One on One w/ Georgia Tech junior Kevin Jacob

I had the pleasure of catching up with a fellow Parkville High School alumni. Kevin Jacob, the star of the varsity baseball team, is now a junior at Georgia Tech and pitching for the Yellow Jackets.

On his way to the facility, Kevin took time to chat with me about the transition from high school to college, life in the ACC, and the importance of making adjustments.

In this exclusive interview, Kevin Jacob introduces himself to the world.

For those who don’t know you, introduce yourself. Tell us about Kevin Jacob.

“I’m 6’6″ 228 pounds and right handed. I’m from Baltimore, Maryland. I throw a four-seam fastball anywhere from 93-98, a slider in the high 80s-low 90s, and I’m developing a change-up that’s from the upper 70s and ocasionally touches 90. I was born on March 26, 1989 I’m majoring in management at Georgia Tech.”

Can you tell me a little bit about the recruiting process and what it was like for you?

“Coach (Jeff Marcle) kind of gave me a little background information on what summer team I should play with. Junior year was probably the biggest year for the recruiting process. I pitched a couple games against (Catonsville pitcher) Niel Davis who had some schools following him and when I pitched against him it led to Georgia Tech seeing me when I played in a tournament down in Atlanta with my summer team. That’s kind of how it all worked.”

What kinds of choices did you have to make? Did you have a lot of schools looking at you? Was it a tough decision for you to go to Georgia Tech?

“I didn’t have to many schools looking at me. I had a good push for Maryland but Georgia Tech was one of the first (schools) to talk to me and everything went from then on.”

Playing at Georgia Tech, do you ever think about or get caught up in thinking about some of the former players that have played there? Players such as Mark Teixeira, Jason Varitek, and most recently Matt Wieters.

“Yeah, definitely. I mean, Teixeira is from Baltimore and played down here. (Jason) Varitek played down here as well and both have won World Series, Teixeira last year. You walk around the baseball facilities and the locker room and you see the placks from those guys. It’s pretty cool knowing they’ve played here and had success are are in the big leagues now.”

Can you talk about the biggest differences between playing in high school compared to now in Division I college program with a rich baseball history?

“I guess, (the players are) a lot bigger and stronger. In high school the game is a little slower compared to now (in college) where it’s faster. Not only the speed of the pitches but bat speed and the tempo of the game. You kind of have to adjust. You got good players all around. Everyone was kind of all-star where they came from and when you get to college, that’s all wiped away and you have to start on a clean slate.”

How was that adjustment for you? Would you say it was difficult?

“Yeah. Freshman year was an adjustment. My freshman year wasn’t great. The team, we went to regional and lost in the first round. Myself personally, I had trouble. I had my highs and lows but you learn from it. That’s what freshman year is all about.”

Elaborate on some of those experiences if you could.

“Freshman year you start out playing non conference games before playing ACC games (UNC, Florida State…) I pitched against Florida State and left a change-up a little high and it was jacked it for a homer. At that point, I realized that every pitch matters. If I make one mistake they aren’t gonna feel sorry for me and let it go by, They’re gonna capitalize on every mistake I make. The coaches are always here to help you realize the mistakes, learn from them, and keep progressing forward.”

Can you talk about some of the adjustments you made from freshman to sophomore year? Some would say that was when you really started to come into your own.

“‘Very slight mechanical changes. More confidence in my fastball. My secondary pitch was a slider and I was able to throw it for a strike. Freshman year I had an off-speed pitch but didn’t really rely on it because I couldn’t really locate it but sophomore year I kind of developed a slider and had a lot of confidence with it. It really helped.”

You mentioned that you developed a slider. How important is that pitch for you? Especially as a secondary pitch off of your fastball.

“It’s critical. If you don’t have it, you can have a great fastball but you need that second pitch as kind of equalizer. Hitters can gear up for your fastball. If they’re sitting on one pitch, they’re going to hit it. That second pitch just kind of keeps hitters guessing and keeps them off-balance. It makes a world of difference. This summer, I just messed around with fastball and slider, I never really threw a change-up but that’s what I’m working on this year.”

Here we are now in your junior season. You came in this year as a pre-season All-American. Was is that like for you? What does it mean for you to be recognized as part of such an elite group?

“Personally, it’s great. I started off a little rough freshman and through part of sophomore year but then I kind of figured out what was going on and came into my own. It’s just a paper trail but it’s nice to have. It’s a testament to how good the team is. We have a few pre-season All American like (teammate) Deck Maguire and again, it’s a credit to how good the team is.”

Being an All-American, do you feel a greater amount of pressure or expectation to live up to the title of an All-American?

You see it and you know others see it to but you try to go about it knowing you still have a lot to prove.

Tell me a little about the relationship you have with your coaches.

“I spend a lot of time with our (pitching) coach. It never really changed much but one change we did make was during freshman year I threw across my body for a bit and one thing we changed was trying to stay in a straight line instead of across my body. Our volunteer coach, Matt White, pitched in Tampa Bay’s (Rays) organization and was a first round pick and signed a free agent contract and hurt his arm. Being a former pitcher, he kind of helps us out with little mental things and different nuances about pitching and all about the life of a pitcher.”

