C.R. Prairie grad Jackson Nove part of Kentucky baseball team that’s in College World Series for first time

CEDAR RAPIDS — There’s a sort of irony surrounding kids from the Midwest who choose to play college baseball in the South.

Their decision to do so makes total sense from a practical, weather standpoint. They get tons more opportunities to train and be outside than they would at home in the offseason, get to play games during the season in much warmer conditions.

Yet in the end, their goal always is to get back home, so to speak. Which is exactly the way things have worked this season for Jackson Nove.

The Cedar Rapids Prairie graduate is a junior lefty relief pitcher for a University of Kentucky team that has qualified for the Men’s College World Series for the first time. The Wildcats play their first game Saturday afternoon at 1 at Omaha’s Charles Schwab Field.

“It’s awesome, one, just getting to experience baseball in Omaha. But also just getting to be a piece of something that has never been done here,” Nove said earlier this week before his team traveled to Nebraska. “So it’s really surreal, hasn’t even set in yet. You get over all the adrenaline, the rush of winning the game on Sunday. Then you flip around, we’ve got practice today, we leave tomorrow. So it’s moving fast. But it’s awesome.”

Kentucky takes a 45-14 record to Omaha, winning all five of its postseason games thus far: three in the regional tournament and two over Oregon State in a super regional. Coach Nick Mingione has done a marvelous job since taking over the program in June 2016, leading it to super regionals twice and now the CWS.

Nove pitched two-thirds of a scoreless inning in the regional clinching win over Indiana State and two scoreless innings in the first super regional win over Oregon State. He has thrown in 26 games this season, second most on the team.

“In the beginning of the year, having the mindset of being in whatever role they gave me (was important),” he said. “I’ve had some long relief outings, I’ve had some closer outings, just being a fireman who comes in and gets an out or two. I feel like it’s really kept me on my toes and given me the ability to do whatever job the coaching staff wants me to do. Which is awesome. There’s a lot of trust built into that.”

Nove has a 1-0 record, two saves and 5.26 earned run average overall. He has allowed just 24 hits in 29 2/3 innings, with 20 walks and 41 strikeouts.

He said he feels good about where he is at as his team plays its most important games of the season.

“I would say I definitely had a rough stretch from the middle toward the end of the season, where I wasn’t pitching my greatest,” Nove said. “But I feel like just these past couple of weeks, not throwing for a little bit, not having a bad outing, having a bullpen to help me get back to the early part or middle of the year where I was throwing really well ...

“It’s been a little bit of up and down, but at the end of the day, if I’m out there to get outs and getting them, it doesn’t really matter what the stats say. If we are winning games, and I’m doing my job, that’s all I care about.”

Nove pitched in 15 games as a freshman in 2022 and 18 last season, all out of the bullpen. He said his fastball velocity has climbed from the high-80s to low-90s during his time in Lexington, and he has improved his offspeed offerings.

He has loved every minute of his time at Kentucky, loved every minute of competing in the best college conference in college baseball: the SEC.

“As a freshman, it’s a little bit of a reality check. You get slapped in the face,” he said. “But it’s been awesome.”

Nove said he’d just spoken with his mother and expects at least 25 family and friends to be in Omaha for Saturday’s game. Western Dubuque grad Calvin Harris was part of a University of Mississippi team that won the Men’s College World Series two years ago.

Could there be another local/area kid who becomes a national baseball champion?

“Coach always says obviously the goal is to get to Omaha, but it’s not the end goal,” Nove said. “You don’t just want to make it, you want to win the whole dang thing.”

Comments: jeff.johnson@thegazette.com