Willowbrook’s Chris Roycroft, college teammate of Princeton’s Jeff Wedekind, chases MLB dream with Cardinals

Willowbrook graduate Chris Roycroft pitched to Princeton’s Jett Wedekind at Aurora University in 2018 and 2019, both named Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference All-Conference for the Spartans.

Five years later, Roycroft broke in with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The road from Division III school Aurora to the big leagues was not an easy one, taking Roycroft on a path pitching two seasons for the Joliet Slammers of the independent Frontier League to Busch Stadium.

Roycroft, who signed with the Cardinals as a Minor League free agent in 2022 two days after his 25th birthday, never gave up on chasing his dream.

The 27-year-old born in suburban Dundee has made 14 appearances in relief for the Cardinals.

“Lot of hard work and dedication and failure. Just kind of ups and downs of life really. Believing in yourself and kind of just keep going, day by day,” said Roycroft, who made his MLB debut on May 7, 2024 against the Mets. “There were a few stops along the way I didn’t know if I was every going to make it here, but trusted in the process and things work out the way they’re supposed to.”

There were many times Roycroft almost hung them up, he said.

“Starting my second year of independent ball, I was at the stage, ‘Hey, I’ve got to pay bills.’ I was working a real job 9 to 5 and balancing all of that. I ended up betting on myself and it paid off,” Roycroft said from the Cardinals clubhouse on Wednesday, June 11.

Roycroft pitched two scoreless innings in relief in the 5-2 loss on June 11 to the Blue Jays in interleague play at Busch Stadium. Then he was shipped back to Triple A club at Memphis for the third time this season. He took the same ride seven times in 2024.

“It’s just the role right now that I’m in. You just have to embrace everything you’re given and make the best of your opportunities,” Roycroft said. “That’s kind all you’ve got to do. I don’t focus on too much of that. I just don’t go out there and try to do the best that I can. Stay and try to be a good person. It will even out more times than not.”

Roycroft has a special bond with his mom, Maggie, who each Mother’s Day travels to whereever her son is playing and collects a game ball. It’s been a tradition he said dated back to when he played Little League.

“She’s just always been there. She’s my No. 1 supporter and just always been in my corner. It’s a pretty special bond that we have,” he said.

Wedekind has yet to see his old teammate pitch in the big leagues, but said he told him, “I’ll be the loudest one in the stands yelling at him.”

Both had stellar careers for AU. Wedekind, the 2016 Bureau County Republican Baseball Player of the Year, left as the all-time hits leader with 281 career safeties, batting .323 with 30 homers and 175 RBIs and team-record for games played. Roycroft went 17-3 in 40 appearances, including 19 starts with a 3.33 ERA.

Roycroft said he enjoyed pitching to Wedekind, who was behind the plate in all 26 of his appearances in 2018 and 2019.

“He was solid back there,” Roycroft said. “Didn’t he play seven years in college? You’ve got to have a good understanding of what to do. Yeah, he was great calling my pitches. He’s a character.”

Roycroft wasn’t surprised to see that Wedekind, a 2016 Princeton High School graduate, managed to play seven years of college ball thanks to a redshirt and two extra COVID years granted by the NCAA.

“He’s one of those people that loves the game of baseball and grinded it out. Made sense for him with COVID and everything. Kept getting (extra) years and just kept going,” he said.

Roycroft passed on congratulations to his former battery mate on his recent nuptials and said he was sorry he couldn’t attend the wedding, but baseball called.

“I’m sure he’d understands the circumstances,” Roycroft said.

Wedekind joked that, “Why didn’t the Cardinals get him a helicopter or something to make it?’”