With a simple look at the 6-foot-5 senior, it’s easy to tell what makes Parkville High?s Kevin Jacob a superb pitcher. But what sets him apart from any other physical talent is his desire, work ethic and personality.
“He?s a ?yes sir,? ?no sir? type,” Parkville coach Jeff Markle said. “He?s the kind of kid you dream about.”
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Dreaming is exactly what Georgia Tech began doing when they saw the right-handed Jacob at a camp last summer.
“He turned out to be a prime recruit that we began following this summer,” Georgia Tech coach Danny Hall said in a team recruiting release on the Yellow Jackets? athletics Web site. “We heard that he would be pitching in the Perfect Game National Tournament here in Atlanta, and it was indicated that he was a very bright student that possibly wanted to pursue engineering.”
Jacob sports a 3.5 grade-point average, but the more eye-opening numbers are the ones he racks up on the mound. With a four-pitch repertoire ? highlighted by a mid-90s fastball and a sharp slider ? he entered Monday?s start against Catonsville 5-1 with a 0.44 ERA in 32 innings pitched. He had struck out 65 batters vs. just seven walks for the Knights (8-3).
Despite those numbers, he?s still finding room in his game to improve.
“Location,” Jacob said of his areas of needed improvement. “Location of my off-speed pitches. Throwing strikes and getting ahead of hitters.”
He caught Georgia Tech?s eye with an impressive week in Atlanta over the summer, and is looking forward to getting to school.
“I just want to go to a team with a winning history,” Jacob said. “If you play for a winner, you?re going to get better. It?s probably one of the better schools if you want to go further in baseball.”
Georgia Tech has a deeply rooted history in sending players to the major leagues, most notably Orioles outfielder Jay Payton, Texas first baseman Mark Teixeira (Severna Park native), Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Nomar Garciaparra and Boston catcher Jason Varitek.
For Markle and the Knights, Jacob?s gain is a gain for Parkville, too.
“It?s just nice to have somebody like that,” Markle said. “A lot of those kids like that around here end up at a private school. It?s nice to get your hands on someone, especially someone with Kevin?s ability, and that he does well in school. He?s the total package ? and a pleasure to have.”
