(female announcer)
Production funding
for "Sports Files" is

made possible in part by...

(male narrator)
Infiniti of Memphis
has moved to Germantown

road just half mile north of
Wolfchase Galleria and is proud

to support WKNO for its quality
broadcasting and service

to our community.

Quality and service -- No wonder
Infiniti of Memphis feels at

home on WKNO.

My guest today on Sports Files
is Memphis Redbirds infielder

Jacob Wilson.

[theme music]

The St. Louis Cardinals
organization hasn't cornered the

market in homegrown talent, but
it sure feels like they have.

Time after time, the big birds
have dipped into their minor

league system to bring up one
of their valuable young assets,

from the Steven Piscotty to
Xavier Scruggs to Tommy Pham

just to name a few.

The Redbirds have provided
some bonus babies for the parent

club, filling voids
left by injuries.

It's been one of those seasons
for the Cardinals who currently

sport the big
league's best record.

It just seems that whoever
gets the call-up produces.

It's the benefit of having that
type of talent waiting in the

wings.

Now one of those talented young
players and prized minor league

prospects is
infielder Jacob Wilson,

who is yet to get his
opportunity at the major league

level, but it's sure to come.

Wilson is not only a primetime
example of homegrown talent,

but he takes the meaning
to a whole other level.

That's because Wilson
is literally homegrown.

He was born in Bartlett, played
his high school ball at Bartlett

High under the guidance
of head coach Phil Clark,

one of the state of Tennessee's
all-time great coaches,

and then attended the University
of Memphis for four years,

where he starred for
Skipper Daron Schoenrock.

After college, Wilson would be
selected in the 10th round of

the 2012 amateur
draft by the Cardinals,

and has rapidly advanced up
the chain of the organization's

minor league system.

Wilson began the 2015 campaign
in AA Springfield but moved up

to Memphis in May and
has never looked back.

And while he's not currently on
the Cardinals' 40-man roster,

there's a good chance
Wilson gets a September call-up,

and if it doesn't
happen this year,

it appears it's
only a matter of time.

And while he waits patiently,
Wilson gets to enjoy playing

baseball in a very
familiar setting,

in his hometown and in
front of friends and family.

Today, Redbirds infielder Jacob
Wilson and his attempt to climb

the ladder all the
way to the big leagues.

And he's next on Sports Files.

[theme music]

Jacob, great to
have you on the show.

- Absolutely, it's a
pleasure being here.

- Thank you so
much for your time.

All right, before we get
into your rise in the Cardinals

organization, now
playing of course here,

your hometown team,
the Memphis Redbirds,

let me go back to
the Pan-Am games.

You just participated in the
Pan-Am games representing the

United States.

That would be a
great honor for you.

- Yeah, that's actually the
first time I've ever been able

to put on the USA
jersey and go compete.

Had an opportunity in high
school that didn't work out for

me but being selected in that
was kind of an honor to go up

there and wear those three
letters across your chest and

play against, you know,
other countries' best players,

to compete for medals really.

- I know every organization
doesn't exactly have that same

understanding and they
won't allow players to play

internationally
during the season,

but you had the Cardinals'
blessing so even though you were

in the middle of the Redbirds'
campaign they said go up there

and represent us well.

- You know, I talked to some of
our front office people about it

and they were all about it.

They wanted me to go up
and get that experience,

get in that kind of situation
and pressure situation,

really, and, I mean,
baseball's still baseball,

you go up there and you play the
game and see how things work out

and we were able to bring
the silver medal home with us.

- How strange was it
though to pack your bags,

leave for a while the team
that you were playing with,

the Redbirds?

- It's different.

You know there's not many things
throughout the season that allow

you to leave your season and
go internationally and play.

Being up there we actually
opened up at Puerto Rico,

and we have a player in
Springfield right now,

Anthony Garcia who's on the
Puerto Rican team and that was

our first game there actually.

So you know, we gave each other
a hard time up there and it was

kind of a cool experience to get
up there and meet a lot of other

players from other countries and
within...there's a lot of guys

from the PCL on that league too
that were on my team so getting

around some of the
older guys' experience,

you know, you actually go up
there and you learn a lot also.

