Jackson Hotchkiss, a sophomore at the University of Washington, has become a key player for the Huskies baseball team this spring. As of May 14, he leads the team in nearly every offensive category, including home runs, despite missing the first ten games of the season due to injury.
Hotchkiss’s growth as a player is notable as he transitioned from being a freshman at Battle Ground High School to becoming one of Washington’s most powerful hitters. He recalled his most memorable moment from high school: “We were going for a league championship against our rival, Skyview. At that time, I was a freshman, my brother was a junior… I hit a walk-off. It was a pretty big game for us… especially people that I’d been around for so long. And obviously, having my brother there was cool, too.” This memory highlights his early promise and connection to his roots.
This season with the Huskies has seen Hotchkiss not only return from injury but also lead in batting average (.368), on-base percentage (.434), slugging percentage (.767), total hits (60), total bases (125), and RBIs (43). Head Coach Eddie Smith said about Hotchkiss’s impact after returning from injury: “It was devastating for our offense (when he was out injured)… When he returned, our offense was incredible overnight. In my career, I don’t remember a single player having that sort of impact.” Smith also noted Hotchkiss’s dedication during the offseason: “Every player says he’s going to work out hard, but Jackson is different… This strength rampage he went on was pretty remarkable.”
Hotchkiss chose to focus on building strength last summer instead of playing summer ball—a decision that paid off with increased power at bat this year. He explained: “The biggest thing holding me back was just being a skinny freshman… I needed to gain that weight to go from flyouts to homers.” His performance has placed him among national leaders; his 18 home runs are tied for seventh in school history and rank him highly within both conference and NCAA statistics.
As Washington prepares for an important series against top-ranked UCLA at Husky Ballpark—where winning at least one game could secure them a spot in the Big Ten Tournament—Hotchkiss remains focused on contributing however possible: “We’re just trying to push through and get a couple more wins and hopefully secure a (Big Ten Tournament) spot, keep going as long as we can,” he said.
