5 things to know about Kansas baseball home run leader Jake English as postseason nears
LAWRENCE — So far this season, one out of every five home runs that’s been hit by a Kansas baseball player has been hit by Jake English.
English, a senior catcher, has 13 home runs in 2024 for a Jayhawks team that has 65 total. He also leads the team in slugging percentage, runs batted in (RBI), runs and total bases with one of the best batting averages on the team. He’s also one of the most productive hitters in the Big 12 Conference, with one more regular season series — on the road at Texas — remaining this week before the Big 12 tournament next week.
English said Tuesday how Kansas (29-18, 15-12 in Big 12) has played during its conference slate has shown both that it can beat anyone when it plays at the level it’s capable of, and lose against anyone if it falls short. Overall, he said he thinks the season’s gone as he’s expected so far because he was confident in how well his Jayhawks could play. He knows they control their own destiny when it comes to reaching the goals they have that are still attainable.
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Before Kansas’ first pitch at 6:30 p.m. (CT) Thursday in Austin, Texas, against Texas (32-20, 17-10 in Big 12), get to know English a little better:
This is why Jake English chose to play at Kansas
“I picked Kansas — I’ve been a Jayhawk fan my whole life,” English said. “I’m from 35-ish minutes down the road, and my dad played here, so it was a pretty easy choice.”
English is from Olathe, Kansas. He attended Olathe South High School. There, he became one of the best high school prospects in the state before joining KU ahead of the 2021 season.
This is why a coaching change didn’t lead to Jake English leaving
When English started his college career at Kansas, Ritch Price served as the Jayhawks’ head coach. But after the 2022 season, Price announced his retirement. KU hired Dan Fitzgerald, then an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at LSU, to lead the next era of Kansas baseball.
“I mean, I just — getting to know (Fitzgerald) and talking to (Fitzgerald) and the rest of the staff,” English said. “It just seemed like the best option for me was to stay here and learn from them.”
This is what goes through Jake English’s mind as he steps up to the plate for an at-bat
English said: “It just depends on the situation. If I need to get a job done with a runner on third, then I’m trying to do that. But just trying to hit the ball hard every time you’re up there, because usually good things happen when you do that.”
This is what Jake English has valued about this season
English had a couple multi-home run games earlier this season. He’s seen Kansas capture some significant series wins in Big 12 play, such as at home against TCU, on the road against BYU and at home against Texas Tech. But reflecting on the season to date, and what he’s enjoyed about it, that’s not where he pointed.
“I don’t really have one favorite moment,” English said. “Just being around the guys every day has been awesome.”
This is what Jake English wants to do when he’s done playing baseball
English said: “I think I want to work in athletics of some sort. I haven’t decided if that’s professional athletics or college athletics.”
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas baseball home run leader Jake English has always been a KU fan
