Jacob Dilday is the baseball rarity — a local product who returned for a second season with the Ohio Valley League Hoptown Hoppers.
Dilday graduated from Hopkinsville High School and found his way to the Hoppers in the summer of 2022, posting a 2-2 record with 29 strikeouts in 22 innings.
This served as a prelude to his freshman season at Rend Lake College in Illinois. He appeared in eight games for Rend Lake in the spring with a 5.79 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 14 innings.
With college innings under his belt, he has approached this summer — his second with the Hoppers — with a renewed approach to pitching in what he hopes will be a springboard for his 2024 season.
After that, Dilday said he is hoping to parlay that into some college offers as he moves on from Rend Lake, a two-year school.
In nine games for the Hoppers this summer, Dilday has struck out 16 in 15 innings with a 4.60 ERA.
As a junior at Hoptown, Dilday started six games on the mound for the Tigers. He finished the year with a record of 4-2 and an ERA of 3.12. Dilday struck out 40 while walking 24. At the plate, Dilday hit .329, with two doubles and 18 RBIs.
In his senior season, Dilday struck out 72 in 47 innings with a 2.79 ERA and three saves.
