Perseverance helps Stasiek complete Division I dream.(Sports Extra)(Lake County sports)

0 Comments | Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL), April, 2006

Byline: Joe Aguilar Jonathan Stasiek has been rejected more than a unkempt door-to- door salesman. He may pitch baseballs instead of encyclopedias or steak knives, but he has one tough sell: He throws unorthodox. As a submarine-style thrower, his fingernails almost clip mound soil before he delivers a pitch.

Sure, it can be a dirty job, but someone's got to do it when that someone is desperate to earn a jersey. Another reason Stasiek has always had trouble selling himself as a pitcher: He admittedly wasn't blessed with the same athletic talent as his big brothers Matt, Dan and Tim. "I don't think I was ever as natural athletically as they were," said Stasiek, who like his brothers, graduated from Carmel. "Jon has a pitcher's body (6-foot-3, 175...