- And the University of
Memphis well-represented,

not only by you but Scott
McGregor the pitcher who

finished his career when you
started yours at the University

of Memphis.

So even though you
did not play together,

I'm sure it was kind of neat
being both members of at one

time the University of Memphis.

(Jacob)
Yeah, you know, me and
Scott go back all the way to the

University of Memphis days
because in his off-seasons he

would come back and throw to
hitters when I was still there

so, you know, I had played and
batted off him so we did have a

good relationship going into it
and going up there and playing

with him for the first time
outside of spring training or

off-season was kind of
a cool experience also.

- As you said,
you get the silver.

So you come up a little
short of the gold medal.

You lose to Canada.

I think that
was...what was it, 7-6?

(Jacob)
Mhm.

- In extra innings?

(Jacob)
Mhm.

- But some funky rules in
international baseball.

Tell everybody without having
to go into too lengthy...

That rule change in extra
innings as opposed to baseball

here in the states?

- International
rules, extra innings,

you start the inning, you pick
your own two base runners to go

to first and second base and you
start your line-up wherever you

want it to.

So we led off the
top of the 10th,

put two guys on,
started our lead-off guy,

he bunted them over, ended up
getting a big double out of our

three hold, scored two runs,
then bottom of the 10th things

just really didn't go our
way...for Canada to pull out the

victory there.

- Did you know all the rule
changes or were you like what is

this?

What's going on?

- Going into it we had no clue
but we had a team meeting in

North Carolina before we went up
there because the team flew to

Cary and had workouts together
and we were kind of told of all

these extra rules while we were
up there so we could go ahead

and use them and actually
we were able to get a couple

innings against the collegiate
USA team where we practiced some

with the extra inning rules.

- What was the level of
competition playing these

countries as
opposed to, let's say,

AAA baseball.

- Very equivalent.

Due to the fact that you get
teams especially with Cuba and

Canada who...they're wanting to
go and represent their country

the right way so
they're going to send,

you know, their top players to
try and bring a medal home to

their country.

So, you know, emotions were high
every game due to the fact that

everyone wants to bring that
medal back so you did see very

good players up there from these
different countries because they

weren't going to send players
who couldn't compete at that

level, because, you know, I said
everyone wanted to bring that

medal home.

- And everybody wants to
beat the United States?

- That was the one thing
we were told going into it,

that they weren't going to like
us much up there due to the fact

that, you know,
we're the United States,

we're supposed to win
those, if, you know,

you look at it that way so
teams wanted to come in...

Like when Puerto Rico
beat us in the opening game,

they looked like they
won the World Series,

really, they had
a blast with it,

celebrating it on the
field and stuff like that.

But, you know, that's baseball.

That's why it's hard to predict
who's going to win in the long

run when you play so many games
to be able to find out who the

better team is.

- Is there anything, Jacob,
you could take out of playing

international baseball and to
put it into your repertoire here

playing professional baseball.

- The experience was unreal.

Like I said, you get to
meet some players you've

never...you've played against
but never actually got to sit

down and talk to.

Our first baseman
was Casey Pashak.

(Greg)
Yeah.

- Plenty of big league talent,
so being able to talk to him

about hitting or defense, you
learn a lot from those guys

because they're older, better
guys who want to pass on their

knowledge to the younger
guys to see them succeed too.

So learning things from
the older guys like that,

they never bring them back here,
is only going to make people

better in the long run.

- Okay, let's talk about your
career here with the Redbirds

and the Cardinals organization.

So May, you start the
season in Springfield in AA,

you get the call-up
to play in Memphis.

You went to
Bartlett High School,

you went to the
University of Memphis.

How cool was that
when you got that call?

(Jacob)
Actually I
found out on a bus ride.

We'd just finished in Northwest
Arkansas against the Royals' AA

team.

We were on the bus
back to Springfield,

7:00 game...actually it was a
3:00 game and I didn't find out

until 7:00 on the bus.

We didn't get back to
Springfield until 11:30 that

night and my manager called me
to the front of the bus and was

like, hey, you know,
you just keep playing,

you know, I don't want you
thinking about your swing too

much.

