Although he was expected to be a key cog for the Elk Grove High School football team, Jake Rodriguez is surprised he doesn't miss the game as much as he thought.
As a sophomore running back, Rodriguez was the second leading rusher (106 carries, 695 yards, two touchdowns) for a Thundering Herd team that went 12-1.
But Rodriguez decided to bypass football this season to focus on baseball, his first love.
Rodriguez has been a varsity starter since his freshman year, made The Bee's All-Metro first team as a sophomore last spring and recently helped the United States 16-and-Under National Team win the gold medal at the COPABE "AA" Youth Pan American Championships in Veracruz, Mexico.
Rodriguez batted .394, drove in 13 runs, played flawlessly at third base and was a team captain.
"When I got back, I was able to start fall (baseball) and to play games," Rodriguez said. "I was at the football game Friday night (Sept. 26 vs. Inderkum), and I was surprised I wasn't missing it as much as I thought I would."
The 5-foot-9 Rodriguez says he is working in the weight room and doing drills to improve his speed. He's already verbally committed to Oregon State but by the time he is a senior he could be a top major-league prospect.
But his biggest goal now is to get the Thundering Herd back to the Sac-Joaquin Section D-I championship game. Elk Grove won three consecutive section titles from 2005 to 2007 before Jesuit dethroned the Herd last spring.
"We want to win section, but we know that Jesuit is going to be a tough team to beat this coming season," said Rodriguez, who expects to play shortstop and pitch. "But I really expect us to have a good season.
"This was the best summer team I've been a part of since the eighth grade - performance-wise and as far as team chemistry."
