Jake, Mac Harris cherishing year together
An Eastern Michigan signee, Harris takes pride in the culture and tradition that lies within the Admirals’ storied history.
As a senior captain, it is his duty to pass on
that appreciation and responsibility to the younger generation.
And this season, one member of that generation lives in the same house: his brother Mac, a Farragut freshman.
“I don’t really truly see myself in a leadership role — just a guy hanging with his friends, having a good time,” Jake said. “I’ve had a lot of experience in Farragut, and I think some younger guys lean on me, and I love doing it. My little brother is a freshman, so every opportunity I get, I try to give him as much knowledge as I can.”
The brothers may be different ages, but they share the same position: catcher.
Jake Harris has grown quite used to the position through the years, having established plenty of routines and favorite pitches along the way.
During pregame, he eyes the ball with even sharper focus than usual, doing anything he
can before he steps behind the plate or to it for an at-bat.
Once Harris descends into his crouch, he is prepared to catch anything that comes his way — though there are a few favorites.
“An 0-2 curveball, when the pitcher lands it, is pretty good,” he said with a smile. “As a hitter it’s one of my least favorites. But it depends on the pitcher because a lot of guys are really good with their curveball. But then you’ve got a guy like Travis Brummitt, whose changeup is really elite.”
That approach has rubbed off on Mac Harris, who noted the advice he has received from his older brother.
“It’s really about the mental toughness,” Mac said. “He tells me you have to be a dog back there, be a brick wall and get to every ball and not let one past. It’s crazy how he moves behind the plate and gets to everything. Sometimes I’ll ask him what he sees or how he did something and he’ll give me the answer.”
The same goes for Jake with Mac, swapping tidbits as they go through warmups or ride home together each afternoon.
“We do a lot of the skill
work together, ride to practice together, ride home together,” Jake said. “We can talk
about it, and I’ll tell him what he did and how he can improve on it, and he does the same thing with me, like, ‘Hey, you did this really bad today.’ He keeps me humble, which is good.”
“It’s a big responsibility, because I want to be a good older brother,” he added. “But also, it’s a different dynamic because I’m his teammate now. So I want to do everything I can to make his freshman experience as easy and fun as possible.”
