Undersized Reifsnyder up to the challenge at Kent

Jake Reifsnyder SS / 2B / Tallmadge, OH / 2019

TALLMADGE - At 5-5 and 130 pounds, Jake Reifsnyder is not your typical Division I college athlete.

But heart, desire and hard work help make up for it according to the Tallmadge senior.

“You’re always getting overlooked, so you have to have something that stands out,” Reifsnyder said of being undersized. “You always have to work harder than the bigger guys. You have to put in the extra work and figure out a way to make yourself stand out.”

The 114th-rated player in Ohio’s 2019 class has done just that, enough so to receive an offer followed by a commitment to Kent State.

“They like how hard I play the game,” the right-handed hitting middle infielder explained about the Mid-American Conference power. “When you’re undersized you have to play hard. They like my defensive skills. They said I’ll find myself as a hitter, but that I’ll have opportunities on the field playing in a great program.”

Growing up 10 minutes from the Kent State campus, playing for the Flashes is something Reifsnyder has admittedly thought about for some time.

“It’s been my dream to play baseball there,” Reifsnyder said. “I remember seeing the 2012 team go to the World Series. My current summer coach (Casey Wilson) was on that team.”

Interest from Kent State came gradually.