Jarod Yoakam, center, Marysville’s 17U Elite baseball coach, makes a visit to the mound during a recent game against Benjamin Logan. Also pictured are from left, infielders Blake Storr and Trey Storr, pitcher Garrett Seger, infielder Matt Belt and catcher Chase Kilgore. Yoakam has completed his playing career at the University of Cincinnati.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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Former Marysville High School baseball pitcher Jared Yoakam has hung up his glove as far as his playing career.
That doesn’t, however, mean he’s finished with the world of sports.
Yoakam, who graduated this spring from the University of Cincinnati, is currently in his second campaign as the head coach of the Marysville Elite 17U summer baseball team.
He also plans on doing more coaching in the future.
Yoakam, who was a four-year pitcher for the UC Bearcats, will begin his teaching career at Tri-Academy in Marysville this fall. He will also help as a volunteer with the Monarch varsity football team, for which he was a wide receiver during his playing days.
“I have a passion to coach,” said Yoakam, who graduated from UC with a degree in history. “It’s all about building relationships with kids.
“It’s special when you build trust with players and watch them do well.”
Yoakam said many of the skills he learned as a collegiate baseball player will serve him well in the classroom and as a coach.
“What I learned from my college experience was to become as versatile as possible and manage my time,” he said. “It also helped me learn how to battle through adversity.
“It was tough to get back from a road game at 3 a.m. and know you had to get to an 8 a.m. class,” he said. “It taught me a work ethic when it comes to academics and that’s the message I try to pass on to the guys I coach.”
Yoakam had a solid career with the UC Bearcats as he finished No. 2 on the all-time list for pitching appearances.
He appeared in a team-high number of games as both a freshman and sophomore and finished his career by pitching in 97 contests.
Used primarily as a reliever, Yoakam posted a career won/loss record of 13-9.
He finished his senior season with five saves and is fifth all-time on the school’s saves list with 12.
Yoakam drew the attention of several Major League ball clubs, including the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies.
He was not selected in the annual amateur draft earlier this month, but that’s OK with him.
“It was fun to talk to all of the scouts, but I really want to be a teacher and coach,” he said.
Yoakam is continuing his own education even as he prepares for his Marysville classroom and coaching careers.
He will study special education at Urbana University with the intention of becoming an intervention specialist.