When we get back make sure you
go ahead and start packing your

bags.

And I'm like,
packing my bags for what?

Because I had no
clue what was going on.

He was like, oh, you got to
be in Memphis in the morning.

And it was kind of like an
overwhelming feeling knowing I

was going home to play.

And actually I'd end up driving,
from the cab of my truck up

there.

So I drove from Springfield
to Memphis then I got here in

Memphis at 6:30 that morning and
we had an 11:00 game, so I was

right in the line-up,
first day, playing third base.

(Greg)
Wow.

- Mom couldn't get off work, Dad
was here and my third at bat I

ended up hitting a
home run that game.

And I remember stepping on home
plate and looking in the stands,

my dad smiled from ear to ear
so knowing that I'm back home

playing in front of my family
and being able to do what they

don't get to see me do all the
time was a really good feeling.

- Family, friends, I'm sure your
former coaches have seen you

here, Daron
Schoenrock at Memphis,

Phil Clark at Bartlett.

We often talk about Memphis
athletes going to the University

of Memphis and
having the pressure.

A lot of it's with basketball
but I'm sure it's with baseball

as well.

How about playing
professionally in your hometown?

It doesn't seem like there's any
pressure or at least you're just

a cool customer.

Or is there a little pressure
trying to perform and perform

well in front of all the friends
and family that come out to

watch you?

- I think it
actually helped me...

Playing at Memphis helped that
a lot due to the fact that I

stayed here in town so I had
all the family I was close with,

friends, always came and
watched me play in college.

Being able to come back
here home and watch me play,

it was something
I've done before.

So the pressure level wasn't as
high due to the fact that I've

been in those kinds of
situations before with a lot of

people watching me
play that I'm close with.

So then it just
turns into, you know,

going out and playing the game
the right way and trying to see

what I can do here to keep
propelling my career to see what

the future holds.

- I would imagine at Memphis
because I know in this day and

age, the last few
years at least,

I know Rock schedules, games
here against big opponents,

Ole Miss, Mississippi
State, Arkansas and the like,

I imagine you probably had
opportunities to play in the

stadium you now play
professionally in.

- Yeah when we
always played Ole Miss,

Mississippi State,
the SEC schools,

we always played here because we
knew we were going to have a lot

of fans at those
games and our stadium,

you know, can't hold a ton of
people so we'd schedule those

games here and then we'd be able
to come out in front of a couple

thousand people and play
those big rival schools,

really, when it comes to
recruiting so that was always

fun.

So knowing that I was
coming back here...

And it wasn't nothing new to me.

- Right.

You were a little familiar
with the stadium because you had

played games.

- Yeah, the only difference was
this off-season they completely

stripped the field, redid the
field so it was actually coming

back to it and I knew the
surface when I played here in

college and then coming back
and seeing what it is now,

the change is unbelievable.

It's a completely
different field.

- Is there a big difference
between AA pitching and facing

AAA pitching?

- I think the biggest difference
is the experience factor.

Once the scouting
report gets out on you,

there's going to be more
scouting reports here in AAA.

Pitchers get an idea of what
they want to do with you and

they stick to that until you
prove to them that they're going

to hit that idea.

And then they start to
change based off what they see.

So you got guys here who
maybe have 10 years in the big

leagues, are still trying to
fight to get back but you do

have guys, like with me,
it's their first year here and

they're learning how
to pitch guys now.

So there's really no set counts
for getting certain pitches,

whereas in the lower levels you
can know if you're a 2-0 count

or a 3-1 count you're
probably getting a fastball.

Here, it's not the case.

You got to be able to
control your swing with all the

different pitches at
any counts and not,

you know, get set up on I'm
getting a fastball here because

you can get sliders, curveballs,
change-ups in any count,

really, because people can
control those pitches here.

- Do you hear from
the parent club,

from the top grass, do they talk
to you or give you updates on

how you're progressing or do you
not hear from these guys until

after the season then
it's spring training?

- You don't really
hear from those guys.

You do get a lot of
people that come in town.

