Former Jefferson standout Jake Franklin (Class of 2015) is straight up destroying the baseball right now. In his senior season at Kennesaw State, the first baseman is batting .340 with 3 HR and 14 RBI. He has recorded 9 multi-hit games in 2019 for the Owls, who are 15-14 overall.

Franklin was a 2014 Perfect Game Underclass All-American Honorable Mention, and was the Class 2A Player of the Year and Region 8-AA Player of the Year in a junior season where he hit .423 with 23 RBI. He was an All-Region selection all four years, and left with a .447 batting average and 60 RBI from his time as a Dragon.

Franklin’s Kennesaw State career got off to a slow start, as he saw only limited action as a freshman, batting .233 with 2 HR and 8 RBI in 2016. In his 2017 sophomore campaign, he upped his average to .255, but had no homers and only 7 RBI.

Eager for more playing time, he reached a new level in 2018. As a junior, he hit .282 with 7 HR and 34 RBI, planting himself firmly in the lineup. He added a career-best 10 doubles and a triple, and stole 8 bases. This season has been more of the same, but yet again raising that bar a little higher. He has career numbers of .282-12-63 with 24 doubles, 2 triples, 50 walks, and 16 stolen bases to go with 79 runs scored. A fine fielder, Franklin has a .983 FLD% as well.

Feature Photo by KSU Owls