Jake
Berry

Cape Cod: Six-foot-10, 250-pound behemoth lefty Jake Berry (Virginia/2022) showed the same four-pitch repertoire he used as a draft-eligible sophomore this spring, where he split time between the UVa. rotation and bullpen. His 86-89 fastball plays up because of its angle and induced vertical break, serving as his primary swing-and-miss weapon. His 80-81 changeup has good deception and sink and pairs well off the heater. He'll also mix in a 73-75 mph curveball with two-plane break and an 81-82 slider, both of which are serviceable but not wipeout pitches.

A high ceiling sophomore-eligible lefty who has made big strides during his time in Charlottesville, Berry was most impressive on Friday for the Hoos. He repeated his delivery especially well for his 6-foot-10 height and ran a deceptive 89-90 mph fastball to the plate. The pitch played up due to the rare combination of a 7-foot release height and 7-feet of extension out front. His plus changeup arrived at the plate in the low-80s (1550 rpm), showing late sink. He sold the pitch well with good arm speed and generated numerous swing/misses. He complemented that mix with a fringe average breaking ball that ranged from 76-80 mph. Even though the spin rate wasn't ideal (1900-2100 rpm), he showed good feel for the pitch and was able to land it consistently in the zone. Berry finished his three-inning, 40-pitch relief stint against Cornell with seven strikeouts, allowing no runs on one hit. As a strike out lefty, Berry could be the next big time arm to emerge from UVA. He has plenty of feel and strike-throwing ability. With the continued improvement of velocity, his breaking ball and the shortage of college starting pitching, Berry could become a quick riser and more of a household name later this spring.

9/2018

One of the top stories of 2018 might be the comeback of Jake Berry, who was diagnosed with cancer early at the end of 2017 / beginning of 2018. Berry missed his spring with Bishop O'Connell going through treatment but ended the spring cancer free. he recently made his return to the diamond towards the end of this summer. Great to see that he is back on the diamond.

A tough 2017 for this top player out of Northern Virginia. Injuries have limited his time out on the mound this year although the talented pitcher out of Bishop O'Connell has been able to make a few impressive appearances. Another injury this fall during basketball season hopefully will not slow him down for the upcoming 2018 spring. The injury bug does cause a bit of concern, but this top youngster could quickly make another climb as he stays healthy.

6-foot-7 200-pounds. Normally sits in the 82-85 range but has revved it up to 87. Simple delivery with fluid tempo. Rotates during lift to balance and reaches with lead foot down hill. Lands slightly closed with a quiet finish. Clean arm action throwing from a high three-quarter slot. Has potential for more usage of lower half in his extremely projectable body. Pitches with light effort making for a very exciting young prospect.