2020 Ace to Arizona; Jake Rice drafted by Diamondbacks
Article written by Adam Fine
Jake Rice arrived late to Edenton last year. But his delayed arrival didn’t stop him from winning the Evan’s Pitcher of the Year Award for the Steamers in 2020. Now 11 months later, the Alabama native is one of the newest members of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Rice was selected by the Diamondbacks in the 9th round of this year’s MLB Draft. The 24-year-old graduate transferred from Presbyterian College to Kennesaw State University and put up incredible numbers for the Owls.
However, the draft wasn’t the ultimate goal for Rice early on.
“When I first moved to college I was never a guy that was really too concerned about professional opportunities. My velocity as a freshman and sophomore in college was never good enough to actually play at the next level,” said Rice. “My sights were set on being able to be the best college pitcher I could be.”
Velocity climbed for Rice heading into his junior year at Presbyterian, but an injury to his elbow eliminated his 2019 draft hopes.
Then came 2020 and the coronavirus. Rice’s senior season at Presbyterian was cancelled, but summer ball in Edenton was a chance to get professional looks.
“That’s why I really wanted to play summer ball to get some innings because it could potentially lead to maybe some scouts showing up,” said Rice.
Rice was the number one starter for the Steamers in 2020. He started in both games against the rival Peninsula Pilots in addition to other big league games. Rice struck out 27 batters in 12 innings and had his fastball reach 96 miles per hour. These numbers brought major league scouts to Edenton. Unfortunately, these scouts didn’t pull the trigger. But Rice remained confident that he could play at the next level. This fueled his desire to turn heads at Kennesaw State.
“The whole motivation, the whole time was like, I know at this point in my career, I’m capable of playing at the next level. So, I’m going to do everything I can to continue to prove that to professional baseball teams,” Rice said.
Rice’s numbers reflected his confidence. The southpaw made 13 starts with a 9-2 record and stuck out 79 hitters. Rice also posted a 1.97 ERA which was the second lowest in Kennesaw State history.
These numbers led to sporadic calls from MLB teams throughout the college season. However, when draft day came about in mid-July, Rice wasn’t nervous like many others are when waiting for their name to be called.
“I didn’t really have any problems getting any sleep. I think at this point in my age and my career, I was kind of like, if it’s going to happen it’s going to happen, and if it’s not, it’s not,” Rice said.
At first, Rice thought he would have to wait for the final day of the three-day draft to be selected. But late on day two, he got the call.
“Right at the last second, the Diamondbacks came through with a good opportunity for me and a good offer, and it was the ninth round and they said that they would take me,” Rice said.
Even though Rice was calm during the draft process, that didn’t stop him from understanding how special the moment was for all that he has gone through during his career.
“To hear my name called was something I’ve waited for the last three years and for it to come true and for it to happen right there was very surreal and very rewarding,” Rice said.
Despite moving up in the ranks, Rice isn’t going to let his Edenton experience fade away. His advice to current Steamers share similar intentions.
“Enjoy it. Summer ball is something that you get to do only one time in your life. Enjoy the relationships, the guys can be your lifelong friends. I still keep in touch with a lot of the guys that I played with in Edenton,” Rice said.
Rice is already in Scottsdale Arizona at the Diamondbacks spring training complex and has started to work out with the organization earlier this week. At 24, his arrival might be relatively late for a recent draft pick, but he’s ready to make the most of his time as a professional baseball player just one year after making the most of his time as a Steamer in Edenton.