Lincoln-Way West’s Conor Essenburg took a Monday night flight to Phoenix, where he participated in the MLB draft combine from Tuesday to Wednesday.

But before he headed to the airport, however, Essenburg spent the day helping at the Warriors’ youth camp. Not to mention signing plenty of autographs and posing for even more photographs.

Essenburg, a senior outfielder/pitcher, has embraced his local celebrity status.

“It was awesome,” Essenburg said. “I had tons of little kids coming up to me. Just being able to do that kind of stuff is super cool to give back to the community. I used to be that kid that used to follow players around and try to get their pictures and autographs.

“It makes my day every single time.”

There’s a good reason why Essenburg’s attention is highly sought by youngsters. The Kentucky recruit just completed a prolific career as a two-way star for the Lincoln-Way West.

Essenburg capped it with his best season yet. The 2025 Daily Southtown Baseball Player of the Year batted .464 with 42 runs, 19 stolen bases 11 doubles, 10 homers and 49 RBIs. On the mound, he finished 5-0 with a 0.94 ERA and a whopping 94 strikeouts in 44 2/3innings.

Essenburg also was named the SouthWest Suburban Conference’s player of the year and earned all-state honors.

But his recognition didn’t stop there. The American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings named him an All-American. He’s one of four players from Illinois and the only one from the Southland to gain that honor.

None of that comes as a surprise to Essenburg’s teammates like junior outfielder Carson Paulas.“It’s so much fun watching Conor play,” Paulas said. “He’s such a great hitter and pitcher and just does everything well. He works really hard.”

As impressive as Essenburg’s numbers were, Lincoln-Way West coach Jake Zajc has been equally proud of his growth off the field.

Essenburg has developed a bit of a reputation for being short-tempered. In the past, he wasn’t necessarily the best leader. But this season was different.

“Over his four years at Lincoln-Way West, he’s obviously improved on the field, but he’s made a lot of vast improvements off the field,” Zajc said. “It’s been a learning experience along the way.

“His improvement with all that stuff from junior to senior year was very impressive. He made a conscious effort to be a good teammate and he was a great leader for us.”

Back to the autographs. Essenburg said a few years back he would follow around Max Clark, then a highly touted high school player in Indiana who was selected third by the Detroit Tigers in the 2023 MLB draft.

“I never got an autograph or a picture, but I got to see him play,” Essenburg said. “I have his autograph now, though. I have family who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he plays (for the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps) and I went to a game.

“He signed two of my cards and took a picture with me.”

Essenburg, who plans to focus on hitting and playing in the outfield at the next level, could be following Clark’s path soon. He was one of five high school players from Illinois invited to the draft combine and one of two locals along with senior pitcher Jack Bauer from Lincoln-Way East.

“It was my goal to be able to finish off my high school career by going to the combine,” Essenburg said. “When I got the invite, it was amazing. I called my dad (Troy) and he was like in tears over how proud he was of me. I thought that was the coolest thing ever.”

One thing that may top that would be hearing his name called in next month’s draft. Then Essenburg will likely have a big decision to make between going to Kentucky or signing with a pro team.

“I think I’m prepared for it,” Essenburg said. “I think I’m starting to understand that no matter where I end up, I’m going to be in a really good spot.

“It’s kind of just a win-win situation.”