Norwin grad bounces back with Gold Glove season for Seton Hill

One way to put a substandard season behind you is to follow it with a more catchy year.

That is what Jack Whalen did this spring with Seton Hill baseball.

“Jumpin Jack” got his flash back, canvassing the outfield and delivering clutch hits from the leadoff spot.

The rising senior center fielder out of Norwin became the first Griffins player to win a Rawlings Gold Glove at the national level, securing his spot among the top outfielders in NCAA Division II.

Whalen was a magnet: He did not commit an error in 127 chances.

He also produced offensively, batting .318 for the second-best average on the team, and led the Griffins with six triples to go with five home runs, 31 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.

“I’m proud of the bounce back I had from a rough season personally last year,” Whalen said. “I wouldn’t say I surpassed expectations, but I was pretty close to it and know I have more left in the tank for next year. But more importantly, I’m extremely proud of how the team fought through some adversity we faced throughout the season.”

Whalen was an All-PSAC West Division First Team selection for the Griffins (40-18), who rallied from a 2-2 PSAC Tournament to win the Atlantic Regional and play two games in the Super Regional, a step away from the College World Series.

“If you told us halfway through the season that we would be playing in a Super Regional to make the trip to Cary, I would say you’re crazy, to be honest,” Whalen said. “That just shows the resilience this team had and was not going to settle for being good not great and feel bad for ourselves.”

As for last year, when he battled through a late-season hamstring injury and hit .263 with no triples, 36 runs and 28 RBIs, Whalen thinks about how he maintained composure and rallied.

“I struggled at the plate pretty much throughout the whole season and then ended the season tearing my hamstring in the PSAC Tournament,” said Whalen, who still played 50 of 58 games. “I don’t think it held me back at all this season. I made sure to rehab it and give it the time it needed to recover so I wouldn’t have nagging pain.”

The sophomore “slump” was magnified because Whalen had a breakthrough freshman season. In 2023, he hit .332 with a team-high 64 runs and a school-record 64 stolen bases.

In three seasons, Whalen has a .306 average with 173 hits, 158 runs, 83 RBIs and 104 steals.