Talking College with Jackson Wentworth

Contemplating college can be difficult for any high schooler. But for baseball players, navigating the world of showcases, camps, games, phone calls, letters, coaches, and more can be downright daunting. In this article, Jackson Wentworth discusses how he decided, how he got there, and what advice he has for younger players.

Jackson Wentworth, Waukee class of 2021, has firmly established himself as one of the dominant RHP prospects in Iowa’s class of 2021. He represented Iowa at the 2021 PBR Super 60, where he showed off his arsenal that includes a 94 mph fastball and a curveball that averages 2400 rpm. His high-class work on the mound does not stop at Trackman data though as he struck out 14 and only allowed one earned run in six innings during the PBR Midwest Fall Championships. This fall he will be joining the Kansas State roster, where he will continue to develop. 

The road to committing to college started out as a bumpy one. “I started going to camps for other colleges during my freshman and sophomore years,” Wentworth said. “I went to Creighton, and I didn’t do so well there. So I figured out what I needed to fix so that I could better prepare myself to go down to Kansas State’s camp and perform better.”

His performance improved at the Kansas State camp which opened the conversation. “They sat me down and talked about how they’re going to offer me at some point,” Wentworth said. “So once they gave that offer, I already knew that was the greatest place for me to go.”

The program offered multiple high-points. “I really liked how the coaches sat me down and showed me everything they’re doing for their program,” Wentworth said. “How they’re going to make renovations to their facilities, how their coaching staff is getting better, and how they’re using more technology to advance the program.

Wentworth learned from the process. “Being younger, it was a lot more stressful for me to do that,” he said. “But now I’m more comfortable talking to people like coaches or other scouts for the MLB. At first, I was very nervous. So over time, it started helping me get better at talking to coaches and scouts.”

He’s also become more comfortable with showcases. “The first PBR showcase I did, I was a little nervous because it was my first one,” Wentworth said. “Over time, I started doing more of them and became better at preparing myself for them.”

Players preparing for showcases need to focus on themselves. “I would tell them to do their own thing,” Wentworth said. “Don’t worry about what other people are thinking or doing. You’re there to show your best self and prepare yourself the way you’ve been preparing the whole time. So don’t change anything that works for you.”

High schoolers can even get their name out on their own. “I would record videos,” Wentworth said. “Get your baseball videos out there. Get your velocities, your workouts, your fielding, throwing, pitching, hitting, or whatever out there on social media. Just get your name out there.”

Ultimately, Wentworth is looking forward to playing for Kansas State. “Just the experience of traveling and playing against the best players in the Big 12,” he said. “Playing against really good hitters and creating that bond with my teammates.”

Jackson Wentworth’s abilities on the mound as an RHP are not to be reckoned with, and they’ve landed him the 2nd and 3rd PBR rankings for position and overall respectively among Iowa’s 2021 class. He grew in his pitching abilities and confidence with talking to coaches through the college search process. With his final season ahead, Wentworth can focus on throwing strikes for Waukee and making the transition to playing baseball in the Big 12 this fall. 

Savannah Dennis is currently a senior at Johnston High School and has been working for Prep Baseball Report Iowa as an intern since October 2020. She has been managing the Johnston baseball team since she was a freshman and has also worked for the Iowa Sticks team as a data collector. Outside of the baseball industry, Savannah is the Print Editor for the Johnston Black & White newspaper. In the fall, she plans on going to college and majoring in statistics while managing the chosen school's baseball team.