Jake Malec signed a national letter of intent to play baseball for North Dakota State University on November 23, 2015, during an assembly in the Proctor High School gymnasium.

Malec, a senior, batted .431 in 2015, his junior year. Primarily a catcher, he also pitches (1-2 W-L, 1.73 ERA in 2015) and plays outfield for the Rails. He made his varsity debut in 2012 as an eighth-grader, and he's been in the lineup ever since. He is also a standout athlete in football and hockey for the Rails, and he holds a 3.52 cumulative grade point average.

Malec joins Esko's Nick Emanuel, also from the class of 2016, as NDSU baseball recruits. The Bison roster already includes Hermantown's Kevin Folman, a 2013 HHS graduate.

Malec's .570 on-base percentage for the Rails in 2015 ranks second best in school history, behind Bill Norton's .585 OBP in 1983. Malec is already in the PHS "Top 10" rankings for these career offensive statistics, with one season remaining in his prep career: games played, plate appearances, at bats, runs, hits, triples, stolen bases, walks, hit by pitch, and times on base. He's also in the "Top 10" for total defensive chances and putouts.

His parents are Terri and Jason Malec, both PHS graduates. Jason pitched for UMD and spent two seasons in the minor leagues for the Minnesota Twins farm system. He was a relief pitcher for the Elizabethton Twins in 1984, and split the 1985 season between the Kenosha Twins and Elizabethton. His professional career win-loss record is 4-0 with a 3.20 earned run average in 28 pitching appearances. (Click here for his baseball-reference page.)

Jake Malec is on track to join two known PHS graduates who played NCAA Division I baseball, though ironically both arguably achieved thier highest athletic acclaim in other sports. Both became reknowned educators and coaches.

Ted Downs, PHS class of 1939, played baseball and basketball for the University of Wisconsin. He was a member of the Badgers' 1941 national championship basketball squad. Downs received his B.S. degree from Wisconsin and his Master's degree from NDSU. A long-time teacher, guidance counselor, and coach at Edina High School, Downs was inducted into both the Edina Hall of Fame and the Edina Sports Hall of Fame. He is also enshrined in the Proctor Hall of Fame. Downs died at age 87 in 2009.

Joe Lane, PHS class of 1962, was a pitcher for the University of Minnesota baseball team for two years, including the Gophers' 1964 national championship team. However, he gave up baseball to pursue track-and-field at Minnesota, where he excelled in shot put -- he once tied a then-Gophers outdoor record of 58 feet. Lane went on to a 35-year career as a teacher and coach at Minnetonka High School. Minnetonka's invitational track meet is called the Joe Lane Invitational in his honor. He is enshrined in both the Minnetonka Faculty Hall of Fame and the Minnesota Track Coaches Hall of Fame.