Harvard-Westlake’s Schaeffer Signs With Stanford

Harvard-Westlake High catcher Jon Schaeffer signed a letter of intent Friday to play college baseball at Stanford, choosing the Cardinal over USC, Cornell and Harvard.

“I felt that Stanford combined athletics and academics the best,” Schaeffer said. “It was almost like a dream come true for me. I had wanted to go there for a long time.”

Schaeffer, a Times’ second-team All-Valley selection last spring, batted .509 with four home runs and 20 runs batted in. Schaeffer’s stock rose while he played American Legion baseball for Woodland Hills East, which won the District 20 championship and advanced to the Area 6 playoffs. Schaeffer, who played third base during the summer, batted .406, including a 17-for-29 streak during the playoffs.

“Playing for (Woodland Hills East) during the summer really helped me a lot,” he said. “We were a winning team and I got a lot more exposure because of the players who were surrounding me.”

He finished his summer playing in front of about 200 professional scouts and about 60 college coaches at the Area Code Games, a showcase in San Diego for the top rising seniors in the West.

Schaeffer joins infielder Bryan LaCour of Chatsworth, who also signed with Stanford.