Pitching in Cape League is thrill for Princeton rising senior Jackson Emus of Clinton

BARNSTABLE — When he was just a youngster, Jackson Emus recalled spending summer weeks on the Cape with parents Scott and June and older sister Jocelyn, and attending the daily baseball clinics with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Fast forward 15 years, and Jackson, a rising senior at Princeton University, has found himself back on the Cape and on the pitching staff with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks.

“To describe it, it’s been kind of surreal,” he said of having the chance to play in the Cape League. “One of my earliest recollections was of baseball on the Cape, and I was so young, but the experiences were really fun as a kid.”

Early in the season, Emus has appeared in four games with the Harbor Hawks, coached by former pitcher Eric Beattie, himself a Cape Cod Baseball Hall of Famer and former Red Sox farmhand. 

Emus grew up in Hopedale and attended St. John’s for his first two years of high school, playing basketball on the Bob Foley-coached varsity teams as well as JV baseball.

“I was at a point in my athletic career, after my sophomore year at St. John’s, where I was the same height that I am now (6-foot-5) but only 170 pounds and not physically mature yet,” he said, noting he was also on the younger side for his grade.

Upon the suggestion of Steve August, who was his coach with the New England Ruffnecks travel baseball program out of Northborough, Emus was told it would be in his best interest to repeat sophomore year and attend prep school at Phillips Andover Academy.

“I felt I wasn’t where I wanted to be baseball-wise,” he said. “Having an extra year to catch up to my baseball peers was very beneficial to me.”

His baseball coach at Phillips Andover was Kevin Graber, who had also been one of his coaches with the Ruffnecks.

“I just had a very good relationship with him, and going to Phillips was an opportunity I really couldn’t pass up,” Emus said.

At Phillips Andover, he not only led the team in earned run average and strikeouts, but at the plate paced the squad in OPS, slugging percentage and extra base hits. The numbers impressed when it came time to look at colleges.

Landing at Princeton

He was drawn to Princeton by coach Scott Bradley, another former major leaguer who spent nine years as a catcher with the White Sox, Mariners, Yankees and Reds.

“He has been (at Princeton) for 20 years and told me he wasn’t planning to go anywhere, so that helped sell the school to me,” he said. “It’s been invaluable to my career.”

On the mound for the Tigers last spring, Emus threw 68 innings with 69 strikeouts, 23 walks and a 4.76 ERA, while batting .318 with one home run and nine RBIs.

“I would hit in games I didn’t pitch, but when I was pitching, the coach wanted me to lock in on pitching and give the team my best shot,” he said.

He was named an Academic All-Ivy League at Princeton this past year, despite experiencing some growing pains as a student his first year as an economics major.

“Fortunately, I developed some good habits in high school and was able to carry those over,” he said. “College was certainly pretty challenging and eye-opening.”

A starting right-hander at Princeton, so far this summer on the Cape, he has come in out of the bullpen. He has seen limited action, but in 5⅔ innings, he has struck out seven, walked only one and still has a perfect 0.00 ERA.

“Early in the summer, everything is up in the air, and the roster is not finalized with guys coming and going,” he said. “Right now, I’m just locked in on pitching and try to run with every opportunity. I’m ready for any situation they need to throw me in, and as the summer goes on, I hope to pitch a bit more and maybe get a few starts.”

Emus noted that the Cape experience has been pretty much what he’s expected, but said the talent level was unlike anything he’d seen at other levels he’s played.

“There are a lot of really talented guys down here. It’s a very eye-opening experience to be around so many really talented players,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity in terms of getting seen by scouts and will have a big impact on getting into pro ball.”

While many of his fellow pitchers are topping out in the high 90s, Emus admitted, “I’m not the guy who’s blowing up the radar gun, so I have to figure out how am I going to separate myself from the other guys,” he said. “I try to execute pitches, change speeds and keep hitters off balance. I guess so far, so good. I’ve just got to keep being creative and aggressive with hitters.”

His parents have lived in Clinton for the past six years, and when home, Emus works out at Cressy Sports Performance in Hudson.

“It’s been an unbelievable experience, and being local, you’re aware of the Cape League growing up,” he said. “It was always in the back of my mind that I wanted to one-day play on the Cape.”

Looking ahead

And his ultimate dream is to one day make it to the major leagues.

“It’s so far out of my control, but I just need to take care of business on and off the field,” he said. “Whatever happens, happens.”

While dismissing talk of a potential two-position career like Anaheim pitcher Shohei Ohtani, he explained, “Up to this year, I was a pitcher and a hitter, and I hit at (Princeton) this year. I love hitting.”

Taking practice swings inside the dugout at McKeon Field in Hyannis prior to a recent game with Chatham, he smiled when asked if he’d be swinging a bat on the Cape this summer.

“I’m not ruling it out, but it would definitely be really cool,” he said. “I told (Beattie) at the beginning of the summer, ‘If you really need somebody (to hit), I can handle a bat OK.”

—Contact Mike Richard at mikerichard0725@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Pitching in Cape League is thrill for Princeton rising senior Jackson Emus of Clinton