The Saints congratulate Caleb Jeske (7) after he hit a three-run home run against Middletown in 2018.
St. Helena's Caleb Jeske looks Willits runner back to the base during his junior season, when he was named Napa County Baseball Player of the Year.
St. Helena's Caleb Jeske jumps for the opening tip against a Fortuna player during the third-place game of the Sutter Home Invitational on Dec. 7.
With the cancellation of the spring season for high school sports, the Napa Valley Register is recognizing senior athletes who have had their careers come to a premature end due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Today we focus on St. Helena High baseball star Caleb Jeske, the reigning Napa County Baseball Player of the Year.
Jeske has been starting for the varsity Saints since his freshman year and has shown steady improvement every season. Had he continued on his trajectory this spring, he likely would have cemented himself as one of the best offensive players in school history.
Sports:
Basketball and baseball.
Years on varsity:
Two years for basketball, three years for baseball.
Fun fact:
“I never warm up in the on-deck circle because it’s bad luck.”
By the numbers:
In baseball, Jeske was named the Saints’ Most Valuable Player three times and was first-team All-North Central League I twice. As a junior, he set St. Helena’s single-season hits record while batting .487 with 23 RBIs, 2 home runs and 23 stolen bases. He also had a slugging percentage of .697 and an on-base percentage of .592.
He was named one of the boys basketball team’s MVPs as a senior.
What was your reaction to the spring season being canceled?
“It’s really disappointing to miss my senior season. It’s more than just playing my final high school season. We had a group of guys that had a real chance to have a special season.”
How has coronavirus changed your life?
“COVID-19 has really shaken things up in all facets of my life. Online classes and the absence of spring sports have really made a big difference, but honestly we are really lucky to live in a place where we have the freedom to leave the house at all and the space to do it safely. Wrapping up the recruiting process has been a nightmare because of the extra year of eligibility given to spring collegiate athletes, but we have figured all that out.”
Have you picked up any new hobbies during quarantine?
“I have started spending some of my free time swimming at the river.”
Best memory from high school sports?
‘The home run I hit against Middletown last year at home will always be a good memory. It was especially sweet because it was against our league rivals. It just felt so good.”
What do you miss most about sports?
“I miss my boys. I miss the culture and chemistry within the team that we had developed and strengthening that chemistry even more.”
Summer plans:
“Play baseball wherever I can. It’s uncertain if summer ball will even happen. If it doesn’t, it’s training and working out five days a week and taking a couple college classes to get a head start going into the fall.”
Fall plans:
“I will be attending and playing baseball for Santa Rosa Junior College, where I will get my GE’s (general education classes) done before transferring to a four-year college where I’ll continue both my scholastic and athletic careers.”
Coach Darrell Quirici says
“(As far as school records), he was staring down career hits, career stolen bases, career average, career RBIs – I mean they were all right there for the taking. I didn’t foresee him not getting any one of those, which would have cemented him in the annals of St. Helena sports history for sure. ... When I think back on it, in my 14 seasons of association with the high school, I can count on one hand the kids who had significant playing time on varsity as freshmen and I can count on one finger the number of players who started their freshman season on varsity and contributed, and that’s Caleb.
As a coach, it’s a gift when you get a kid like that.”
Senior Spotlight: A celebration of Napa County student athletes
With the cancellation of the spring season for high school sports, the Napa Valley Register is recognizing senior athletes who have had their careers come to a premature end due to the coronavirus pandemic.
With the 2019-20 school year mercifully in the books, The Register wants to give one last shout out to the athletes of the Class of 2020. We wrap up our Senior Day series today with boys tennis and coed badminton.
With the 2019-20 school year mercifully in the books, The Register wants to give one last shout out to the athletes of the Class of 2020. We continue our Senior Day series today with track and field.
With the 2019-20 school year mercifully in the books, The Register wants to give one last shout out to the athletes of the Class of 2020. We continue our Senior Day series today with boys golf, and girls and boys lacrosse.
