Grossmont's baseball team over the past few years has been dominant, winning two D1 CIF Championships, and making it to a third just this year. While the team has changed and adapted over the years as players graduate and move on to college, there has always been a strong core of players leading the team to victory. Yet among this group of incredibly talented and hardworking athletes, one seems to stand even taller than the rest.
Senior Jack Hyde has played Varsity for Grossmont since his sophomore year, and has proven himself to be one of the greatest high school pitchers in San Diego County, acquiring multiple offers from colleges asking him to play for their schools, and even gaining minor attention from some major league teams. I got a chance to sit down with Jack to discuss his time here at Grossmont, as well as his plans for beyond.
One of my first questions was to see what Jack saw as the biggest factor leading to his incredible success and growth, especially over the past few years. For him, it's all about the dedication: working out for several hours every day during the summer off-season, taking on a special diet, practicing all summer at the expense of free time.
"After sophomore year, that's when I really started working out really hard, getting a lot stronger, and obviously the strength became a big factor in my success."
This probably seems like a lot to sacrifice and a lot of really difficult work to most people, but when this has been a dream all your life, the dedication is more than worth it.
"When I was little I always wanted to be a professional baseball player, that was like my lifelong dream. I knew that trying to get through college was definitely a really important step of getting to that end goal."
Now that dream is becoming a reality, as Jack will be attending USD in the fall to play baseball, but that wasn't the only thing that made him choose USD. Things like the academics, staying close to home (Primarily in California), and just the general vibe of the school all played a major part in helping him make his decision. He felt the need to "click" with the school, and with USD he achieved that, not only athletically by really liking the coaching staff and team, but also academically. While he may be entering Undeclared now, he remains excited to explore the opportunities college provides.
"I was looking at a lot of schools. I really wanted to make sure that I chose a school that I was going to really enjoy going to, not just due to the opportunity, but where I could really enjoy the next four years of my life, because it's a big decision."
Yet his desire to play in college didn't stop him from also peaking the interest of a few major league teams like the Toronto Blue Jays. Unfortunately, when Jack injured his lower groin and hamstring during the playoffs, he had to take some time off to heal. This not only hurt his power, but actually changed his throwing motion to accommodate the injury, which further strained his bicep. By the time that he had gotten back to full strength, the MLB teams had lost interest.
By now Jack is feeling good, and is ready to play in the All Star game before graduation, but he is also looking farther, past graduation. Soon he will be heading to Victoria, Canada for 5 to 6 weeks in order to play summer ball with the Victoria Harbourcats in a summer league populated by college players staying in shape. Some players are even looking to get drafted into the pros, but for Jack, this is just a preseason development before he comes back down to train with USD in the fall.
As Jack's senior year draws to a close, it's also time to look back on all the wonderful experiences he has had playing with Grossmont, and there is no short list. When I asked him what his favorite part of playing for Grossmont was and what he would miss most, his answer was his team.
"I've been playing with the main, same group of guys since Freshman year, and we've all basically moved up and have been winning these championships together, it's been a collective experience."
Grossmont is where he learned to trust the process and be vigilant. He's learned that the small choices matter, and how to dedicate himself to an end goal and stay on course. He wouldn't have been the same without Grossmont, and Grossmont is honored to have had him.
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