Benton senior left-handed pitcher Jake Croushore will be continuing his baseball career after high school. On Wednesday at Benton Arena, Croushore signed to play baseball for the University of Pine Bluff Lions, making him the eighth and final Panther senior to sign to play at the next level. Croushore is the fourth Panther senior to sign with a Division I school.
“He meant a lot to the team,” Benton Coach Mark Balisterri said. “He didn’t pitch a lot last year (as a junior) so we didn’t really know what to expect. He worked his tail off all year long and his body was in the best shape it’s been his whole career.
“We always knew if he could just settle in and throw strikes and command his pitches, he’d be tough because he had such good stuff. His ball moves a lot, his fastball did, and he had a really good change up and curveball, and he threw a screwball, too. When he commanded his pitches, he was as good as anybody we’ve had.”
Speaking of screwballs, Croushore’s father, Rick, had a pretty good one while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, Colorado Rockies and Boston Red Sox in the late ‘90s and early 2000s.