Hard Work U: McQuerter Fits the Mold

Whether you talk to Jansen McQuerter’s current baseball coaches, his future baseball coaches, or even to Jansen McQuerter himself, there’s one theme that runs through the conversation.

“He’s definitely a hard worker and I think it’s fitting that he’s going to end up at (College of the Ozarks), which calls themselves ‘Hard Work U,'” says Republic assistant coach Curt Plotner. “He’ll fit in really well.”

McQuerter has committed to play at C of O next year, before his senior season as a member of the Republic pitching staff begins. Last season, he was an all-conference and all-district selection.

“Jansen is a kid you looked at two or three years ago and you thought, ‘He could be pretty good,'” Plotner says. “Last year, he started to show that a little bit.”

Neale Richardson, the head coach at College of the Ozarks, says McQuerter will fit in at the school both on and off the field.

“Jansen exemplifies the exact type of person that we try to recruit for baseball at College of the Ozarks. He is a great character and a great young man, and he’s a huge difference maker,” Richardson says. “We believe he will do great things for us on the mound at College of the Ozarks, and we believe he will help bring our team to a different level.”

McQuerter says playing college baseball has been his dream since he was young, and he realized a few years ago he would have to push to make it happen.

“After my freshman year—-I didn’t get to play any varsity that year-—I realized I’m going to have to start working a lot harder,” he says. “I put in a lot of time in the weight room and I put in a lot of time down at 2K Sports Training, and that really pushed me to the next level.”

Republic assistant Brandon Weldy says McQuerter also exemplifies the “family” atmosphere the Tigers have tried to foster in the baseball program.

“Whenever we get a breakdown after a game, we break down to the word ‘family.’ And it’s very easy for 23 guys in your dugout to say the word ‘family,’ but it’s really tough to live it in your everyday life—-not just on the baseball field,” Weldy says. “His character shines through. Jansen is the epitome of a hard worker. He’s gotten himself to where he is today through hard work, and he struggles through adversity well.”

McQuerter says he’s looking forward to the challenge of being a pitcher at the college level.

“It’s going to be a fun environment, but also a very challenging environment that I think I’m going to be ready for,” he says. “love being pitcher because you kind of control the game. I love it up there on the mound. I wouldn’t want it anywhere else.”

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