Van Slyke plans to play football, baseball

Jared Van Slyke, the son of former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Andy Van Slyke, is headed to Southeast Missouri State to play football.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch featured Van Slyke in Saturday's edition. The Southeast Missourian had previously published a report of Van Slyke's intentions in October, following an appearance on a St. Louis radio station by his father.

The first day a high school senior can sign a letter of intent is Wednesday.

Jared Van Slyke played high school football at John Burroughs School, a private school in St. Louis County.

The 6-foot-3, 197-pound quarterback passed for 1,228 yards on a 70.6 completion percentage in 2006. He threw for 12 touchdowns and had two interceptions for the 7-2 Bombers, according to the Post-Dispatch.

Van Slyke also intends to play baseball at Southeast.

"I really waited around for quite a long time before I was 100 percent going there," Van Slyke told the Post-Dispatch. "I wanted to keep my options open, but the whole time I was thinking it was a great opportunity for me, mainly because they told me I had a chance to play my first year."

Van Slyke's older brothers, A.J. and Scott, are pursuing professional baseball careers. A.J. Van Slyke is in the Cardinals organization, while Scott Van Slyke was drafted last year and signed with the Dodgers.