(Gary, IN) Another local product has decided to stay home this year, signing a contract with the Gary SouthShore RailCats for the 2026 season: former Notre Dame star and seventh-round pick Nick Podkul. 

Nick Podkul was born in Munster and attended Andrean High School in Merrillville. The 28-year-old was a standout for the 59ers, helping the team win back-to-back State Championships during his junior and senior seasons. Podkul was ranked as the No. 2 shortstop in the state by Perfect Game. 

After graduating from Andrean, Podkul went on to play at the University of Notre Dame, where he started 36 games as a freshman for the Fighting Irish. In his junior season, he was named to the All-ACC Second Team. That year, he played in 54 games, hit eight home runs, posted a .312 batting average, recorded a .957 OPS, and walked as many times as he struck out. 

In that year’s draft, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Podkul in the seventh round. In 2022, he reached Triple-A Buffalo with the Blue Jays. In 2023, he played his first season in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, appearing in 68 games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and hitting nine home runs. Last season, Podkul played 25 games in Double-A for the Chicago White Sox affiliate, the Birmingham Barons. 

He finished the 2025 campaign in the Frontier League with the Schaumburg Boomers, where he put up impressive numbers. Podkul recorded a .426 on-base percentage, a .908 OPS, and drove in 23 runs in 31 games. In his short time with Schaumburg, he became a postseason hero by blasting a two-run home run to complete a series sweep of the Lake Erie Crushers. 

Across his professional career, Nick Podkul has played in more than 450 games, hitting 50 home runs with 340 hits and 200 RBIs. The right-hander also brings defensive versatility, having logged innings at first base, second base, third base, and shortstop. 

Earlier this offseason, the RailCats also signed his older brother, Frank, marking the first time in the club’s 23 seasons that a pair of brothers will play together simultaneously. It will also be the first time the two have shared the field since Frank graduated from Andrean High School in 2014 after winning a State Championship. 

“Nick is a huge addition for our club,” RailCats Manager Jeff Isom said. “He spent seven years in the minor leagues and was one step away from the big leagues. He has shown a gap-to-gap approach, and he can play any position we need him to.”