Douglas High’s Jackson Ovard delivers a pitch against North Valleys on Saturday in Minden.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
Last week had a few moments Douglas High School senior Jackson Ovard may never forget.
In the fifth inning March 26, trailing 4-1 against Galena, Ovard stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. The second pitch of the at-bat was high and inside and Ovard hit it off the roof of the classroom trailer behind the left field fence.
His first varsity home run – a grand slam – gave the Tigers a 5-4 lead they carried into a 7-4 victory.
Thursday at Damonte Ranch, Ovard took advantage of another 1-0 count and blasted his second homer.
“I've been hitting with my dad and just been working on letting the ball get deep and when they surprise you in, just turn and burn,” said Ovard. “My approach right now is just line drives, line drives, line drives.”
Saturday, Ovard got the nod as the starting pitcher against North Valleys before his dad, Brady, was inducted into the Douglas baseball Hall of Fame.
Ovard tossed five shutout innings with seven strikeouts.
PREP WORK
The Douglas senior is seldom unprepared.
Ovard will head to Feather River College in the fall to play football after earning all-region honors as a junior and a senior.
The time he put in studying tape showed up on the football field as Ovard saw his completions (113), completion percentage (66.5), touchdowns (14), yards (1,665) and quarterback rating (115.9) all increase from his junior to senior year.
He threw fewer interceptions (4), too.
His head coach has seen Ovard’s work ethic translate on the field.
“I think he's a very intellectual player. He's smart, he tries to prepare for the moments ahead of time. So when they come up, he knows what he's supposed to do before hand,” said Douglas football coach Kyle Mays. “I think that's probably the best part about him, because he's just a kid that's just going to do everything he can to try to outwork you.”
On the diamond, it still rings true.
In 170 at-bats over the last three seasons, Ovard is hitting .347 with 15 doubles and 50 RBIs. He has 59 hits in 58 games.
Ovard, who has been asked to take a larger role on the mound, has found some similarities between quarterback and pitcher.
“With my slider, it's very similar to how I throw a football. So, I get a lot of spin on my slider,” Ovard said. “With my two-seam, it's very similar as well. I'm trying to get that run, so you throw it like a football.”
He got 10 strikeouts and nine hits allowed in 12 innings.
(Jackson Ovard (9) passes last fall for the Douglas High football team. Ovard will head to Feather River College to play football in the fall./ Ron Harpin)
‘ALWAYS LOCKED IN’
Ovard said there’s some pressure that’s been released with having college figured out. He doesn’t plan on kicking his feet up, though.
“It doesn't mean to just, you know, be lazy and be like, ‘oh, it doesn't matter’ because we're playing for a regional title and hopefully a state title, so everything matters,” Ovard said Saturday.
The quiet resolve is exactly the kind of leader his coaches have come to expect around the clubhouse.
“He is a quiet and calm leader. He has high expectations for everybody, but out of the entire senior class, he's the one who knows what buttons to press when, for who and what a skill it is to have,” said Douglas baseball coach Jim Tucker. “I think a lot of that comes from the football program and utilizing multi-sport athletes.”
Teachers have seen it in the classroom, too.
“That kid's always locked in. I've got him in the classroom. He's always locked in, he's always paying attention, always doing the right thing,” said Mays. “So it’s no surprise he has success on with the baseball diamond and the football team.”
Ovard had two words for his goals this spring.
“Just win,” said Ovard.
(Tiger quarterback Jackson Ovard, left, looks at a tablet on the sideline during a Douglas football game last fall. / Ron Harpin)