Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Veteran Catcher Jake Hagenow’s Contribution a Big Reason for Blue Raiders’ Best Start Since 2015
3/11/2021 5:30:00 PM | Baseball, BRAA
Murfreesboro, Tenn.— Jake Hagenow stood at the plate in the tenth inning of an early-season rubber match with the South Alabama Jaguars. Just a day prior, the veteran catcher hit a huge home run that led to a win for Middle Tennessee after it fell in extra innings in the first game of the series. South Alabama righty Jackson Boyd started his windup and delivered the 1-1 pitch to Hagenow. Hagenow's eyes lit up when he saw a fastball darting toward the inner-half of the strike zone. He began his patented leg-kick and twisted his body quickly, getting his hands through the zone and placing the green "S" in his Easton bat squarely on the baseball, roping a leadoff double off the wall in left field.
He turned and looked over his shoulder and did a little dance toward his teammates in the dugout, cracking a huge smile in the process. It ignited a rally in which he scored the go-ahead run to win the game.
There's just something about catchers. They're some of the most unique personalities on the field, and Middle Tennessee's Jake Hagenow is no exception to the rule.
"I get to play a game that eight-year olds play every day, so I always just try to stay calm and have fun and smile," Hagenow said. "It's easy to lose track of that in the middle of a close game. I've really tried to start relaxing out there."
Though it's Hagenow's fourth season, he's still only a redshirt sophomore because of injuries and the Covid-19 pandemic. As a freshman in 2018, Hagenow backed up Aaron Antonini, who now plays in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. In 24 games played as a freshman, Hagenow hit .240 and continued working on his relationship with his regular battery mate Peyton Wigginton.
Unfortunately, Hagenow's development was derailed heading into his true-sophomore season when he tore his rotator cuff and had to have season-ending surgery. The following year in 2020, his second attempt at a sophomore year was cut short due to the pandemic.
"It's kind of funny that I'm a third-year sophomore, but at this point it's taught me that you never know when the season's going to end, so I just go out every time and play my hardest," Hagenow said. "It was nice last year to build some strength back in my shoulder, and my swing is feeling better this year, so having the time off to get stronger was helpful in my case."
Through all his rehab, though, Hagenow remained as a steady presence in the clubhouse and the dugout and started becoming a guy that his teammates would turn to regularly for not only advice, but a pick-me-up in tough times. One guy that benefited from that most is starter Peyton Wigginton, and it's showing more than ever before in 2021.
"Jake and I have actually known each other since we played on the same summer-ball and travel team in high school," Wigginton said. "(Hagenow) has been my catcher ever since then. It's always been me and him. We're the pair that does everything together. He's been my roommate all four years I've been here, so we have a good dynamic between us on and off the field."
The southpaw is off to a career-best start, with his ERA sitting at an impressive 1.69 through his first three starts. Over his past two starts, Wigginton has given up just two earned runs in 12 innings and has a strikeout to walk ratio of 14:5, thanks in large part to Hagenow's chemistry with him.
"I think the relationship between pitchers and catchers goes a really long way," Hagenow said. "When we were in high school, we decided that no matter what we wanted to go to (college) together. Looking back on it six years later and thinking about the fact that I get to catch him and we get to accomplish finishing this journey together is amazing. Our relationship has had a lot to do with our success so far this year."
Perhaps the biggest improvement that Hagenow has seen thus far is his stellar offensive start. Aside from hitting his first career home run against South Alabama, which he followed up with his huge extra-innings double the next day, Hagenow has posted an average of .357. That average is good enough to lead the team through the season's first 10 games. The reliable backstop also ranks within the top five on the team in hits (5), runs (5), doubles (tied for first on the team with 3), RBIs (4), on-base percentage (.400) and slugging percentage (leads the team at .786). The most impressive part of it all? He's done it in just about half the plate appearances than that of his peers.
"I feel like I'm one of his biggest fans if not his biggest fan in the dugout," Wigginton said. "I love seeing him do well. We always take time to watch video and adjust each other after the game and make each other better. It's been great to see him go out and succeed."
It's no secret that over the years Hagenow's happy-go-luck personality and outgoingness have made him a fan favorite in Murfreesboro. Couple that with his hot start both at the dish and behind it and Middle Tennessee fans can be sure to see him dancing, laughing and leading alongside his teammates as they continue to ride the early-season momentum that their veteran catcher has been a huge part of establishing in 2021.
