Over the last two seasons for Hoquiam baseball, senior lefthanded pitcher Skyler Jump was one of the team’s aces and he enjoyed the fruits of the HHS program’s labors with a state 1A championship and a state runners-up trophy.
In early November, Jump accomplished two events that will mark his future in baseball. The first came when he signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.
The second was a four-hour surgical procedure — Tommy John and nerve readjustment surgery — on his left arm that will effectively end his high school playing career.
To Jump, it was the right time to get the surgery and to sign to play collegiately.
“One of the things I wanted to get settled was where I was going to go to college before I had the surgery,” Jump said last week. “It enabled me to have piece of mind and not worry about what was going to happen afterward.”
There is a scar down his left elbow, as well as scar marks on his forearm for the ligament used in the Tommy John surgery, as a souvenir for the procedure. The surgery has a one-year recovery time, which will allow him to be ready to play his freshman year at Liberty in 2018, but not ready for this spring’s high school season.
“It is getting better now,” Jump added. “It is nice to have a full range of motion. After I threw, I wouldn’t be able to extend my arm or even get it to a 90 degree angle. Now, I can move it. I just need to be patient during rehab and not throw too much.”
Jump noted that he injured the elbow pitching in the Roger Jump Babe Ruth Tournament following Hoquiam’s state 1A title win last year. During a pitch, Jump felt a pop come from his elbow. After two more pitches, he left the game.
“I had eight college scouts come and watch me earlier in the tournament and there were scouts from the (Colorado) Rockies and the (Oakland) A’s there,” Jump said. “I threw well on that Friday. I came off one day of rest and tried to throw in the championship game (on Sunday). I was doing well and just wanted one more inning. It was from overuse, not getting enough rest. As time went on, it felt better. I went through my entire junior year like that, icing it and putting ointment on it when I pitched.”
Jump threw once a week during the 2016 baseball season and was able to guide Hoquiam back to the state 1A title game, where it lost to Vashon Island, 10-6, in May. In his Hoquiam career, Jump finished with a 17-4 record, a 1.33 earned run average with 204 strikeouts and only 88 hits given up. He was the winning pitcher in Hoquiam’s state 1A title-game win over South Whidbey.
After several visits to doctors during and after his junior season, Jump learned he needed Tommy John surgery, as well as a procedure to readjust a nerve in his elbow. Some schools that were chasing Jump stepped away when they learned of the injury. Most schools, like Liberty, stayed.
“Most of them were OK with that; Liberty’s pitching coach (Bryant Gaines) had Tommy John surgery before and knew what it took to get back,” Jump said. “Other schools believed I would recover fully. When I realized that I wanted to travel and to move out of the Northwest, I opened myself up to other schools and it worked out.”
At Liberty, Jump will receive a 61-percent athletic scholarship to attend the predominantly Christian liberal arts school. Last year, the Flames finished with a 31-28 record, 12-12 in the Division I Big South Conference. New head coach and Liberty alum Scott Jackson has stepped into the program after several years at the University of North Carolina.
“Skyler is first and foremost a team player, and always thinks team before himself,” HHS head baseball coach and Skyler’s father Steve Jump said. “Coaches who have not seen him pitch are instantly tuned in to his confidence on the mound and intensity. Supported by some talented teammates, Skyler helped us reach the state championship game two years in a row.
“He has always wanted to play college baseball at the Division I level and now he has to challenge himself to have the same impact at Liberty University that he did at Hoquiam. Coach Jackson and Coach Bryant at Liberty University have been so supportive of Skyler and we know he is in good hands. We are very proud of him. He has always had an adventurous spirit and we are excited for his east coast experience.”
Academically, Jump was looking for an architecture program, but will study business engineering or business management at Liberty. Athletically, Liberty hit all of his marks on what he was looking for to continue his baseball career.
“The facilities are super nice, the players were great and I connected with the coaching staff,” Jump said. “The first time I got there (in late September), it felt like Washington. It is very picturesque. I told the coaches I didn’t want to commit while I was on campus. I did that my freshman year at (Washington State) and that didn’t turn out that great.
“(Division I) is where I wanted to go,” he added. “The team has a ton of athletes and I believe I can compete with them. I can play at that level. I believe I can step up my game there.”
Rob Burns: (360) 537-3926; rburns@thedailyworld.com; Twitter: @RobRVR
