WASHINGTON, Mo. — Jack Nobe was a standout baseball player in his younger days.
Read about the St. Louis area's top high school baseball players and their accomplishments throughout the 2024 season.
Before high school, the Borgia senior was among the best hitters, pitchers and fielders when he took to a diamond.
So, assuming he'd excel as a freshman would be natural.
"My freshman year, I struggled," Nobe said. "It was an eye-opening moment for me. I was kind of the best hitter all throughout my Little League career. It was like maybe I'm not invincible. It made me realize I had to do more work."
And Nobe, unafraid of work, got to it.
He logged countless hours in the gym during the offseason and got as many hours he could on the field to kickstart his meteoric rise.
Billy O'Conner, Nobe's future baseball coach at Xavier University, believes Nobe has just begun to scratch the vast well of talent bubbling under the surface.
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"You look at that athleticism — everything he does is so athletic," O'Conner said. "He's a great kid on top of that. He's a super hard worker, super driven and super focused on reaching his potential. As good as he is right now, I think there's more in there."
![Borgia senior Jack Nobe](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b3/0b30568b-c9ce-50ca-ac5e-5763ff4c0f7c/667c7ca6131cc.image.jpg?resize=150%2C107 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b3/0b30568b-c9ce-50ca-ac5e-5763ff4c0f7c/667c7ca6131cc.image.jpg?resize=200%2C142 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b3/0b30568b-c9ce-50ca-ac5e-5763ff4c0f7c/667c7ca6131cc.image.jpg?resize=225%2C160 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b3/0b30568b-c9ce-50ca-ac5e-5763ff4c0f7c/667c7ca6131cc.image.jpg?resize=300%2C213 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b3/0b30568b-c9ce-50ca-ac5e-5763ff4c0f7c/667c7ca6131cc.image.jpg?resize=400%2C284 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b3/0b30568b-c9ce-50ca-ac5e-5763ff4c0f7c/667c7ca6131cc.image.jpg?resize=540%2C384 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b3/0b30568b-c9ce-50ca-ac5e-5763ff4c0f7c/667c7ca6131cc.image.jpg?resize=640%2C455 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b3/0b30568b-c9ce-50ca-ac5e-5763ff4c0f7c/667c7ca6131cc.image.jpg?resize=750%2C533 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b3/0b30568b-c9ce-50ca-ac5e-5763ff4c0f7c/667c7ca6131cc.image.jpg?resize=990%2C703 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b3/0b30568b-c9ce-50ca-ac5e-5763ff4c0f7c/667c7ca6131cc.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C735 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b3/0b30568b-c9ce-50ca-ac5e-5763ff4c0f7c/667c7ca6131cc.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C852 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b3/0b30568b-c9ce-50ca-ac5e-5763ff4c0f7c/667c7ca6131cc.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C947 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b3/0b30568b-c9ce-50ca-ac5e-5763ff4c0f7c/667c7ca6131cc.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C1048 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/b3/0b30568b-c9ce-50ca-ac5e-5763ff4c0f7c/667c7ca6131cc.image.jpg?resize=1708%2C1213 2008w)
The future Xavier Musketeer, Borgia senior Jack Nobe tossed four complete games with five wins on the mound with a 0.65 ERA in 53 2-3 innings with 86 strikeouts. Paul Halfacre, Post-Dispatch
The 2024 All-Metro baseball player of the year was a two-way standout for the Knights. He tied for the area lead in home runs (eight), had a .420 batting average and a .730 slugging percentage, scored 25 runs, had seven doubles and led Borgia with 31 RBI.
And as good as he was with a bat, he was even better on the mound.
He picked up five wins on the mound with a .65 ERA in 53 1-3 innings pitched. His overpowering fastball helped him rack up 86 strikeouts, and he posted a team-best .80 WHIP while limiting opposing batters to just a .120 batting average.
O'Conner said Nobe's future at Xavier probably will be on the mound but hasn't dismissed the possibility of inserting him into his lineup.
"Being that two-way guy is something we're open to," O'Conner said. "You want guys to be successful, so don't make them spread too thin early on in their careers. It's a bridge we'll cross later on, but as athletic as he is, it would be a mistake to close the door on his bat."
Nobe's bat drew attention from his Borgia coaches early on and earned him a varsity spot as a freshman.
But he struggled, posting a sub-.200 batting average, only collecting three hits in 13 games.
