Making the transition from chasing down wide receivers to chasing down line drives may seem difficult, but for Jacob Hannemann it’s all about the love of both games.
“Baseball is more relaxed, but I have the same mindset going into both sports before a game…just to compete and do my best,” Hanneman said, “I love them both and enjoy them both in different ways.”
Being a dual athlete may be challenging, and Hannemann hardly gets a break, but his football skills come in handy on the diamond whether he’s legging out a triple or running down fly balls.
“He’s a defensive back so they’re extremely good with their feet and that helps a lot in the outfield…because he’s so fast and his feet are so good from football,” Jaycob Brugman, a baseball teammate, said.
After getting back from his LDS mission just 8 months ago, Hannemann has jumped right back into both sports.
“(I’m) trying to get back to where I was at before my mission. Baseball-wise I just need to be more consistent,” Hannemann said, “But I’m getting back; I’m learing a lot from Coach Littlewood and the coaching staff here. They’re teaching me a lot of things that I didn’t know before.”
Hannemann is one of 3 Cougars who was drafted out of high school. Although the Kansas City Royals were a tempting offer, he chose to put pro life on hold in order to serve his LDS mission and defend the Cougar endzone at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
