Jake Cave commits to LSU Baseball

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The decision came down to geography, the opportunity to play two positions and, oh, that recent national championship.

Jake Cave, a rising junior at Hampton Christian High, committed Wednesday to play collegiate baseball for 2009 NCAA champion LSU.

Cave, named co-Most Valuable Pitcher earlier this week in the World Wood Bat Association under-16 national championship, said LSU offered him an athletic scholarship that will cover more than 90 percent of the cost to attend the SEC school. The 6-foot-2 left-handed pitcher said he committed within a week of being offered.

"They recruited me at a good time, right after winning a national championship," Cave said. "I'm pumped up about that. And I've always been taught that the further south you play college baseball the better.

"They get 10,000 fans per game, which is the kind of atmosphere I want to play in. And I liked the fact that they recruited me as a two-way player."

It's little wonder LSU would like to use Cave on the mound and in the outfield. He hit .670 (65-for-97) with 11 homers and 71 RBI in 31 games this spring for Hampton Christian.

He went 10-0 on the mound for the Warriors, pitching a four-hitter in their 4-2 win over Carlisle School of Martinsville in the Division III independent schools state championship game. He used his bat, his changeup and his fastball, which tops at 93 mph, to help the Canes' showcase baseball team win the WWBA U-16 national title on Monday.

Cave struck out 18, while allowing only one run in 14 innings, in the U-16 national tournament. He had pitched eight shutout innings for the Canes in the U-17 national tournament the week before, with LSU watching him throughout both tournaments.

Shortly after committing Wednesday, Cave called coaches at the other schools he was considering - Virginia, North Carolina, East Carolina and South Carolina - to inform them he had picked LSU.

It's possible LSU could receive a similar call someday, if Cave is selected in the high rounds of the Major League Baseball draft.

"If I get drafted and get a chance to go professional, that would be cool," Cave said. "But it would take a big amount of money and would be something I'd talk about with my parents.

"If that doesn't happen, I have a backup plan: To play for the best college baseball team in the country."

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