Jake Plata Named Head Coach
Plata Named Head Baseball Coach
After Eric Lahetta stepped down as head baseball coach last week to focus on his responsibilities as athletic director for Bryant & Stratton, he didn’t have to look far to find his replacement. Last season’s associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Jake Plata has been named head coach of the B&SC Bobcat baseball program.
“I could not have asked or expected more out of Jake than what we got over the past two seasons.” Said Eric Lahetta, “Jake is an excellent recruiter, an outstanding player development driven coach, and he has built a great network for our guys to get to four-year colleges and universities across all levels. He has been an integral part of the program’s success.”
Plata has been a part of the Bobcat coaching staff from the beginning, standing in the third base coaching box since the Bobcat’s inaugural game at Mercy Health Stadium against Lakeland in the Spring of 2021. “Eric and I have built a great relationship and become really close over the last two years.” Said Plata, “I’m blessed to have had the opportunity to work alongside him, pick his brain, and learn from him.”
With the Bobcats having so much success at the beginning of the program’s history under Eric Lahetta (55-30 record, 2021 OCCAC Champions) one might think messing with the recipe could change the quality of baseball we’ve been seeing on the field, but Lahetta doesn’t think so. “Jake is really passionate about our baseball program and without a doubt he’s the right man for the job. His expectations of our program have always exceeded mine. I think you can expect the Bobcats to be competing for conference championships, and making runs into the postseason for years to come.”
“I am really proud of what we’ve built over the past two years.” Said Plata, “My goal is to continue to build on what we’ve started. B&SC is a junior college where athletes are given a chance to develop in the classroom and on the diamond. They get to play for championships and “level up” to strong four-year programs. Most importantly, we have a lot of fun doing it!”
Plata is a graduate of local Padua Franciscan High School where he was a standout on the diamond setting school records for wins and strikeouts on the mound, and homeruns at the plate. He was named the Plain Dealer Best Of The Best, and an all State Selection his Junior and Senior seasons. He continued his two way excellence at Akron University throwing 27 innings on the mound and having a career that ended with a senior season that finds his name speckling the Zips records. As a senior Jake recorded 75 hits including 11 home runs, and drove in 57 RBI. Single season marks high enough to earn him the Joe Thomas offensive award and supplant his name in Akron Baseball lore. Jake got back on the field as a hitting coach with Case Western Reserve in 2019 helping them to go 24-15, and joined the B&SC staff in 2020. Jake continues to play baseball with the Berea Blue Sox, NABF Champions in 2019 and 2021, and enjoys spending time with his wife and dog on the rare occasions that he isn’t on a baseball field.
Athletic director Eric Lahetta isn’t the only person excited to see Coach Plata take over the baseball program. 2021 OCCAC Player Of The Year Torrey Roper had this to say when asked about his former coach;
“Coach Jake really instilled a more aggressive approach in me to the game with his passionate way of coaching and I love it. That’s the guy you want running your team.” Roper commented later about expectations for the team with Plata as head coach saying “It’s hard to do what this program has done in the first two seasons of its history, but one thing they haven’t done is win a regional and make it to the national championship. I know Coach Jake is looking for those guys to win both as we speak, and I think they can do it.”
Jake Plata has been integral in the success the Bobcats have seen so far, and is the definition of a player’s coach. He is a coach who leads by example expecting nothing of his team that he isn’t willing to do himself. A hardworking and competitively driven individual who wants to win, but wants to see his players win even more. You can see the respect and admiration his players have for him anytime they are on the field. The Bobcats are in good hands with Jake Plata.