Can this LSU baseball commit help lead Metrolina Christian to a state title?
Jacob Seamon exudes optimism.
He spent the first 11 years of his life growing up in the Chicago area, and along the way, he became a White Sox fan.
He has stuck with the Chicago baseball team, despite a series of recent seasons when the White Sox lost 100 or more games.
And he still has hope.
“Hey, this could be a big season,” Seamon, a shortstop-outfielder with the Metrolina Christian baseball team, said last week when asked about Chicago’s South Side team. “There are so many young and talented players coming up.”
He stopped, smiled, and added, “What can I say? I’m loyal.”
This loyal, optimistic-about-the-Sox 16-year-old is also among the best high school baseball players in the country.
He recently was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 2 prospect in the Class of 2027. He committed last October to defending NCAA champion LSU and likely will be an early-round pick in the Major League Baseball draft next year as a senior.
“He loves the game,” said Darren Adams, who has been head coach at Metrolina Christian since 2009 and has built the Warriors into an elite high school program.
With players like Seamon and senior pitcher Chase Kiker, a Clemson commit and another favorite of baseball scouts, Metrolina Christian has a 19-1 record.
The Warriors have a big game at home Saturday, facing Charlotte Christian at 1 p.m. in what might be a preview of the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association’s 4A state championship series.
Seamon is a huge part of the Warriors’ success this season. He is batting .516, with seven home runs, 25 RBI and 20 stolen bases.
Baseball America recently named him to the Underclassmen All-America first team.
“It’s always been baseball first for me,” said Seamon, who is 6-5, 200 pounds and also played basketball as a youth.
Giving up basketball to concentrate on baseball
Seamon and his family moved to the Charlotte area about five years ago, and soon after, he gave up basketball and concentrated on baseball. He plays with the South Charlotte Panthers program during the summer.
“I really enjoy the game,” he said. “I think what I like most is the brotherhood.
“On this team, it all starts with the coaches,” he added. “They have a loving attitude, and that’s carried down to our team.”
Seamon said he and his teammates know they are considered the team to beat by most opponents.
The NCISAA’s 4A race is expected to be a battle among the Warriors, High Point Wesleyan, and Charlotte Christian. Wesleyan won the title last year, after Metrolina Christian took the 2024 crown.
“We all know that teams are looking to beat us,” Seamon said. “That just makes us work harder.”
Adams, the Warriors’ coach, said players like Seamon and Kiker have helped the team cope with the pressure.
“They strive for excellence,” he said. “That spreads to the younger players.”
What’s next at LSU — and possibly MLB
Seamon said he saw the same kind of atmosphere in the LSU program.
“When I went to visit, it reminded me of what we have here,” he said. “Coach Jay Johnson and his staff preach development and winning, and they’ve built a program where everyone seems to work together.”
Seamon, who expects to play outfield in college, added, “When you see a program like that, you want to be part of it.”
He was asked about what he’d do if picked in the early rounds of the MLB Draft next year.
“Obviously, I’d look at it,” he said, then added, “but it’d be pretty hard to pass up playing at LSU.”
In the meantime, he is concentrating on Metrolina Christian’s bid to win a state championship.
“Our arms will get better as the year goes on,” he said. “This team will get stronger.”
And he’ll keep the faith with his beloved White Sox.
“Things will be getting better,” he said. “I can feel it.”