Campbell commit Jackson Humphries won’t get complacent as MLB Draft prospect
Editor’s note: The Cleveland Guardians selected LHP Jackson Humphries with the 241st overall pick in the 8th round of the 2022 MLB Draft on July 18.
FUQUAY-VARINA, N.C. (BVM) – As Jackson Humphries looked to begin his high school baseball career, he was given an ultimatum in order to try out for the team at Fuquay-Varina High School. At the time, Humphries only weighed 100 pounds during the winter of his eighth grade year. He was told that he needed to get up to 140 to have a chance.
From that January to the August of his Freshman year, he gained the 40 pounds he needed.
“I was just bulking up,” Humphries said.
By the beginning of his sophomore season, he put on another 40 pounds to get to 180.
As a freshman, Humphries was throwing in the 70 to 75 mph range. By the time he put on all of the weight for his sophomore year, he was hitting 88 mph.
Not long after that, Humphries received offers from both Campbell University and UNC Wilmington, giving him assurance that he would be able to continue his career past the prep level.
“At that moment, I knew I at least had an option,” Humphries said. “I had an open door to at least get into the world of college baseball.”
At the beginning of his junior year, Humphries wasted no time pledging his future to the Fighting Camel baseball program.
I am blessed to announce that I am continuing my academic and athletic career at Campbell University! Thank you Coach Boraski, Coach Hoop, and my family and teamates for helping me get to the next level. @GoCamelsBSB @FVBaseballCoach @5StarCarolina @PrepBaseballNC pic.twitter.com/aVZS7DiACa
— Jackson Humphries (@JacksonHumphri3) August 3, 2020
“The coaching staff is awesome,” Humphries said. “That same day they offered me, I was set. Like two minutes after the call, we were like, ‘Alright, there it is.’”
Now a senior, the lefthander stands at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds. The hardest he has thrown to date: 97 mph.
The feat could not have come at a better time, as Humphries hit it during a bullpen in front of a handful of pro scouts.
“A Padres scout was like, ‘Yeah, you were at 96.1 four times and then you hit 97.1 twice,’” Humphries said. “I didn’t even know it. I obviously had adrenaline running that day.”
Any southpaw with that type of velocity will receive some national attention and Humphries is no exception. On Prospects Live’s 2022 MLB Draft Big Board, he ranks No. 143, setting him up for a decision on what route he will go.
“Whatever I choose, I’m 100% committed to that,” Humphries said. “It all comes down to what will be the best fit.”
If Humphries does wind up playing college ball in Buies Creek, he knows that he is going to a program that can produce top-tier talent, as current players Zach Neto and Thomas Harrington could see their names called in the first round of this year’s draft.
“They help each other,” Humphries said. “The pitching staff there and the coaches know what they’re talking about. It’s just good for the program.”
While it is easy for a player in Humphries position to get ahead of themselves, he is making sure he maintains the same desire that led him to putting on 80 pounds in the span of two years.
“Whatever happens, you can’t be complacent,” Humphries said. “There’s hundreds of people better than me that are working when I’m not, so I have to have that mentality to get better every day.”
