Gritty Jacob Seaman does a little bit of everything for Cheboygan baseball

CHEBOYGAN – There’s not many things Jacob Seaman enjoys more than getting on base during a game.

Because once he’s on, the Cheboygan senior baseball player knows he can make something happen in an instant.

That’s certainly been the case this season for Seaman, an upperclassman who’s capping off his high school career as one of Cheboygan’s grittiest, smartest and most aggressive players on the diamond.

“Base running is my favorite, and that’s why I try to get on base as much as I can,” Seaman said. “You’ve got to be paying attention all the time. You’ve got to know what’s going on, you’ve got to be aware of what’s going on, and you’ve got to take advantage of what people are doing. If the pitcher brings up his leg a lot, that’s when you steal a base, because that gives you an extra second or two to get to the bag.”

CHEBOYGAN VS INLAND LAKES: Inland Lakes baseball, Cheboygan softball teams look sharp in game one victories

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Cast your vote for the Cheboygan Daily Tribune Athlete of the Week for May 13-18

Making an impact on the bases isn’t the only thing Seaman has excelled at during his final season with the Chiefs. In addition to nine steals, Seaman also leads the team with a .350 batting average and has scored 20 runs, while also drawing 14 walks and 10 hit by pitches.

“There’s nothing flashy about what he does. He makes the plays,” Cheboygan coach Kevin Baller said of Seaman. “He gets more excited to get on base by getting hit by a pitch than he actually does when he gets a hit.”

Since joining the Cheboygan varsity team late during his sophomore season, progression has been key for Seaman, who usually starts at second base when he’s in the game. Even if he makes a mistake, he’s shown an excellent ability to shake things off and bounce back quickly.

As for what else has stood out about Seaman, Baller mentioned a couple qualities every coach loves seeing.

“His work ethic – and he’s extremely coachable,” Baller said. “Any coach that’s talking to him and explaining to him the game, he takes it in, and he really does his best to try to work on it to make himself better. I think that speaks volumes for him. He does anything he can to get on base, and that comes back to resiliency and coachability.”

Seaman understands it’s been an up-and-down campaign for the Chiefs, but he knows the postseason will provide a huge opportunity for everyone to redeem themselves. As that time approaches, he’s confident he and his teammates will right the ship in early June.

TY KOLLY: Fearless Kolly continuing to flourish as young star with Inland Lakes baseball

PRESLEY CHAMBERLAIN: 'She's fun to have around': Chamberlain having a dynamite sophomore year with Cheboygan softball

“I think we’ve got a chance for districts,” Seaman said. “There’s no leader in our district right now. We’re the leader. As long as we play well and get stuff done, we can get a district title. We just need to make plays and do our jobs, straight up. No errors.”

No matter how it ends, Seaman has made the most of his chance, playing with teammates he's close with.

“We have a lot of fun,” Seaman said. “We always keep our heads up and stay together.”

Unfortunately for Seaman, he suffered a recent setback when he rolled his ankle during a game against Gaylord. The Chiefs are hoping he’ll be able to return in time for the districts.

Cheboygan hosts Kingsley in a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday.

Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Aggressive play fueling Cheboygan's Seaman to solid senior baseball campaign