HS BASEBALL: Abington Heights' Lenahan commits to Holy Cross
Jul. 28—It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time for Jake Lenahan.
The baseball pitcher who just completed his junior year at Abington Heights announced on Twitter that he has committed to continue his academic and athletic career at Division I College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Lenahan was at a tournament in Boston in early July with his travel team, the Northeast Pride. Holy Cross head coach Ed Kahovec came to see him pitch.
"I had a pretty good outing that day and he offered me," Lenahan said. "It was a pretty quick process. I went to visit the campus and had some great conversations with the head coach. I felt really connected from step one. I love the campus, I love the area. I actually have some family in the Boston area, so I feel that made it even better of a fit."
So much so that Lenahan was ready to give his commitment before leaving. But his Northeast Pride coaches advised him to wait until after a tournament in Georgia at the end of this month before making his decision.
"They wanted me to pitch down there, hopefully get a good number and maybe get an opportunity to be seen by a school I might like more," Lenahan said.
"But my feelings never really changed. When it came down to it, I absolutely felt like Holy Cross was the right decision. I'm super happy and super pumped I'll get the chance to be up there and play at that level."
Among the other schools to show interest in Lenahan were Yale, Fordham, Lafayette, UMass and Haverford.
"The whole summer, I've just been going out, playing the best I can, enjoying each and every moment," Lenahan said. "I was lucky enough to get called by a lot of coaches who liked what they saw."
Holy Cross competes in the Patriot League. The Crusaders have a rich baseball tradition dating back to 1876. They have made the NCAA tournament 11 times, the last coming in 2017. They have been to the College World Series four times, winning the title in 1952.
This season at Abington Heights, Lenahan was a Lackawanna League Division I Coaches honorable mention. He made nine appearances with eight starts and was 3-2 with a 2.09 earned-run average and just 10 walks and 54 strikeouts in 47 innings.
He tossed a three-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts against Scranton Prep on April 10. One week later, he fanned a season-high 12 in a victory over Wallenpaupack.
However, in the District 2-4 Class 5A Subregional quarterfinals, Wallenpaupack ended Abington Heights' season with an 11-3 win.
"It was tough how early we lost because I think we have a ton of talent and a lot of potential," Lenahan said.
"But I thought I had kind of a breakout year. I thought I had a chance to really show people I can pitch. I was happy to be able to help my team out as best I could throughout the whole season. Through the regular season we had lots of success and I think next year we'll be able to do it again."
By making his college decision now, Lenahan said it is a big relief and he can just focus on playing the game and having fun.
"Everything had been about trying to get recruited and trying to do well in front of coaches all the time," said Lenahan, who plans to major in computer science at Holy Cross. "I can get back to that level of baseball where it is all about helping my team and try to be the best player I can be. Being a senior, hopefully I can set an example for some of the younger guys and we can have a lot of success my final year."
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