Senior pitcher Jake Meyers appeared in 29 games before the start of the 2019 season, all of which he was a reliever, a position he said he had to adjust to after his high school career.

Meyers had to adjust how he prepared for games. As a starter in high school, Meyers said he was used to having a pregame routine, but relievers aren’t offered that luxury.

“That was a big change for me, not knowing what day I was going to pitch,” Meyers said. “When you come out of the bullpen a lot of the strategy comes from watching the guys in front of you. To learn as the game is going instead of going in with just your scouting report was a big change.”

Not only did the change affect Meyers’ mental preparation, he said it required him to relearn how to prepare his body.

“Physically being able to get loose and warm up at a fast pace was different,” Meyers said. “I think I did a good job learning from the older guys on how to prepare and be ready to go once called on.”

After seeing scattered time freshman year, Meyers started to be seen as having a reliable bullpen arm. In 2017, Meyers was tied for the team lead in appearances with 17.

Last summer, the Hawks lost two key members of their rotation. Former Hawk pitcher Tim Brennan was selected in the MLB draft by the Texas Rangers and Justin Aungst ’18 graduated.

To fill the newly opened spots in the fall, Head Coach Fritz Hamburg focused on giving pitchers the opportunity to earn a place in the rotation. He said one pitcher that caught his eye was Meyers.

“The last couple summers he pitched in a league in Lehigh Valley and had the opportunity to start,” said Hamburg. “We gave him an opportunity in the fall and he pitched well. I knew he wanted the opportunity, and he was deserving of it.”

One moment stuck out to Hamburg in the fall that he felt showed off Meyers’ baseball IQ.

“Jake was cruising, but he ran into an inning where he gave up a few first pitch hits,” Hamburg said. “He realized he had to get off of the pitches he was throwing and get into some other stuff. He is able to recognize that, where some guys would just throw harder or try to do more. That is why Jake’s intellect and his feel for the game are his strong suit.”

Meyers said that the mental aspect of the game is one of the areas he has improved upon since high school.

“Most people who [go on to] play D1 dominate in high school and don’t put too much thought into going out and using their talent,” Meyers said. “Now you are playing the best of the best and you have to strategize and use your strengths against their weaknesses.”

When Meyers made his first appearance in 2019 he wasn’t being called out of the bullpen, he was given the start against University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Meyers said that he didn’t really have to alter his approach.

“From the start I mixed in all my pitches,” Meyers said. “As you go through the lineup more than one time you adjust your strategy to how the first at bat went. In terms of pitches and what I am throwing I didn’t change at all though.”

Behind the plate was freshman catcher Andrew Cossetti. He said he couldn’t even tell that it was Meyers’ first collegiate start.

“Honestly it’s the best I have seen Jake throw,” Cossetti said. “Everything was working for him, especially going in with the fastball. I think most importantly he had a plan out there and he did a great job executing that plan.”

The opportunity to catch for a veteran like Meyers was a great learning experience, according to Cossetti.

“Obviously coming into the dugout and talking about how we are throwing to hitters,” Cossetti said. “I gave my input but I learned a lot just by listening to him and how he wanted to approach the hitters.”

At the end of six innings, Meyers left the game without giving up any earned runs while striking out three.

“Truthfully, it was a good feeling,” Meyers said. “Just for the first start to go the way that it did, have everything kind of roll in our favor, that was a great way to experience my first start.”

The Hawks picked up their first win of the season that day, 4-2. Meyers also got his first career win.

“I want to win every game I pitch,” Meyers said. “I want to be a dominant performer whenever I get the chance. Hopefully as a team we can make the A-10 tournament, win the tournament, go onto the regional and then the College World Series.”