You mentioned Matt White and his injury. Speaking of injury, You’re dealing with one yourself. You didn’t make the trip a few weeks back to College Park (Maryland) to face the Terps – a game I was going to see you pitch – what was that like for you?

“Of course – it was definitely disappointing not being able to pitch and come back (home) to Maryland. It’s just a little shoulder injury. I’ve got to just take a little time to rest it and rehab it so I can come back strong for the rest of the season. It sucks, but I don’t really have a choice. I’m motivated to get back. Besides scrapes and things like that this is my most serious injury but knowing the team is fine and has players who can play and step up, it makes it easier to just focus on coming back strong. Kind of the next man up mind-set. I’ve got to continue with my throwing program and testing it out before getting back into a game. I have to look at it as a freak thing and try not to get discouraged.”

Tell me about the transition from starting to relieving. At what point was the suggestion made and when did the suggestion ultimately turn into a decision?

“Last year I was pitching in relief on weekends and making mid-week starts. Towards the end of the year I was closing and Coach thought I fit into the role really well and had success doing it. I can pitch anywhere. I enjoy it. I like throwing every day (as a reliever) versus being a starter and throwing one day a week. I pitched in relief a little bit in high school so it wasn’t completely new. I enjoy it.”

Stat break

Junior right-hander Kevin Jacob moved from a

mid-week start in ’09 to the closer in 2010. Jacob was

moved to the bullpen at the end of last season and

posted astonishing numbers, holding a 3.18 ERA with 29

strikeouts in 22.2 innings while holding opponents to just

a .189 batting average.

A lot is made about a pitcher’s mind set. More specifically, the difference in mind set between a starter and reliever. Taking it a step further, it’s a big difference between middle relief and closing. Can you tell me a little bit about that?

“It’s true. If you have a bad outing one night and you happen to lose a game or have a bad outing the next, it’s definitely not going to help you. If you let one bad outing turn in to two bad outings that’s no good. You want to have confidence every time you go out there so you need to be able to forget the bad outings but you need to learn from them as well.”

Give me a contrast – you know your going to start on a specific day but say, as a closer you really aren’t sure. What’s the difference in your preparation, if any?

“The biggest thing I’ve noticed between starting and relieving is preparation. When you start, you obviously know you’re going to pitch that day. Through out the week you can time line it – lifting, running so my arm has to be in top shape. When you’re relieving, you still have to keep the arm in shape and get the conditioning work in but you don’t know if you’re going to throw tonight, tomorrow or five days from now. Every reliever is different and what I’ve started to notice about myself how much I need to throw in between outings to stay sharp.”

Do you have a specific routine or regimen that you go through to get ready to pitch in a game? At what point in the game do you start to get loose?

“Yeah, I do. This summer I kind of developed it. I just follow the game and if it looks like I’m going in I’ll go down in the bottom of the 7th inning and go run, stretch and things like that. Top of the 8th (or bottom) I’ll get the catcher down throwing. Obviously, I mean, if we’re visitors everything is pushed up by a half an inning.”

Is this where you see yourself? Is this where you feel comfortable? Do you think you found your nitche, being a closer?

“I mean, I really like it. I guess I’m sort of bias because it’s what I’m doing now but I honestly think I could do it for a living because I love throwing every day. The only down side is, like we talked about before, how you prepare and not knowing when you’re going to throw. But I love the fact that I can throw any day and come in for one inning or however long, knowing the game is on the line and finish off the game. The starter did all of the hard work and I love having the job of finishing it off. It’s thrilling… knowing your the guy trying to secure the win.”

Do you ever stop and think about guys in the big leagues right now who have bounced back and forth from starting to relieving? Guys like Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, or even John Smoltz? Does that give you confidence knowing that guys have had success doing what you’re doing in the big leagues?

“I never really thought about it actually. It’s interesting you say that. Good point. The one I’m most familiar with is Joba (Chamberlain) I know he’s done both. I guess… since I can do both I’d like to think I’d do well at both if given the opportunity to do both.”

Think about it, Kevin. As great as a guy like Mariano Rivera is, you would think he’s going to retire one of these days. Think about it, what if that was you running in from the bullpen to the cheers of 50,000 plus waiting for you to get on the mound and wrap up the win. What do you think?

“It would be awesome – just how you were describing it – Yankee Stadium, 50,000 plus, yeah man. Hearing “Enter Sandman” as he’s coming in..”

You mentioned “Enter Sandman”. You are charging in from the ‘pen at Georgia Tech… what’s playing over the speakers?

“Shoot, um… I started off with “Sweetness” by Jimmy Eat World but recently with my time off I switched it to “Awake and Alive” by Skillet. It’s a big thing I think about.”

I would personally like to thank Kevin for taking the time to chat with me. Also, I’d like to thank everyone involved with the Georgia Tech SID as well as the Yellow Jackets baseball team. It is my hope that I’m able to continue my relationship with the team and bring all of you more interviews such as this.

Best of luck, Kevin!