Hughesville grad Jacob Corson has made big impact for Bucknell’s baseball team

It was strange for Hughesville's Jacob Corson two springs ago when the COVID-19 pandemic first started. The PIAA canceled spring athletics, so he wasn't able to practice and play baseball with the Spartans.

For Corson, baseball's a sport he's grown to love over his life. So the thought of not being able to play for a season was tough for him to adjust to. There was the Hughesville Tri-Town League in late May, however, which gave Corson some live games and reps.

"At least getting to play in the summer and do baseball-specific stuff was good," Corson recalled. "It was hard to practice base running and picking pitches up, intricacies of the game like that. … Not playing until late May is something I've never done, so that was really weird and an adjustment to find things during the heat of the pandemic and quarantine to stay game ready. That was definitely a challenge because there weren't a whole lot of opportunities."

But that lost season never deterred or derailed Corson from his ultimate goal: playing at the next level. Corson played in the Tri-Town League that spring and summer and by the fall, he was at Bucknell.

Now, two years later, Corson is not only playing at Bucknell for the Bison's baseball team, but excelling as he does it.

Corson has been nothing shy of outstanding for Bucknell. He's second on the team as a sophomore with a .329 batting average and has an .894 OPS. He also has started every game between his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Not bad for a player who had a season taken away due to the pandemic. And now, Corson and Bucknell are playing in the Patriot League semifinals today, hosting Lehigh in a best-of-3 semifinal series. It's also the first time Bucknell has hosted a playoff game in baseball since 2014. That was the last time Bucknell won the Patriot League championship game and went to the NCAA Tournament.

"It's been a fun year. We had a good group of guys and I think we knew as soon as last season ended that we had a good portion of team back and we just jelled really well," Corson said. "We love going to the ballpark every day and working, and I think that kind of team chemistry and brotherhood is important and trusting with one another.

Corson recently was named to the Patriot League second-team as a third baseman, a switch he made this year. Corson played well last spring as a freshman left fielder, but the coaching staff decided to make a switch and move him to the infield. For Corson, that wasn't a tough adjustment at all. The former Spartan was a utility player with Hughesville, playing anywhere that was needed and doing well at each position he had to play.

"I kind of came into Bucknell as a little bit of a utility player. I knew there'd be a chance of moving around. Left field was the option last year that made sense for the team and I thought it went well, but at the end of the season, I was told to be prepared to make a transition into the infield," Corson said. "It's gone well and the coaches have done well in getting me acclimated."

Corson plays well defensively, and it's a big reason the Bison are 19-23 and a series win away from advancing to the Patriot League semifinals. Offensively, in addition toa solid .329 batting average, the Hughesville graduate also has 47 hits, 24 runs scored, tied for a team-high with 12 doubles, and has 29 RBIs, second most on the team.

When asked whether he was surprised that he had success right away last year as a freshman -- starting all 29 games in the outfield and hitting .269 -- Corson said he wasn't that surprised. After all, he knew what he was capable of, and that includes fielding and hitting.

"It was kind of cool,I'll admit, to start my career," Corson said with a laugh. "I believed I could hit, I felt comfortable going into the fall and hopefully being in a position for a sport. Really the whole thing was just play my game with my approach and, fortunately, I got a little success right off the bat.

"It gave me confidence down the stretch. I wasn't stressing about being in the lineup. It was really big for me, and I think that confidence in being comfortable has kind of carried over. Last year was a lot of fun and it's a blessing and I'm fortunate to play as soon as I got here."

The biggest adjustment Corson had to get used to was the pitchers in the Patriot League. The former Spartan went from facing pitchers who maybe had two pitches in their arsenal in high school to guys who had three, four, even five at their disposal and solid control of the ball.

"Seeing guys who have that many different pitches that break (was tough), I'll be honest. I think Hughesville did a great job. The coaching staff with coach (Chris) Kish is one of the best in the area. They did a great job preparing me and coach Kish on the side going into the 2020 summer, we worked a lot 1 on 1, and I think that definitely helped," Corson said.

Going to Bucknell was a blessing for Corson he admitted and baseball has always been his passion. So to play at the next level in college at a Division I program is a dream for Corson.

"I knew trying to play at the highest level in college was something I wanted to do at a pretty young age, so it's neat to come full circle a little bit," Corson said. "It's been an awesome experience. Baseball's gotten to show me stuff and take me all over the country. I've been very fortunate, very grateful for what it's given me so far. Hopefully there's more after college for me."

Corson isn't looking too far down the road, however. He knows there's still plenty of games at Bucknell to be played as a junior and senior, and right now, next up is Lehigh today. But getting to this point isn't the goal for Corson and his teammates. It's just the first step to a larger one.

"Hosting a playoff game and getting to playoffs was awesome. That's a step in the right direction for the program here, but we want to get to regionals and get a ring," Corson said. "So we're excited for the opportunity we have to accomplish those goals."