Experience is something that never hurts, whether accomplishing things in life or on the mound competing for your powerhouse program. Junior right-handed pitcher Nelson Hayes has used and applied his lessons learned throughout the years to help put his team in prime position to make school history this postseason. 

The team is eyeing winning 32 consecutive DCIAA conference titles and repeating as champions in the state tournament for the first time in Jackson-Reed baseball’s program history. As the postseason began on May 2 with a 21-0 DCIAA first round win over Coolidge High School, although the job is not finished, Hayes has excelled in moments given to him through handling challenges. 

This season, he’s proven to himself, his team, and outsiders that he is an ace pitcher only as a junior while securing an early commitment after his sophomore season to Division I Georgetown University.  

“My success this year stems from experience, this is my third year on varsity and each year I’ve tried to hone in on my craft and learn the most I can from the older guys I’ve played with,” said Hayes. “Seeing so many talented hitters over my high school career has helped me learn how to read swings and learn how to think like a hitter and exploit their approaches at the plate.” 

“Confidence has also been huge, believing that you can keep a good team scoreless and go five-plus innings makes things a lot easier,” he said. 

In the regular season, Hayes sat second amongst the team in innings pitched at 30 ⅔ frames and led his team in strikeouts at 50 total. Additionally, he held opposing teams to only one run a game at a 1.37 clip, as they got base hits 17 percent of the time in plate appearances. 

Six out of eight games he appeared in have been against tough regional private schools. He went four or more innings in games versus St. Albans, DeMatha, James Madison and Landon then struck out 32 batters. He also surrendered just four walks and allowed an average one run through those starts. In his game against Madison he captured his single game career high in strikeouts at 10 batters. 

”We are not surprised he is having the season he is having. We knew he was going to be one of our top arms this year and he had to step up and carry that role,” said head coach Robinson Mateo. “He has stepped up to that “ace” roll even though we don’t like using that word, we have a strong pitching staff and we match our pitchers depending on the opponent.” 

“However, Nelson has grown a lot since his freshman year not only on gaining a few more miles per hour on his pitches but also learning how to pitch and developing a really good arsenal,” added Mateo. “He has been working really hard this year and has allowed [pitching coach] Kelli Jenkins to help him with his pitching routine.”

As echoed by his head coach, Hayes’ performance and number have improved since the first time he took the hill in a varsity game. As a freshman he allowed an average of four runs a game in limited appearances. Then he brought this metric down to three in a more essential role: like a one hit five inning relief effort in the 2024 state championship victory, or being credited with a win to extend JR’s conference dynasty to 31 years. Those are all moments that have built Hayes into the player he is today. Now with two years underneath his belt he sits at just one run allowed in his current role. 

“Players like Nelson who are committed to the game and have such an incredible work ethic are naturally going to progress and have those “big jumps.” He’s always doing something whether it’s working on his mechanics, developing another pitch or helping out a teammate,” said Jenkins. “I never have to worry about him standing around with nothing to do, if anything I’m constantly having to tell him to slow down and take it easy.” 

The work he’s put in draws back to becoming a student of the game. Over his three years the game of baseball has taught him the importance of consistency and that the path to success isn’t a straight line. He recounts this to pitch speed, and how frustration about production of pitches is easy to get caught up in. 

“The path isn’t always linear, for example I went from throwing 81 to 87 mph freshman year as a 14 year old. I thought each year I would continue to increase by a similar amount, but when I didn’t I was disappointed as I was working really hard in the weight room to be able to,” he said. “But what I’ve realized is that being consistent in the weight room, analyzing my mechanics, and running have helped me with staying healthy and making gradual progress as I hit 90 this season. three mph in three years might not seem like much but it taught me that true development takes time.”

Jenkins said Hayes expresses a true love for the game and like any competitor wants to be at his best each outing through preparation. 

“He stands out with his pitch velocity and being able to maintain that deep into games, but I’ve really challenged not only him but all our pitchers on the staff to develop all parts of their game and not just a number on a radar gun. I joke with them that I don’t care how hard they throw ball four. I don’t care if you’re hitting upper 80’s but can’t throw it for a consistent strike,” added Jenkins. “For Nelson his feedback has been about developing his other pitches and increasing his comfort in using them in games more often. He’s extremely coachable and it’s made my job easy.”

While every player has individual goals they also hold cohesive team ones. For Hayes and his teammates, that is winning championships and cementing themselves into 90 years of JR history. •