By Thomas Hair and Joe Han
Senior Jake Elliott has always been the type of guy that stands out in a crowd. His 6-7 frame and bright red hair make him an easily identifiable individual, but what truly separates him from the rest is his remarkable pitching ability and desire to be a great, godly role model.
For the last three years, Elliott has been a rock for the Coppell Cowboys baseball team. Last year, the right-handed pitcher posted a 1.51 earned run average with six wins and two saves. He also struck out 92, while only walking 25. He claimed First Team All-District honors as a junior and is poised to do so again in his final year with the Cowboys.
“He has tremendous character on and off the field. You will never have to worry about him getting into trouble and he will always do the right thing,” pitching coach Clint Rushing said. “This season, he will be one of our team leaders as well as a leader on the pitching staff, and will be expected to produce in a lot of big ball games.”
After a tough loss in the second round of the playoffs last season, Elliott has not lowered his goals for his final season as a Cowboy.
“My goal for the season is always to win state,” Elliott said. “But first you have to win district and win all your playoff games to get there. My mentality is to go out and have fun and strike out batters.”
Though he is committed to play baseball for the University of Oklahoma next year, it was not always evident that Elliott would become a leader and bona-fide ace pitcher of the Coppell varsity baseball team.
He first began playing competitive baseball at age 8, starting off behind the vast majority of kids, who had been playing T-Ball for one to two years prior. But Elliott quickly caught on. He knew that pitching was “his thing” as soon as kid pitch began when he was in third grade.
“I just love playing baseball because it’s a game I truly love and I get to play with all my friends every day,” Elliott said. “I like pitching because I’m in control. Baseball is one of the few games where defense has the ball at all times.”
By the time he reached high school, the young redheaded pitcher’s game had improved tremendously but he had not yet matured into the feared presence on the mound that he is today.
“When I first saw Jake I thought he was just some little tall, skinny guy,” assistant Pat Hernandez said. “He has improved his stamina and strength tremendously. He’s actually an imposing figure on the mound now. He’s improved his velocity through the gaining of strength in his upper body and putting more pounds on his frame.”
Elliott got called up to receive some periodic playing time on varsity as a sophomore. After showing flashes of potential, the coaches decided to see what Elliott was truly made of in Game 2 of a playoff series. They started their inexperienced sophomore pitcher in a win-or-go-home, high pressure game against L.D. Bell.
“In 2011, he won Game 2 against L.D. Bell in the second round of the playoffs here,” Hernandez said. “We got beat in game three, but he came and won Game 2 for us, forced a Game 3. That’s a key that will help him this year and next year at OU – that he’s highly experienced and performs well in big games.”
Though the Cowboys would go on to lose the series, it was a defining moment for Elliott as he solidified his role as a leading pitcher on the Cowboys staff. After following it up with a dominant junior season in 2012, Elliott began to turn his sights towards the future.
In college baseball, recruiting is done primarily through club teams in the summer. High school baseball players who are serious about playing big-time college ball almost always play over the summer on highly competitive club teams.
Last summer, Elliott pitched for the D-Bat Mustangs Baseball Club on Pat Leach’s 17U team. In heavily scouted games, Elliott mastered the pressure and posted impressive stats: a 4-1 record and 1.47 ERA, with 48 strikeouts and only 12 walks.
Elliott’s summer play culminated with a performance in the Connie Mack World Series against the top 18 club teams in the country. He had the chance to pitch in front of thousands and thousands of people, exciting both Elliott and the scouts that were present.
On July 1, every year college coaches can begin recruiting upcoming seniors. As a result of his stellar play over the summer, Elliott was contacted by over twenty college coaches after July 1. After visiting Oklahoma, Baylor, Arkansas and Texas, Elliott decided to spend the next four years of his life playing baseball as a Sooner in Norman, Okla.
“I made my visits to each of those schools but decided to choose OU because of the great coaches,” Elliott said. “It just felt like the right fit when I visited. I knew I would get playing time as a freshman.”
Elliott will join 2012 Coppell outfielder Craig Aiken at Oklahoma, a team that has a proud tradition of 34 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Coaches saw his Elliott’s ability and placed him on varsity as a sophomore. The University of Oklahoma saw his ability and offered him an athletic scholarship. There are no limits on where his natural ability will take him next. Those around Elliott are sure he is bound for greatness, whether it’s on the diamond or not.
“He is a threat because he can throw multiple pitches, hit multiple spots and his pitches are more effective than almost anybody we’re going to play,” senior infielder Tyler Zabojnik said. “He is a senior and has been on varsity since he was a freshman, so this year he’s more of a leader and wills tep up because he’s our best pitcher and best player.”
