports/baseball/29yankees.html?_r=0).

Jake Diekman

Pitcher Jake Diekman was born in 1987 in Wymore. He wanted to be a major league player from the time he was a kid, but there were some obstacles (http://beatricedailysun.com/sports/diekman-inks-contract-with-phillies/article_4f406d7a-ab5b-5372-a1e8-4c8619890625.html). There was a point where he attended a school with no baseball team! He did have the opportunity, though, to play for the local American Legion.

Diekman began his college career at Dona College and transferred to Cloud Community College; he thought that there he would have a better chance of placing himself on the radar of Division I universities.

Diekman played in a junior college showcase and a tournament (http://journalstar.com/sports/local/other-sports/a-pitcher-s-journey-from-wymore-to-the-show/). Success! He was a 30th round draft pick in 2007 at age 20.

The Lakewood BlueClaws and LeHigh Valley IronPigs were among his minor league teams. His MLB debut came in 2012.

Learning from the Pros

Tomorrow’s pros are on the field now: challenging themselves, making friends, and becoming more physically fit.

They have some role models in these three. Chamberlain has said, "I'm going to be able to help kids on the reservation. I want them to realize you don't have to be from the best to be one of the best. I want to teach them to live with their head in the clouds and to reach for the stars (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/10/03/joba1008/6.html).”

He also notes, “You’re only a baseball player for so long, but you’re a human being your whole life (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/sports/baseball/29yankees.html?_r=0).”

Travel Baseball Teams in Nebraska

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