Sports Spotlight: Jacob Worley | Observer Preps

Jacob Worley is a junior on the Legacy Charter baseball team, and a multi-threat player for head coach Jack Chambless. At the plate, Worley is batting a team second-best .392 while leading the team with 12 RBI. Meanwhile on the mound, Worley has started six times and currently holds a 2.37 ERA to go along with 26 strikeouts (a team best). 

How old were you when you first got into baseball?

When I was 3 or 4 I started playing tee ball at the Y, and I just played because I enjoyed playing. Then when I was about 12, I stopped playing baseball until freshman year of high school, and then I picked it back up at Legacy. 

What’s been your favorite thing about playing baseball at Legacy?

It’s a really good environment with the whole team. We’re all friends with each other, and we all have fun, and we just win and lose as a team.

What was the biggest challenge for you when you first starting playing high-school ball?

Definitely, I’d say, the size of the field. From when I was 12 I was playing on a 200-foot fence with a 46-foot mound, to coming out my freshman year, and it’s a 330-foot fence with a 60-foot mound — I had never seen that before.

Do you have a favorite pitch that you like to throw?

I like mixing it up, but one of my favorite pitches is my changeup, because that’s how I get a lot of my strikeouts. It’s like a 15 mph drop from my fastball, but it looks the same coming out of my hand — from everything I’ve heard. It’s pretty hard to hit.

What’s your favorite aspect of being on the mound?

I kind of just enjoy the aspect of being in control. I have control over me putting the ball into play, not walking people and making them have to hit the ball to get on base. I enjoy being able to control the speed of the game and the flow of the game.

What are some of the best words of advice that coach Jack Chambless has given you?

He always tells me to keep my cool out there, no matter what’s going on behind you or how they’re hitting the ball. You just have to keep doing what you do, and eventually, it’s going to work out for you.

You still have another year of school, but what’s your dream once you graduate?

Obviously, the ultimate goal for every baseball player that wants to play is try to make it all the way. But other than that, if I don’t do that, I’d like to try and get back into the sport by coaching and helping younger kids learn and develop their game and hopefully achieve their dreams.