Drew Jrolf’s high school baseball career is in limbo like so many others in Hillsborough County and all over the country due to the coronavirus. The Riverview senior standout may have played his last game for the Sharks as he awaits the county’s decision on whether the postponed season will continue.
The first baseman comes from a baseball family. His older brother played for Newsome, and in November, Drew signed a full-ride scholarship to play college baseball at the next level for the same school that his father, Tony Jrolf, played second base for, Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, Missouri.
Tony played Independent League baseball and he was the president of the East Bay Little League for several years.
“To be honest, I was completely shocked when MCC-Maplewoods was his selection,” said Tony. “I didn’t push in any direction at all, so what makes me the most proud was that he was able to process all the offers he had and selected the one that made the most sense to him. Seeing him run onto the field wearing the same #16 jersey I wore will be an incredibly special moment.”
Drew also plays for former Tampa Bay Devil Rays pitcher Seth McClung’s AAU team, the Florida Gulf Coast Prospects. According to Drew, the team goes on a trip to West Virginia every summer, where they do community service at the local little leagues. He says that playing for the former major league player has helped him in so many ways.
“He teaches a whole different level of baseball. He knows the game really well,” said Drew. “He teaches us the right way to play, and how to be a better person as well.”
The Sharks were on a hot streak before the hiatus, winning four times in a row. Drew was batting .273 nine games into the season. He’s staying in shape, working out in his garage and hitting off the tee as much as he can while hoping for another opportunity to help lead his team to one last playoff run with his fellow seniors.
The players are not allowed to work out with their club teams or the high school varsity team during the hiatus with facilities being closed. Regardless of what the county decides, Drew’s baseball career isn’t over.
“It means a lot to me that I am able to continue our family legacy, playing for the same coach that my dad played for and hopefully getting to play at the next level after college as well,” said Drew.
