Antioch junior Tegan Schuler always anticipated following in her older sister Jacey’s footsteps in softball.

Tegan Schuler veered in a different direction in seventh grade after she suffered a serious back injury. She switched from the pitching circle, where three-time area player of the year Jacey Schuler excels, to center field.

But on the first day of her official visit over the weekend, Tegan Schuler verbally committed to Michigan State, where she would join her sister.

“I took the offer the moment I got it,” Tegan Schuler said. “I wasn’t surprised by the offer, but I was surprised I took the offer that fast. I thought I would want to think about it.”

Not that anyone in the family objected, according to their father, Jason Schuler.

“It makes me so happy that they can support each other — not just in the game, but also in life,” Jason Schuler said. “It’s special to see their hard work and our family’s love for the sport lead them to achieve so much together. I can’t wait to be able to watch both of my girls play together one more year.”

Jacey Schuler, who led the Spartans with a 3.99 ERA in a team-high 93 innings as a freshman, is happy too.

“It’s hard to even process that we both will be going to the same school,” she said. “It’s something we dreamed of, but we never knew it would come true.”

Already a two-time Class 3A all-state second-team pick, Tegan Schuler has been a standout for Antioch from the get-go. As a freshman in 2024, she started in center as Jacey Schuler led the Sequoits to the 3A state championship game for the second straight season. As a sophomore last spring, Tegan Schuler batted .395 with eight doubles, a triple, five home runs, 31 RBIs and 40 runs scored.

“She works exceptionally hard,” Antioch coach Anthony Rocco said. “She has a lot of similarities with her sister. They both are brutally honest about themselves and don’t sugarcoat anything. She doesn’t get stressed and plays it cool. She’s a polished athlete.”

Antioch’s Tegan Schuler follows through on her swing during a Northern Lake County Conference game at Grayslake North on Friday, May 10, 2024. (Mark Ukena / News-Sun)

Antioch has become a pipeline to the Big Ten. Tegan Schuler’s teammate Claire Schuyler has committed to Minnesota, and former stars Gabby Debevec and Eden Echevarria play at Illinois.

Tegan Schuler might have been on track to pitch in the Big Ten if she hadn’t suffered a pars fracture that sidelined her for more than four months in middle school.

“It was terrible,” she said. “It was honestly the worst four months of my life. I couldn’t do anything. I would just go to school, wear my back brace all day and come home and do nothing.

“I would watch practice. I wanted to be on the field so bad. It was even longer than a four-month recovery. It was maybe a year until I got over it. There are still times, even now, I can still feel it in my back. I get massages. It was more of a mental thing for a long time.”

Advised to stop pitching, Tegan Schuler moved to the outfield.

“Although it was a hard time in my life, I think that happened for a reason and helped me do what’s best for me,” she said. “I can’t wait to play with my sister and get to defend her in the outfield while she’s pitching.”

But first, Tegan Schuler wants to lead the Sequoits to their first state title.

“Part of me wants to be in college and get started now, but we have some really good young players coming in, especially in pitching,” she said. “We have a good shot at going back to state and winning it.”

Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/09/michigan-state-softball-tegan-schuler-antioch/