Jake McCartney ready to continue improvement with Cardinals before heading to Youngstown State

Mentor’s Jake McCartney hits a pitch against Solon on April 26. (Paul DiCicco – for The News-Herald)

Jake McCartney has been a big hitter for Mentor the past two seasons with six home runs and 34 runs batted in. He led the News-Herald in coverage last season with three home runs and led the Cardinals with 21 RBIs.

The first baseman’s continued progression at the plate attracted college attention while playing with Mentor and the T3 Warhawks on the summer circuit. The new senior will continue his academic and athletic career at Youngstown State.

When he was looking to recruit, McCartney knew he wanted to go to a place where he could make an impact once he got on campus. Finding the right fit on and off the field was very important to him when choosing a college.

“Youngstown State was the right choice for me because of the environment, not only the baseball team but the campus,” McCartney said. “Their baseball team, when I went to see them this spring, had a great energy and that’s what really stood out to me.”

Although he has already laid out his plans, McCartney knows there are still some areas of his game he needs to improve before moving on to the college level. While he is comfortable as one of Mentor’s most powerful hitters, he knows it will be important to be more consistent at the plate at the next level.

He led the Cardinals in doubles last season with seven and McCartney is comfortable in the middle of the batting order. But he’s aware he could hit in a variety of positions in the Penguins’ batting order and he wants to be comfortable in those situations.

“There’s a lot of things to improve on, because nobody’s perfect, including myself,” McCartney said. “But the thing that stands out the most is speed. I’d like to get faster and stronger.”

McCartney was also instrumental in Mentor’s recovery last year. After a second-round exit from the 2023 playoffs, the Cardinals have started their 2024 campaign strong, winning 15 of their first 17 games.

Mentor shared the GCC championship with Strongsville and advanced to a district semifinal before being upset by Dover.

McCartney said they have the pieces to build on their strong season, but they have big holes to fill with the departures of Nick Square, Peyton Zupancic and Ben Pierce, among others. He’s excited to take on one of the Cardinals’ leadership roles and continue to help the team become one of the consistent contenders in Northeast Ohio again.

“The way we’re going to build on that is simple, we have to work together as a team and nobody can be selfish,” McCartney said. “As long as we do that, it’s hard to beat a team with good chemistry.”