Toeing the rubber in the 2022 Meet the Gators series this week is right-handed pitcher Jake Clemente of Coral Springs, Fla. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas graduate will rep No. 20 in Orange & Blue.
As a four-year letterwinner in baseball under Head Coach Todd Fitzgerald, Clemente powered Marjory Stoneman Douglas to back-to-back State Championships and a 58-4 record from 2021-22 alongside current Gators teammate Chris Arroyo. In each of those years, the right-hander swept All-Conference, All-Section, All-City and All-Area accolades.
Clemente finished his high school career with a bang, as he was named the 2022 Conference Pitcher of the Year after going 10-0 with a 1.10 ERA and 81 strikeouts across 57 1/3 frames. Thanks in large part to that performance, Marjory Stoneman Douglas won the National High School Invitational Championship.
All told, Clemente finished with a 1.21 career ERA across 75 innings of work, while his 106 punchouts translated to 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings. He was nearly as good in the batter's box, slashing .311/.380/.592 with nine homers, one triple, 18 doubles, 56 RBI, 46 runs and 13 steals (in as many attempts) in 60 career games. Seeing time both on the mound and in the outfield, he posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage from 2021-22.
Clemente received an invitation to partake in USA Baseball's Prospect Development Pipeline League, which is reserved for 96 of the sport's top amateur players. Also during his prep years, Clemente competed for Cannons Baseball Academy. From 2018-20, he collected a trio of Perfect Game Preseason All-Region nods and brought home All-Tournament Team honors at seven PG events.
Heading into his first year at Florida, Clemente was ranked by PG as the No. 27 right-hander and No. 102 overall player nationally in addition to being the No. 5 righty and No. 21 recruit in the state.
As the son of Phil and Jeanine Clemente, Jake has one sister, Nicole. He is majoring in telecommunications at the University of Florida.
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