Spotlight Athlete: Jake Pickerel, Eastwood

4/12/2018
BLADE STAFF
Eastwood pitcher Jake Pickerel is off to a great start on the mound and at the plate for the Eagles.
Eastwood pitcher Jake Pickerel is off to a great start on the mound and at the plate for the Eagles.

The senior is off to a hot start this season. The third baseman/pitcher currently is hitting .609 with 11 RBIs. He has one triple, two doubles, six walks, and has scored eight runs.

A four-year starter and two-year captain, Pickerel has a 2-1 record on the mound this season.

Pickerel went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and a double in a 10-0 win April 5 against Oak Harbor. The next day, he went 4 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI in a 13-0 win against Northwood. He also picked up the win on the mound.

Last season, Pickerel finished with a .438 average, 28 RBIs, eight doubles, 27 runs scored, and 13 stolen bases. He also posted a 6-4 record and a 2.77 ERA. Pickerel helped lead the Eagles to a Division III regional final as the team finished with a 21-6 record.

Pickerel has a career record of 13-6 and earned All-Northern Buckeye Conference first-team honors as a third baseman in 2017.

Coach Kevin Leady called Pickerel a hard-nosed kid who has played baseball at a high level for many years.

“He has [hit] in the three hole for us for four straight years,” Leady said. “He's a guy that has been huge in our lineup and drives in a lot of runs.”

Leady called his pitcher a “bulldog on the mound” and pointed out Pickerel has won a pair of district finals and a regional semifinal the past two years for the Eagles.

Pickerel also was the starting quarterback for the Eastwood football team that reached the Division V state title game in the fall. He threw for more than 500 yards and rushed for more than 450 yards. The Eagles were ranked No. 1 the entire season and finished with a 14-1 record. They were the first team in program history to reach the state title game.

Pickerel has committed to play baseball at Owens Community College.

“He has been a leader for years that players have looked up to,” Leady said. “He has thrown in a lot of our big games and gives us everything he has. He is a true competitor and a gamer. We wouldn't have played in the games we have without his competitiveness and leadership.”