Unstoppable

 

BASEBALL COACH GEOFF Loomis ’92 has a clear memory of Jake Holcroft’s first hit as a Pilot. It was 2020, and the season opener was against Nevada.

In the first inning, Holcroft jumped all over a fastball and hit a home run.

“I remember I was really nervous heading into the game. My hands were shaking a little bit,” Holcroft says, smiling. “But it was good. It just kind of gave my career some momentum right away.”

It turns out, that was the first hit of many for Holcroft, who in March became the most successful hitter in Pilots history. That’s right: No other player to ever wear a Pilots’ jersey has more hits than Holcroft (who had 309 career hits through the 2024 regular season).

This, of course, includes passing Loomis, who had 211 hits in three seasons (1990–92). Loomis returned to The Bluff in June of 2015 as head coach.

“When I took over the job a few years ago, I looked at the records and most were held by guys that I played with or who played at UP before me,” Loomis says.

“I wanted to see some of these guys (current players) break some of those old records. It’s no surprise that Jake did.”

This has all been a memorable ride for Holcroft, who turned 24 on April 6. He has gone from being the youngest player on the team to the oldest, and in this time has helped with the continued rise of a program that has eclipsed the 30-victory mark in each of the last three seasons (2022–2024).

Holcroft came to The Bluff from Upland, CA, and hit the ground running. That home run in his first game was part of a 15-game stretch in 2020 that saw him hit .484 with 30 hits in 15 games before the season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Holcroft ranked second in the nation in hits and third in batting average among all Division I players.

“He was unstoppable,” Loomis says.

Holcroft says that he’s enjoying his last ride with the Pilots immensely.

“It’s a little bit of an older group, which is nice. You really don’t have to hold guys accountable as much. They’re doing that themselves. It’s a talented group and a fun group to be around.”

Holcroft, a speedy centerfielder, earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration in 2022 and graduated with his MBA in May.

“It has been a great experience coming here. I feel like I have really matured a lot, on and off the field. I know that I am a better person. And a smarter one, too.”

While Holcroft will have exhausted his playing eligibility when this season ends, he hasn’t ruled out coaching in the future.

“I’d like to stay in the game, maybe on the business side and use my MBA for something along those lines,” he says.

On the back wall of Joe Etzel Field, near the main entrance, there’s a series of plaques that honors the members of the Pilots’ baseball Hall of Fame. Loomis has one. It also includes Jason Geis, who was the record holder for career hits (257) from 1989 to 1992.

One day, Holcroft will likely have one as well.

“He is the captain of the team. The guys organically started calling him ‘Cap’ last year,” Loomis says. “He came in at a time when we had a vision of what we wanted to be (as a program). He’s been driving the bus toward that. Jake is the model of what these guys are trying to be.

“He’s the blueprint of where we want to go.”

---

COREY BROCK is a former sports writer for The News Tribune (Tacoma), MLB.com, and The Athletic. He lives in Vancouver with his wife and two children.

Update: Since this story ran in our Summer 2024 issue, Jake Holcroft has accepted an assistant coaching position for Pilots Baseball.