Jack Sokol RHP / 3B / New Albany, OH / 2020

NEW ALBANY - After a coaching change at Purdue, Jack Sokol had some reevaluating to do when it came to his baseball future.

• Stay with his commitment.
• Go to another Big 10 school, with Ohio State and Indiana in hot pursuit.
• Head west and follow former Purdue pitching coach Elliott Cribby out west to Washington or ex-Purdue head coach Mark Wasikowski to Oregon.
• Consider schools in the south that had an interest.

“The new coach called all the kids and said Purdue still had an offer out there.” explained the New Albany senior right-handed pitcher.

But the fourth-ranked 2020 in Ohio had some doubt in his mind before finding what he was looking for while participating in summer tournaments in Alabama and Georgia.

“It was an eye opener what all you’re competing against,” Sokol said, pointing to the East Coast Pro Showcase as one of the biggest events he was a part of during the summer. “I wanted to find out if I was good enough to compete against them? I felt I did well. After that, I decided I wanted something to best prepare me for my future.”

Southeastern Conference schools Auburn and Kentucky both expressed interest and Sokol took time away while down south to travel four hours to check out Auburn. After an offer came, Sokol made his decision.