Edgar Leon has always held Jesus Medina in high regard. From his on-field talents and leadership qualities to the solid B average he maintains in class and all the time he spends doing community service, the Manhattan Center coach has praised Medina as the total package for a student-athlete.
“It’s refreshing,” Leon said. “He’s rare to me.”
Not just rare, but at Manhattan Center Medina is now in a league of his own – the first baseball player to go directly to Division I school in Leon’s 12-year tenure. The 5-foot-9 pitcher/shortstop signed with Sacred Heart of the Northeast Conference on Tuesday.
“It’s been a while, it’s been a long journey to know where I’m headed, where I’m going to play,” said Medina, who is 3-1 on the mound with a 1.85 ERA and is hitting .410 with 20 runs scored, 13 RBIs, two home runs and nine stolen bases. “It’s a great feeling knowing I’m actually going to play college baseball.”
Medina visited the Connecticut school in January and fell in love with the place. The Washington Heights native was taken by the large campus and athletic facilities he said are “an athlete’s dream.” He’s joining a successful program which has reached the NEC championship game each of the last three years, went to the NCAA Tournament last spring and is currently 14-10 in conference play.
He was recruited as a pitcher and infielder, which was one of the reasons he chose the Pioneers and head coach Nick Giaquinto. Other schools, such as George Mason, Wake Forest and St. Peter’s envisioned him as only a pitcher. Medina wanted options and the opportunity to play right away, which Sacred Heart offered.
“That drew me to Sacred Heart,” he said.
It was also closer to home, another factor. His grandmother Maria Rodriguez is sick and Medina wants the opportunity to see her when possible. During the winter, he missed workouts because he had to take care of her as his mother Rosa Rodriguez was working and uncle Ramon Rodriguez was in the hospital.
That selflessness is one of the qualities Leon raved about in Medina. He is part of the Aspira Club at Manhattan Center, a group which helps out in the community at soup kitchens and elderly homes. He also holds an 85 average and scored a 1500 on the SATs.
“Because of the type of individual he is, he represents the school in all facets,” Leon said. “As far as the program is concerned, he’s given it credibility. He helped build it, he helped maintain it and he’s leaving a legacy other guys will now look to follow.”
When told he was Leon’s first player to go straight to Division I, Medina said he hopes he’s a “trend-setter.” He wants to see the current underclassmen, like Jerry Liang, Alex Sanchez and Michael Pena, follow him.
“I think they can accomplish [what I’ve done] or even greater,” he said.
He’s meant a great deal to the program, as its leader and star. He led the Rams to a 12-4 campaign last spring – its best year in some time – and after a slow start has them challenging Norman Thomas and George Washington in Manhattan A East. Medina hopes to extend his high school career as long as possibly, to make a lengthy playoff run.
But when it does eventually end, he will know where he is headed – to play Division I baseball at Sacred Heart – the plan Medina set out for himself years ago.
“As soon as I started playing high school baseball, I already knew what the next level and I was trying to prepare myself for it, try to reach it and I got it,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity. I want to take advantage of it and possibly even go to the next level after that.”