The PSAC has been one of the top athletic conferences in NCAA Division II for quite some time, especially in baseball. One of those baseball teams just got a little bit better by adding a local standout who has seen success in both baseball and football.

Franklin Regional’s two-sport athlete, Chase Lemke, will be taking his baseball talents to California University of Pennsylvania, as he recently made his commitment to the Vulcans.

“It’s real nice to have it off my shoulders early,” he mentioned. “I can go into my senior year of football without anything to worry about except winning.”

Cal U coaches saw Lemke play this past summer and liked what they saw. After the game, Lemke reached out, and soon found himself on a visit.

When he arrived, he immediately loved the campus and the coaching staff. But those weren’t the only two things that sold him on the school and program.

“They play at the Wild Things Park,” he added. “That also really drew my interest.”

Being a versatile athlete, Lemke had thought about playing both football and baseball in college. He even had Washington & Jefferson College offering him to play both sports, which was intriguing.

Ultimately, it was his love of baseball that drove him to stick with one sport in college.

With his commitment behind him and baseball season over, Lemke has one final football season to focus on with the Panthers. Last year, Lemke threw for 1,175 yard and 13 touchdowns, completing 86 of his 170 passes.

Behind Lemke’s play, the Panthers went 6-2 to start the year. It was a challenging finish to the season, as they dropped their final three games of the year, including a playoff loss to Peters Township.

Fast forward to today, and Lemke and the Panthers are back in action Friday night against arch rival Plum.

“I’m stoked. We are looking pretty good this year,” he noted on his outlook. “Me being a second-year starter, I have settled in and I make all the right decisions and reads. On both sides of the ball, I think we will be pretty dangerous this year.”

Although this is his final year of football, Lemke knows that the sport has been instrumental in his success on the diamond.

“Being a football player has taught me a lot of life lessons,” he divulged. “You go through pain, struggle, tough times. Ultimately you have to fight through that.”

Now that his future in baseball has been settled, his focus is completely on Week Zero. With just a few more Friday night under the lights, Lemke wants to salvage every moment he can before he puts the pads away.

“We’re going to come out firing early,” he added about the matchup against the Mustangs. “We are going to come out playing aggressive football and bring it to them.”