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10/27/2016 12:00 AMJake Ferrara joined the Yellowjackets’ cross country program as a freshman because his cousin, who was a grade ahead of him, told Jake that he’d have fun on the team. Some athletes might not like all the running that’s involved with the sport, but Jake just had a knack for it, and he hasn’t looked back since joining the squad.
“I enjoy it. I play baseball and obviously I’m kind of athletic, so it came easy to me,” says Jake. “My friends are on the team and we run together, so we all have fun. Since I’m doing it with them, it motivates me to keep running.”
Jake and his fellow seniors were all named captains for East Haven this season. Jake knows that he isn’t the most vocal leader, although he’s really enjoyed the role, and likes how he and his friends get to perform together in that capacity.
“It was fun. I know everybody on the team and all the other captains were my friends,” Jake says. “We keep everything together. We ran practices and stretches. I thought it was cool being captain.”
Head Coach Anthony Russell appreciates what Jake has brought to the Easties through the past four years. Russell credits Jake for how hard he’s worked to become a solid distance runner, while also carving out a career on the baseball field.
“Jake has been getting on the road and running on his own since middle school. Unfortunately for me, baseball was his first love, so he had to balance distance running and baseball in the offseason. He did enough to be a good distance runner,” says Russell. “He’s a great kid with a wonderful personality. He has a quiet way about him, but the way Jake leads is by action. He’s all business and is always working as hard as he can.”
Jake recorded a time of 20 minutes and 24 seconds to finish in 115th place at last week’s SCC Championship. The meet was good preparation for the Class MM State Championship at Wickham Park, a course where Jake likes to race.
“I like the state meet at the end of the year just because there are so many people there. It motivates me a little more to run in front of everybody,” he says. “Being with the team at states, it’s the last run of the year and, for me this year, it will be my last ever as a cross country runner. It’s always something I look forward to at the end of the season.”
Jake also plays third base for the Yellowjackets’ baseball team and East Haven’s Senior American Legion baseball squad. Jake has also taken the mound as a starting pitcher with the 89ers.
“I’ve pitched—never in high school, though, because we have a lot of solid pitchers. With the Legion team, I’ve been an extra arm and this summer I got a great opportunity as the third kid in the rotation,” says Jake. “I learned a lot about pitching this summer and it helps me when I’m up at bat because now I’m thinking like a pitcher.”
Thus far, the highlight of Jake’s high school baseball career came when he hit a walk-off double against Foran in the opening round of last spring’s Class L State Tournament. Jake doubled home Nate Furino in the bottom of the seventh to give the Easties a 6-5 victory during the club’s great late-season run.
“That moment right there was so far in my athletic career one of the greatest moments,” says Jake. “It was a crazy game, tied for most of it, and I got that one hit, and we did a big dog-pile in the center of the field. It was pretty cool.”
Jake feels that one of the biggest reasons for his success on the diamond is the baseball IQ he’s developed through years from playing the game.
“Knowing the game, knowing everything around, I’ve always known what to do in what situation. Knowing that helps me a lot—knowing what the count is, who’s on base, who has speed, stuff like that,” says Jake. “I’ve always been known for my glove. Occasionally, I’ll get a big hit, but my glove is what really everybody looks at.”
Jake believes that what’s he accomplished in cross country has helped him develop his toughness on the baseball field. With his senior season as a runner coming to a close, Jake already feels excited about what lies ahead for East Haven this spring.
“Obviously, the running keeps me in quite a bit of shape and mental toughness. You can’t stop at all during a meet, so you just staying focused. It helped me a lot of with baseball, staying focused,” says Jake. “We’re really looking forward to this season. [Head Coach Butch Johnson] is really looking forward to it. We lost three seniors, but we have a lot of guys coming back. We’re looking forward to it. We’ve already started conditioning and I’m stoked for this season. I know everybody else is. We’re really hungry.”