Jake Wapinsky Signs Letter of Intent

On 11 November 2015, senior Jake Wapinsky signed his National Letter of Intent with Tusculum College in Tennessee.

Wapinsky has been playing baseball for thirteen years.  He plays the positions of outfielder and pitcher.

“I prefer outfield because I haven’t fully developed as a pitcher yet, and I feel like there’s no pressure on me in the outfield,” Wapinsky said.

Baseball has really influenced Wapinsky’s life, considering his life revolves around it. He has also met so many people that have influenced him.

“All of my decisions off the field are mostly based off of how it could affect my career or my health. I’ve also met a great deal of people through baseball who have made a positive impact on me,” Wapinsky said.

Tusculum went to see him play in New Jersey at Diamond Nation and again in Georgia at the Summer National Championship.

“They liked what they saw and gave me a call. I went and visited them, and they offered me a scholarship,” Wapinsky said.

Tusculum is a Division 2 school that plays in a ten million dollar stadium and has won over thirty games for the past fifteen years.

“I had a couple Division 1 offers, so my decision took a bit, but I’ve never wanted to go to a big school, and Tusculum only has about a thousand students. I wanted to be a part of a winning program that could help me grow as a person and a player,” Wapinsky said.

Recruiting has been such a hassle and a huge burden of stress is on him.  After he was accepted, he felt so relieved.

“With the amount of money they were offering me, I couldn’t turn it down. I think the past four years, I’ve probably slept in a car or hotel more than my own bed because I’ve been trying to get a scholarship. Now my parents and I are finally able to say, ‘Wow, this is over–we did it!’” Wapinsky said.

Last baseball season, Jake Wapinsky had a .330 Batting Average.  He had 5 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 home runs. Jake also currently holds the school record for most triples in a season, which is seven.

For his last high school baseball season, he feels that he is going to be able to relax a little more because he won’t need to impress anyone.

“I’ll be able to just be me rather than feel so pressured to impress someone. It’s a new path or journey starting for me, and I hope it turns out well,” Wapinsky said.  “If I could give any advice, it would be, just be yourself and have to get yourself noticed. You can’t expect to just play in the state and have a lot of colleges know about you, and obviously don’t try and play like someone you aren’t because it will only hurt you,” Wapinsky said.