Jake Gautreau, who once led the state in home runs as a high school junior at Memorial High, is now poised to be inducted into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame.
He belted 14 home runs that year (1997) and continued to hit the long ball throughout a career that included college and pro baseball. He has made his mark in coaching as well. He was an Assistant Coach for Mississippi State when they won the College World Series in 2021.
“I have been extremely fortunate to receive so many wonderful awards in my lifetime,” Gautreau wrote in an email. “Being recognized by the RGV Sports Hall of Fame is definitely one of the more special and humbling honors of my career. While I don’t get the chance to go back much, McAllen, Texas and the Rio Grande Valley is home. It will always have such a special place in my heart. For that reason, along with all of the special individuals past and present that have been inducted, this one is more important to me than most.”
The induction ceremony is set for Saturday, June 28, at the Harlingen Convention Center. He will be joined by six other honorees.
In Mustang blue, Gautreau played varsity all four years (second base as a freshman and shortstop for three years) under Coach Cliff Ranson. He graduated from Memorial in 1998.
“Coach Ranson saw something special in me as a young freshman,” Gautreau wrote. “He always believed in me, and it meant so much personally and helped me gain confidence early on. But what meant even more was how hard he coached me and how he held me accountable at all times - no matter what. I will forever be grateful to him for my four years under his leadership at McAllen Memorial HS.”
Gautreau played his college ball at Tulane, where he was twice named Conference USA Player of the Year and made All-American twice (one first team and one second team) between 1999-2001. He was later named Conference USA Player of the Decade. During his college career, he batted .344 with 58 home runs and 233 RBI. In 2000, he was a member of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.
He played for the Green Wave when they advanced to the College World Series in 2001.
In 2001, Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres took Gautreau at No. 14 overall in the MLB Draft. He spent eight years in the pros as an infielder, getting as high as Triple A in five of those seasons. He played for the Padres’, Cleveland Indians’ and New York Mets’ organizations. His pro numbers included a .255 average with 81 dingers and 336 RBI.
His Triple A stops included the Portland Beavers, the Buffalo Bisons and the New Orleans Zephyrs. His playing career ended in 2008 with the Fort Worth Cats.
In 2010, he became an assistant coach at his college alma mater then joined Mississippi State in 2018. He was an assistant when Mississippi State qualified for three straight College World Series in 2019-21. In fact, he was named National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2019.
He thanks his parents for their lifelong support.
“My mom and dad were the only reason I was able to accomplish the things I did on the baseball field,” he wrote. “The amount of time they spent taking me to games and practices, the amount of money they spent traveling all over the country and just the overall love and support they provided no matter the situation was incredible. There’s literally nothing I could do to thank them for all that they poured into me to make me who I am today.”
MyRGV.com ran a profile piece on Gautreau in 2021. The story began like this: “McAllen Memorial alum Jake Gautreau is widely regarded as the top hitter the Rio Grande Valley has ever produced.”
Founded in 1985, the RGV Sports Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit organization whose mission it is to recognize men and women who have brought honor and recognition to the Rio Grande Valley through their participation in sports as an athlete, coach, official, trainer, journalist or other sports-related position.