TCU baseball commit Justin Hackett: ‘The kid from Iowa’
WINTERSET, Iowa (BVM) – TCU baseball commit Justin Hackett knew he wanted to be a Horned Frog soon after going down to Fort Worth, Texas and stepping onto campus at Texas Christian University.
“From an early age, I liked the schools down south in Texas for baseball,” Hackett said. “So when the opportunity blossomed with TCU and I made my unofficial visit there, I got a feeling in my stomach that that was the place for me.”
The Winterset High School ace verbally committed to TCU baseball back in September of 2020. Since then, he has been showing everyone why one of the top college baseball programs in the nation wanted the right-hander on the mound for them.
Hackett has even gotten the attention of MLB scouts. According to prospectslive.com, he is the No. 310 prospect for the 2022 MLB Draft.
“I’ve been blessed to have a handful of opportunities to talk to a handful of different clubs and that really shot up for me after doing the Area Code Games last summer,” Hackett said.
The Area Code Games followed a junior season in which Hackett helped lead the Huskies to a Class 3A Substate 8 Championship and a trip to the IHSAA Class 3A state tournament. He was an offensive force with five home runs, 32 RBIs, an OPS of 1.268 and a batting average of .466. However, it was what Hackett did on the mound that really showcased his talent. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound righty had a 4-3 record with a 2.02 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP and 87 strikeouts in 52 innings of work.
For Hackett, his most recent success in high school and on the national stage comes from the work he has put in over the years. He prides himself on his physical ability to be prepared for the big moments and the mental side of his game, which he believes is one of his best attributes.
“A big part of me that sets me apart from the rest of my competition in the 2022 class and high school in general is that mental side of things,” Hackett said. “I’m a super competitive kid, always been that way. I don’t have to be super loud about it but when I come to the game and am pitching against your team, I’m going to let you know that I’m there and I’m going to go after you right away, early and often with my stuff.”
Along with that confidence, there is a chip on his shoulder from wanting to prove himself at the highest level of the game. When Hackett steps onto the mound, he does so with the knowledge that he represents more than just himself.
“I’m not just some kid from Iowa. I can go out and compete on that national scene and make it very apparent I do belong at that level,” Hackett said.
Hackett is well aware of what he represents when it comes to Iowa baseball and it’s important to him. He spends time working within his community to build up the baseball culture around him and setting the next generation of Iowa baseball players for success by telling them what it takes to reach the level he is at.
It is a job that Hackett saw others do before him when he was a kid. Now that he is making a name for himself within the baseball community, it’s time to give back while also getting people from across the country to pay attention.
“There’s always been a plethora of talent from the state of Iowa but we’re starting to get more recognition on the national scale with guys like Tommy Specht and I,” Hackett said. “It’s wonderful to represent the state and continue to keep the expectation of baseball players from here going strong.”
In Hackett’s case, the player that he remembers looking up to in particular was former Dowling Catholic pitcher and current Baltimore Orioles prospect Carter Baumler.
“I saw what his passion was with baseball and pitching,” Hackett said.
It was watching Baumler that pushed Hackett to fully invest himself into being a pitcher. However, that road to pitching started long before that when Hackett would watch Mariano Rivera pitch for the New York Yankees. Rivera was Hackett’s favorite player and that along with watching his older brother play baseball helped grow his love for the game.
From there, he worked tirelessly to improve his game, grew up fast thanks to his older siblings and by the time he was 14 and 15 years old, Hackett knew he wanted a career in baseball.
“Around 14, 15 years old, I kind of realized,” Hackett said. “Obviously the main reason I play this game is just for the love of it and the passion that I have for it, but it’s something I was going to put my all into to make it a career. Make it something I can live off of in the coming years.
That career is now starting to take off and whether it is at TCU next or in the pros after the draft, Hackett is going to be a lot more than just ‘the kid from Iowa.’
“I’m very thankful to have that opportunity to go out and compete and show everyone what the kid from Iowa can do,” Hackett said.
