There was a silver lining for Y-D in Saturday's loss against Brewster: the return of Jayce Tharnish (University of Kentucky). In 2025, the outfielder was a solid offensive contributor to Y-D, as he posted a .315 batting average and a .339 on-base percentage across 56 plate appearances. One year out, his contact-prone bat and defensive talent made a return to Red Wilson Field.
On Saturday, Tharnish went 1-for-3 with one walk and one RBI, which happened on a base hit to right field that scored Phoenix Call (UCLA) and tallied Y-D’s only run of the game. Today’s performances marked Tharnish’s best offensive showing of the season, as the right-handed hitter holds a .091 batting average across his first 11 at-bats.
“It took some getting used to the first few games,” said Tharnish. “I’m just glad that I was able to execute today.”
Tharnish’s collegiate numbers make today’s offensive performance look routine. In 2026, he was an on-base magnet and power hitter (.351 batting average, .412 on-base percentage, .506 slug). To bring his bat back to life in this game, Tharnish focused on hitting up the middle as he got used to hitting with a wooden bat again.
“Just need to hit [the ball] on the barrel more, but it’s just a minor adjustment,” said Tharnish.
To keep his bat hot, Tharnish plans to practice hitting base up the middle of the field, and to look for ways to get on base as often as possible.
Tharnish, who played right field today, held up his end of the defensive bargain with a diving catch in right-center field to rob Brewster’s Will Baker (Georgia Tech) of a hit in the seventh inning. He broke down his communication with Call in the split second before the catch, who was playing center field at the time of the play.
“I saw [the ball] in the air, and my eyes kind of got big. I knew I could get there, and it was just communication with Phoenix,” said Tharnish. “It was my ball to get, so I just trusted his backup and was able to make a play.”
Now that Tharnish has proven he can be a well-rounded chip on Y-D’s roster this year, what matters is whether he turns his outbreak into consistency. To do that, he has a plan.
“I’m just going to be myself,” he said.
