Blake Sabol may be the younger brother of former University of Oregon baseball star, Stefan Sabol, but after committing to USC early in his high school career, Blake Sabol is ready to step out of his brother’s shadow. “I’m just trying to make my own name for myself,” explained the standout catcher. “I’ve always been known as ‘Stefan Sabol’s little brother,’ but now I’ve just been trying to make my own identity, where people are like ‘Wow, that’s Blake Sabol!’”

 

Born on January 7, 1998, Sabol has always been destined for stardom, saying, “I was a batboy for my brother’s team when I was three years old and was five years old when I started playing, so I’ve always been around baseball.”

Sabol’s early start has vaulted him to the top of the 2016 Class with the potential to fulfill his lifelong goal of reaching MLB. “Ever since I was born, I’ve wanted to be a major league baseball player.” the high school Junior said.

Sabol, known for his poise at the plate and his tremendous leadership, has proved time and time again that he should be considered one of the best high school baseball players in the country. This past year, Sabol was named by Rawlings-Perfect Game, as a 2nd Team All-American, further cementing his status among the nation’s elite.

 

Being a highly recruited high school prospect, for many, can be a struggle, but for Sabol, it’s nothing new. “I think it’s been easier for me. My older brother and I work really hard for everything and have been taught to work and make your name for yourself,” Sabol continued, “My older brother would always tell me when I was younger that I was gonna be better than him, so when I was doing well, I found it more appealing to perform in front of scouts. It wasn’t really a big pressure thing for me.”

Having his older brother around has really helped transform Sabol into an elite baseball player: “My older brother, when he goes out to play in the minor leagues, or when he was back at Oregon, would keep in touch with me throughout the season and would find pointers for me. He would let me know what he’s learning from professional coaches, so It’s always good to learn new things and work on my game.”

 

Improving his game is definitely something that Sabol has achieved throughout high school. A key factor in his continuous improvement has been his involvement with his Summer baseball team, CBA Marucci. Joined by players such as Nick Allen and Blake Rutherford, Sabol has been a part of one of the top summer teams in the nation and Sabol made it clear: he was there since day one. “We actually started out as a team called, ‘SoCal Rush,’ and when I was 12 years old, I actually joined that team. The funny thing is that I used to be one of the smallest kids on the team. I didn’t even have a starting spot,” said Sabol.  “We then transformed into AB Bulldogs and kept going until we became CBA Marucci. It was so much fun this past year, finally becoming the number one team in the nation and going to all these tournaments where everyone wanted to beat us. I got to be the #4 hitter in the lineup and I have a lot of pride wearing CBA on my chest.” explained the 6-4, 190 lb, Catcher.

With a great future ahead of him at USC and baseball season upon us, Blake Sabol is definitely someone to keep an eye on in the spectrum of high school baseball. Although he may have a lot to live up to with the success of his brother, Sabol is undoubtedly Making a Name for Himself.