"I'm sure it was tough because he wanted to prove himself and show how he belongs," Borgia assistant coach Spencer Unnerstall said. "I don't think we ever had that feeling of, 'Oh, this is too much for him.' "
Nobe said the adversity "was probably the most beneficial thing that has happened to me in my high school career."
As a sophomore, Borgia head coach Rob Struckhoff and Unnerstall started seeing glimpses of Nobe's potential.
Then as a junior, Nobe's stock soared when Struckhoff put him on the mound.
"He's always had great movement, good velocity and nasty stuff, but that really magnified his junior and senior year," Struckhoff said.
Nobe threw Borgia to a Class 5 state runner-up finish in 2023. And as good as he was that season, logging eight wins with 101 strikeouts, he was even more dominant as a senior.
Every time he took the mound this season, Nobe flirted with no-hit ball. In eight of his 10 games, he gave up two or fewer hits. His Borgia career ended in the Class 5 quarterfinal round with a 1-0 loss to eventual state champion Willard.
"I wasn't really expecting a loss there," Nobe said. "When we made that last out, it was just disbelief. I expected going to practice the next day. It was different. I never really experienced a loss like that. I wasn't ready for it. It was just a different feeling, something I've never felt before and something I don't ever want to feel again."
![Borgia senior Jack Nobe](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/86/d86a763c-1e15-5a76-9730-50248bb88da8/667c7ca4771b1.image.jpg?resize=150%2C101 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/86/d86a763c-1e15-5a76-9730-50248bb88da8/667c7ca4771b1.image.jpg?resize=200%2C135 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/86/d86a763c-1e15-5a76-9730-50248bb88da8/667c7ca4771b1.image.jpg?resize=225%2C152 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/86/d86a763c-1e15-5a76-9730-50248bb88da8/667c7ca4771b1.image.jpg?resize=300%2C203 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/86/d86a763c-1e15-5a76-9730-50248bb88da8/667c7ca4771b1.image.jpg?resize=400%2C270 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/86/d86a763c-1e15-5a76-9730-50248bb88da8/667c7ca4771b1.image.jpg?resize=540%2C365 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/86/d86a763c-1e15-5a76-9730-50248bb88da8/667c7ca4771b1.image.jpg?resize=640%2C433 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/86/d86a763c-1e15-5a76-9730-50248bb88da8/667c7ca4771b1.image.jpg?resize=750%2C507 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/86/d86a763c-1e15-5a76-9730-50248bb88da8/667c7ca4771b1.image.jpg?resize=990%2C669 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/86/d86a763c-1e15-5a76-9730-50248bb88da8/667c7ca4771b1.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C700 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/86/d86a763c-1e15-5a76-9730-50248bb88da8/667c7ca4771b1.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C811 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/86/d86a763c-1e15-5a76-9730-50248bb88da8/667c7ca4771b1.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C901 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/86/d86a763c-1e15-5a76-9730-50248bb88da8/667c7ca4771b1.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C998 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/86/d86a763c-1e15-5a76-9730-50248bb88da8/667c7ca4771b1.image.jpg?resize=1751%2C1184 2008w)
Borgia senior Jack Nobe was a force with a bat in his hand. The future Xavier Musketeer led the team with a .420 batting average with eight home runs and a team-high 31 RBI. Paul Halfacre, Post-Dispatch
Nobe did his best to send Borgia back to the semifinal round. He tossed a complete game, his fourth of the year, striking out 10 and giving up the game's lone run on two hits.
And just like every other game where it didn't go his way, Nobe never faulted his teammates.
"It never bothered him," Struckhoff said. "He always pitched, did his thing and kept us in games. He was always going to give us his best effort. He'd never let that affect him. He was a good teammate, and he put together an amazing year."
Looking back on his career, which included back-to-back 20-win seasons and a runner-up trophy as a junior, Nobe is content with helping build the legacy at Borgia.
"It was good to carry on that legacy," Nobe said. "We weren't expected to get second in state last year, so it was good to show everyone that a small little Class 5 school from Washington can make it on the big stage."
Now, Nobe is off to join a Xavier program with three successive years of 30 or more wins. The Musketeers are one year removed from an NCAA tournament appearance and have won 130 games in the past four years.
"What sold me was the coaches," Nobe said. "They'd text me daily, asking how I felt and how the season was going, and we'd get on calls all the time. He made me feel like I was the only one he was recruiting. I want to play for a coach who really values me, and he valued me the most."
Read about the St. Louis area's top high school baseball players and their accomplishments throughout the 2024 season.