The Jesuit Baseball team currently holds a record of 18-9 and are 4th in state heading into the 6A OSAA playoffs. The program’s starting lineup is usually juniors and seniors, but this year, the coaches made a bold and determined decision to start sophomore Jake Rolling at 2nd base and on the mound as a pitcher.
In his first year as a Varsity player, Rolling has put up great numbers with a batting average of .343 and an on-base percentage of .351. He also pitches at an earned run average of 0.75. The talent and energy he brings at the plate and on the field has proved why he was given a big role on the Varsity team at a younger age.
When looking back at his high school and club baseball career, Rolling believes he wouldn’t be in the position he is now without his Dad.
“I think my biggest influence is definitely my Dad. He was the one who got me into Baseball and coached me to be the better player I am today. Even though he never played Baseball growing up, he taught me how to be a competitive athlete. At the end of the day, it is always about how bad I want something and how gritty I can be at the plate, and I learned that all from my Dad,” said Rolling.
Rolling began playing Baseball when he joined a club team called Moundtime in middle school. He believes that Moundtime trained him and put him on the right track to receive a starting position here at Jesuit.
“Moundtime was strict on us and pushed players like me to do the little things right. The coaches at the Moundtime program have constantly worked with us to get better and better everyday,” Rolling said.
When asked about the change of playing club baseball to high school baseball, he believes that the two are different in their own ways. However, he still relies on most of the coaching from his experience with club baseball to be a competitive player at Jesuit and vice versa.
“I’d say that playing with Moundtime, there were definitely more skilled players than when I played for Jesuit for the freshmen team. Being on varsity, I realized that I will never be the biggest kid on the field at any given time. I just have to be scrappy and stay disciplined, kind of like what I was taught at Moundtime and the coaching my Dad gave me when I was younger,” Rolling said.
Other than winning the state championship for baseball, Rolling has set other individuals goals for himself when it comes to playing well, but also being a better teammate in general.
“I think we can definitely win state this year, we have the team to do it. I think for me individually, I obviously want to get better as a player and make first team all Metro, but also this year I didn’t really have much of a chance to be a leader like the older players since I was the youngest on the team, and I want to see myself become more of a leader and help lead my teammates next year,” Rolling said.
Rolling also listed a few seniors and teammates that he looks up to as of now.
“I look up to a lot of seniors right now. Dustin Doherty (‘24) plays the same position as me and he definitely knows a lot about the game. Both Brody Lyman (‘24) and Preston Miller (‘24) are also two great players that have been great towards me, but I think the person I look up to right now from a leadership standpoint is Carter Stewart (‘25). Watching how he carries himself and gives energy to the team is something I want to try and learn from and replicate for my next two years at Jesuit Baseball,” Rolling said.
Rolling described his most memorable moment so far being a varsity player. He remembers his first game being a very memorable one, hitting a double after losing a key player on the team due to injury. The game was against Lake Oswego on March 13th, and it was Jesuit’s very first game of the season.
“I was hitting lead off and I came up on my second at bat after Max Varela (‘24) got hurt on second base. Our team’s morale was down at that moment because we knew Max’s [high school] baseball career might be done. It was definitely hard to focus back on my at bat after losing a teammate and brother, and I knew I had to perform. For me after hitting that double, it felt really cool because that double made me feel like Max was there in that moment with the team.”
Dylan Ruchaber (‘25), the starting third baseman, has enjoyed playing with Rolling this season.
“Jake has been a stud for us all year and has been getting hot at the right time. He is truly a fun player to watch and be around, and I can’t wait to see what he can do the next two years of his Jesuit career,” Ruchaber said.
Wyatt Sturgeon (‘26) is another sophomore for the Jesuit program who swings for the varsity team.
“Jake’s a great teammate to be around. Although we play on different levels, I get to see him in practice and be around him all the time, and his presence proves that he is a great leader on and off the field. He will definitely be someone the younger players will look up to and want to be like,” Sturgeon said.
Jesuit Baseball will play their first postseason game against Sheldon on Monday, May 20th, and they hope to reach the state championship game with Jake Rolling starting on 2nd base and on the mound.
