Grant Jay batting. Photo by Holden McBerty (University of Memphis).
COTUIT, Mass. – The Cape Cod Baseball League is the best summer ball league in the world, so when players around the nation flock to the Cape in early June, everyone is ecstatic to see the rosters. Every team is loaded, but just like college ball, some names stand out amongst the rest. One of those names is the Cotuit Kettleers catcher, Grant Jay (Dallas Baptist).
Jay has plenty of hype to his name, and it was warranted based on what the DBU backstop had done in his college career thus far.
In his two years with the Patriots, Jay batted .309 to go along with 42 home runs, 119 RBI and 72 extra-base hits in 115 starts. Those numbers earned him two consecutive all-conference bids, including the 2023 Conference USA Player of the Year, 2023 Third Team All-American and 2023 Conference USA Freshman of the Year.
So, it was no surprise why there was buzz about his name and scouts were coming out to look at him play. Coming into the season, he had high hopes, but Jay didn’t necessarily have the start he wanted. Through the first three games of the season, the backstop was 0-for-4 and had only started one game.
However, Jay was able to make some adjustments with the help of Cotuit head coach Mike Roberts. Even though it was as little as changing his hand placement while he was at the plate, it made a major difference and has led to Jay becoming one of the more dangerous bats in the Cape Cod League.
“The big thing that coach Roberts tried to help me with is staying looser and more fluid at the plate,” Jay said. “During my entire career, my hands were up by my ears and over my shoulders. So, we dropped them down a bit around my chest to help my swing. I still get a similar swing off, but with the adjustments, I’m set up a lot better and have more adjustability for off-speed pitches and two-strike counts.”
Doing something as little as that may not seem like a big deal. However, it’s allowed Jay to be better at the plate and more comfortable. Since that change, he’s batting over .300 with the second-most home runs and fifth-most RBI in the Cape League.
Another thing that Jay says helps him is constantly having confidence in his ability to hit off anyone.
“This is the best summer league in the world, everyone here can play, but you’ve got to remain confident that you can play well, too, and succeed against anyone,” Jay said. “Everyone has to throw it in that box over the plate, so if I can get everything on time and right, then I’m set up just fine.”
Even though Jay has found a lot of success early in the season, so have his teammates. The Kettleers are now on a five-game winning streak where they have outscored opponents 34-10. During that stretch, the Ketts have seen players like Nathan Hall (South Carolina), Tyler Cerny (Indiana) and Nolan Nawrocki (Clemson) break out and become big-time contributors.
With those players beginning to find a rhythm, along with the bigger bats like Jay, the Kettleers could become a potent lineup that puts up a lot of runs on teams.
“This is probably one of the most talented teams that I’ve ever been on,” Jay said. “We’re all here for a reason: We want to compete. So, when you have like-minded people around you it makes the experience so much more enjoyable. As long as we can continue to keep passing the baton and swinging the bats like we have, then I think we can be an extremely good team.”
Jay and the rest of the Kettleers will try to continue their dominant stretch when they face the Y-D Red Sox on the road Wednesday night. First pitch will be at 5 p.m.
