Knoch senior Jake Herrit, flanked by parents Melissa and Joshua Herrit, recently signed a letter of intent to play football and baseball at Gannon University. Standing are Knoch baseball coach Sean O'Donnell, left, and Knights football coach Franik Whalen.

JEFFERSON TWP — Talk about landing on your feet.

Knoch senior Jake Herrit had verbally committed to West Point last winter after being one of four boys selected from a baseball tryout camp.

Since then, however, every assistant coach has left that program, including the one who spearheaded the recruiting of Herrit.

“The baseball situation there felt a little strange to me with all of those coaches leaving,” Herrit said. “The assistant who recruited me wound up at the University of Dayton and I looked into going there.

“Dayton had already signed 20-plus recruits, so there was no room.”

All of a sudden, Herrit was on the open market.

He visited Seton Hill and liked what he saw. He also had Knoch football teammate Ivan Stapchuk, committed to Gannon, look into the possibilities up there.

Herrit liked that opportunity a lot better, recently signing a letter of intent to play football and baseball for the Golden Knights.

“No way I could pass that up,” he said.

Read more about Jake Herrit in the Butler Eagle.