Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Under first-year head coach Eddie Brooks, George Rogers Clark High School’s baseball team took home a 40th District Championship last season and advanced to the region semifinals. 

With the season less than two months away, the Cards found some inspiration. 

Scott County native Jake Faherty, who pitched at the University of Arkansas and is currently a minor league pitcher in the Miami Marlins organization, spoke to the players on Wednesday, Jan. 29, inside the fieldhouse where offseason training occurs. 

“There is nothing…you could ask him that you’re dealing with that he’s not gone through,” said Coach Brooks, who has known Faherty for several years. “I know you hear from me, but it’s always great to hear from someone else.” 

Faherty, a Great Crossing High School graduate, played for the Razorbacks and was drafted in the 11th Round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft by the Marlins in 2024. 

Last year, while playing for the Jupiter Hammerheads – a Class A affiliate of the organization – he notched his first minor league win and saves while pitching in just eight games. 

Across those eight games, he also struck out 14 batters in just 8.1 innings pitched. 

With spring training around the corner, Faherty himself is preparing for the start of baseball season, too. 

However, when speaking with GRC’s players, he offered some advice. 

He emphasized the importance of mental clarity in balancing school demands and pressures from outside the field. 

“Make sure your head is clear,” he said. “Really organize yourself.” 

He also mentioned the importance of overcoming adversity. 

“It’s not always easy…you just have to accept that you’re going to fail [sometimes], even when things are going great,” Faherty added. “Just kind of flush it and forget about it. Wake up the next day and go back to work.” 

He also mentioned meeting the challenges of playing as the level of competition increases. 

“College guys are a lot more mature [physically] than high school guys, and [in] pro ball – especially from Latin American countries – those guys have been training since ten or eleven years old,” Faherty said. 

Adjusting to other changes – such as implementing the pitch clock – was also mentioned. 

As Faherty—whose fastball has been clocked in the mid-90 miles per hour range—looks forward to his season, so do the Cards, beginning with a matchup against Nicholas County on March 17.