Saint Joseph infielder Jack Kane hit .428 in 43 games as a freshman. (Saint Joseph Athletics)
Jack Kane grew up a long fly ball away from the University of Saint Joseph campus, making about a 10-minute drive across his hometown of West Hartford, Conn., to continue his baseball career in college.
It didn’t take long for Blue Jays coach Adam Goss (Waterford, Conn.) to recognize that he wanted to recruit the infielder from nearby Conard High School hard, but the moment that sealed the deal was actually a long fly ball hit in Massachusetts.
“We saw him (while playing for the Connecticut Capitals) up at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough,” Goss remembered. “Jack was playing on Field 1 and he absolutely demolished a ball into the trees in left field. I texted Brian Mazella that day, and said, ‘Jack Kane needs to be a Blue Jay. … I never want to rush someone through the recruiting process, but I knew all along that he would be a natural fit.”
The rest is history. In just a year’s time since Kane’s arrival, his impact on the budding program has been instrumental.