For the love of the game: Post 11’s Jakub Akers ready for one last ride on the diamond

LANCASTER – It will be a full-circle moment for Jakub Akers when he suits up for the Post 11 baseball team during the American Legion State Tournament this weekend at Beavers Field.

Akers, a standout shortstop for the Lancaster baseball team the past two seasons, and playing summer baseball for Post 11, will be playing in the final games of his career, so it will certainly be a bittersweet moment for him.

Akers fell in love with the game of baseball at an early age. Before he could even walk, he had a plastic bat in his hands, and once he could swing it, that’s all he did. He wasn’t like most kids who watched cartoons, instead, he watched baseball.

“When I was 10 months old I had a plastic bat and a rubber ball and my parents said I would hit for hours every day,” Akers said. “When I was little, the only thing I watched on TV was baseball. When I was old enough, I started playing T-ball, but that became boring quickly and I was excited to move up to coach-pitch, even though I was a year younger than the rest of the kids. I just had a love for the sport, and I am so happy that I am still playing. I’m cherishing every moment.”

Post 11 will play its first game in the double-elimination state tournament at 11 a.m. Saturday.

More: Post 11 gains redemption, punches ticket to the American Legion State Tournament

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Akers has been a mainstay for Post 11, playing shortstop and third base. He continually makes outstanding plays in the field and is solid at the plate.

“Jakub’s play in the field and at the plate, speaks for itself,” Post 11 coach Dana Rowland said. “He is an outstanding shortstop. There is no place on the diamond that I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting Jakub at. As good as he is on the field, the thing that makes him stand out above a lot of guys, is he is one of the fiercest competitors that I have ever been around. The kid is hungry to win, to play well, and will do everything he can to help this team win.”

Making the move to Lancaster to play for Coach Conn

Akers attended Berne Union schools up to eighth grade before transferring to Lancaster High School his freshman year. He hated leaving his friends, but he wanted to challenge himself with tougher competition, and one of the main reasons was that he wanted to play for Lancaster coach Corey Conn.

Akers already knew several Lancaster players because he played summer baseball with them. After hearing them talk about how Conn runs his program, Akers was sold. His parents agreed, and he open-enrolled to play for the Golden Gales.

“Playing at Berne Union, it’s a much smaller school than Lancaster and I knew it would be a step up in competition, but that’s what I wanted,” Akers said. “Playing with the Lancaster guys in the summer, I knew I could hold my own, and the fact that I played with those guys made the transition smooth. We all made each other better. It was the best decision I ever made.”

As luck would have it, Akers’ freshman season was wiped out because of COVID. Heading into his sophomore year, he played jayvee but was called up to start at shortstop near the end of the season when starting shortstop Tony Falvo was injured.

Akers played well enough to earn the coaches’ respect and confidence, and he became the starter his junior season and never looked back, as he was thankful to play under the tutelage of Conn.

“Coach Conn just instilled discipline in us and to respect the game,” Akers said. “Just the little things like running on the field, never taking the game for granted, always trying to put us in a position to succeed, playing your hardest, and not to give up, regardless of the situation. The competition that he set for us, everything we did was a competition, even in the classroom, and I loved that. He just found ways to always make you better. I learned so much from coach Conn and I am so glad I got the opportunity to play for him.”

This past season, Akers earned second team All-Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division and honorable mention All-Central District as the Gales finished 18-8 and second in the league.

Conn said Akers played hard and was consistent day in and day out.

“Jakub is just a hard and consistent worker,” Conn said. “Sometimes you take for granted the consistency that he had, but he showed up every day and you knew he was going to work and leave it all on the field. He made so many plays for us the last couple of years, but more than anything, you knew he was going to be the same person every day and you knew exactly what you were going to get out of him.

“He played the game the right way and he wants to win. He has that competitive drive. He wants to do his best, and he brings a lot of different intangibles, whether, that’s leadership, defensively, offensively, having great at-bats, and great instincts on the bases. It was nice to be able to write his name in the lineup every day. He is a guy you want on your side.”

Akers knows his time playing the game he loves is quickly ending, but regardless of if he is playing or not, he can take solace in knowing that he gave everything to the game.

“I will miss playing, but looking back, I know I enjoyed every second of it and don’t regret anything,” Akers said. “I was proud to play for Lancaster baseball, with all my teammates and will always cherish those memories.”

Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @twil2323.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: For the love of the game: Post 11’s Jakub Akers ready for one last ride on the diamond