Junior Jakob Wright commits to Cal Poly baseball
Stepping up to the mound, Jakob Wright is dead focused. He starts his windup with his eyes glued to the player at bat, and he catapults the baseball straight into the glove of the catcher. Wright walked on to the varsity baseball team as a freshman, and it’s been all uphill since then. Now, as a junior, Wright has verbally committed to play baseball at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) after he graduates in 2021.
Wright has been working hard since he was 5 years old to get to where he is today.Countless teams, tryouts, practices, and outside training has paved the road to his high school success and the start of his collegiate career.
“I play with a club ball team called BPA,” said Wright. Big West Travel Baseball, or BPA as he calls it, has given Wright the opportunity to play in tournaments all over the nation. Georgia, Florida, and also New York, where Wright played in Cooperstown.
BPA takes their team to college workouts at UCLA, San Jose State, and many more universities throughout California which puts players in direct contact with college teams. Wright has been able to effectively balance his school work and training all through high school, which ultimately led him to his success in baseball, and caught the eye of some of the colleges the team visited together.
Wright was recruited by Cal Poly after a workout BPA did at the campus.
“I pitched in front of the head coach, and he liked me! So we started talking,” Wright stated.
After a tour of the campus, coach Larry Lee asked Wright to “verbally commit” to be a Mustang, and of course, Wright accepted.
On September 8th 2019, Wright posted his commitment on his instagram, accompanied with a photo of the Cal Poly logo. “Excited to say that I have committed to Cal Poly SLO to further my academic and athletic career. Thank you to everyone that has helped me along the way. #gostangs” wrote Wright. Soon after, dozens of positive comments from his friends and family began to flow in.
As a division one school, Cal Poly Baseball has always been on Wright’s radar. Just 30 minutes away from Paso Robles High School, Cal Poly is just far enough away from home for Wright, and it seems to be a perfect fit for his baseball dreams.
“It was definitely one of my top schools because I wanted to stay close,” Wright said when speaking about Cal Poly, the delight in his voice evident.
Wright is also a proud player for the Bearcat baseball team. After spending his freshman and sophomore year on varsity, this spring will be Wright’s third year playing with the team. “I met friends I wouldn’t normally talk to. Really, we just try and win.” The mix of comradery and fun creates a team dynamic that makes baseball extra enjoyable.
Looking forward, Wright will begin the 2022 baseball season as Mustang, but he isn’t taking it for granted. His hard work and time spent with BPA has opened his eyes, and his glove, to possibilities that are going to keep his future bright.