With the 2019-20 school year mercifully in the books, The Register wants to give one last shout out to the athletes of the Class of 2020. We continue our Senior Day series today with swim and dive.
With the 2019-20 school year mercifully in the books, The Register wants to give one last shout out to the athletes of the Class of 2020. We start our new Senior Day series today with baseball and softball.
Vintage's Andres Solorio wraps up our series on seniors who didn't get to finish their spring sports due to the COVID-19 shutdown.
Napa High thrower Quentin Dervin, today's Senior Spotlight subject, got off to a strong start with a personal record in the shot put.
St. Helena's Gabi Vega-Zepeda, today's Senior Spotlight focus, tells younger athletes to cherish their time playing sports.
Claire Sullivan, today's Senior Spotlight subject, excelled in several events during her time with Justin-Siena track and field.
American Canyon's Jude Cummings, today's Senior Spotlight subject, has been a top sprinter and long jumper the past three seasons.
A Senior Spotlight on St. Helena swimmer Ben Gardner, who had hoped to lead his team to a fourth straight conference title this spring.
Karolina "Karlie" Wells, today's Senior Spotlight subject, has been a staple of the Justin-Siena girls lacrosse program since she was a freshman. The three-sport athlete was voted the Braves' team captain this spring.
The South Dakota State signee Emily Dusky is the focus of today's Senior Spotlight. The New Tech student who swims for Napa High was looking to qualify for the CIF State Meet for the third time this spring.
Vintage baseball head coach Rich Anderson felt that pitcher Jake Whipple, the focus of today' Senior Spotlight, was in line to have his best season yet this spring.
A three-year varsity starter for Napa High baseball and today's Senior Spotlight subject, Trent Maher was in line to lead the Grizzlies back from a down 2019 campaign.
Greta Fast, a four-year varsity soccer and softball player for American Canyon, is the focus of today's Senior Spotlight.
St. Helena High baseball star Caleb Jeske, today's Senior Spotlight athlete, was on track to cement himself as one of the best players in school history. Now, with his season canceled, he's finding the silver lining to the COVID-19 shutdown.
Grace Guzman's storied softball career ended prematurely this spring. But the Napa High star and UCLA signee is far from finished in the sport.
A year after helping Justin-Siena's 4x100-meter relay team set a new school record, Blake Hoban had hoped to break more track records.
Calistoga's Laila Elkeshen won a volleyball section title and basketball league crown but had her last two softball seasons cut short.
Sarah Husted, the focus of today's Senior Spotlight, was a defensive specialist at shortstop for the Vintage softball team.
American Canyon baseball standout James Larson had his lengthy varsity career cut short this spring due to the coronavirus pandemic. He said he'll continue his playing career at Solano Community College next year.
St. Helena sprinter Ryan Searl, the school record holder in the 100-meter dash and focus of today's Senior Spotlight, had his sights set on competing at the state track and field meet this spring.
During his prep career, Calistoga's Jesus Rojas-Mendoza never came across a sport he couldn't master. The multi-time all-league and all-county athlete is the focus of the most recent Senior Spotlight.
Today's Senior Spotlight is on Justin-Siena baseball standout Nolan Dunkle, who felt the Braves could have won a title this spring.
Another installment of our Senior Spotlight, featuring seniors whose spring sports were canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Napa High track and field standout Kyle Jezycki, the next focus of the Register's Senior Spotlight project, had aspirations of going to the state meet or breaking a school record.
The Napa Valley Register begins recognizing senior spring athletes in the first installment of the Senior Spotlight project.
Contact Gus via phone at 707-304-9372 or email at gmorris@napanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustGusMorris.
In this Series
Senior Spotlight: A celebration of Napa County student athletes
Gus Morris
Sports Reporter
Gus Morris covers St. Helena and Calistoga sports for the Napa Valley Register. Before joining the Register in 2018, he covered collegiate sports for the student publication at the University of Oregon.