I know Mozeliak's been here.

(Greg)
Right.

- Our firm director's been
here, all of our rovers.

They come in, you talk to
them and it's kind of like,

hey, you know, let's see if we
can get better at this or let's

work on this.

But you don't see...you
don't talk as much about,

you know, when
you're going to go up.

You don't know
anything like that.

(Greg)
But they give you a
status of where they see you

right now in your career and
what you need to do to get

better?

Which is good, right?

To know what you
need to improve on.

- More, this is what we need to
get better on in the long run

and this is the kind of
player you need to be and,

you know, stick with that plan
to try and make yourself that

better of a player.

- What players, better players,
do you lean on for information,

that you want to
ask questions to?

- Here, Dan Johnson was
here earlier in the season,

he's in the big leagues now.

You know, again, another
bettering guy who you can learn

a lot from.

He had time in the big leagues
so I got to have a pretty good

relationship with him as far
as being around him and we were

throwing partners every day.

So then you got the younger guys
like Garcia and Scruggs who are,

you know, have had their
time, been up this year,

being able to work with
those guys and them saying,

hey, this is the kind of
player they need up there,

this is the kind of personality,
the kind of character they need,

it shows a lot about
this organization.

And camp this year, Wong
spent a lot of time with me,

Matt Adams same and it was guys
knowing they have people coming

for their jobs but they'd still
go out of their way to make sure

the younger guys knew...or to
show them the right way and how

to go about things even though
we're coming for their job they

wanted to make us better.

- It seems pretty crazy that it
was 2012 when you were drafted.

It seems like you
were just drafted.

Are you a patient guy?

Can you wait your...

It seems like so far.

Patience is a virtue but at
some time you got to be antsy,

especially if you're
performing very well.

- Yeah, that's one thing
especially with baseball you got

to learn to be patient and let
things play out because nothing

you do outside of going and
performing is going to change

your progression
within the organization.

They have a plan for
you and, you know,

you got to play your
way into that spot.

You're not given
opportunities, you earn them,

especially in this job.

You have to be able to go
out and perform every day.

There's no days off.

We get like one off day a month.

And some of those off days,
there's some days when they have

to close the clubhouse to keep
people out of the clubhouse,

from coming up here and
trying to get work in.

But yeah, you have to
be patient in this,

you know, field, due to the fact
of you never know when that call

is.

It could be today, tomorrow, but
it could be two or three years

from now.

It all depends on how you
go out and play and what the

organization needs from you.

- But I would imagine you
believe you're going to get that

opportunity.

- I feel like
everyone, once you get to AAA,

you have that in the
back of your head,

that you have that
opportunity, right,

it's one phone call away
is what they always say.

You're one phone call away
from being in the big leagues.

But you can't take
that and say, oh yeah,

I'm getting my shot.

You still have to...

- You can't assume it.

- You cannot assume it.

You have to still go out and
make sure you're putting up the

numbers and you're doing your
job to be able to earn that

spot, earn that call.

- What do you need
to do to get better?

- I think my biggest thing is
make sure I stay consistent with

everything I do.

With the bat, you know, being my
production numbers being there,

making sure I'm getting the job
done with runners and scoring

position, and then defensively
make the routine play,

let the nice ESPN plays happen.

But the more you can
dominate the routine play,

as far as whatever position it
is with me able to play multiple

positions, I got to be able to
master wherever they're going to

put me because if they can't do
that they might not comfortable

at putting me in that
position in certain situations,

and I want it to be, yeah he can
do that right now or he can play

that position right now.

And that's the kind of player
that I feel like I need to be.

- Do you ever pick up a phone
and call Coach Rock or Coach

Clark?

- Yeah we've actually...

Coach Clark's talked to me...

He's been to
multiple games this year.

Coach Rock...

Actually Coach Greene, the
hitting coach at Memphis,

came to the game two nights ago.

It's always nice getting those
guys out here and they never say

enough, how proud they are of me
and it's just more people to add

to that support
system I have here,

especially when you get coaches
that you've played for in the

past that you know have your
back or you can pick up the

phone and say, hey,
I kind of need this.

They're going to drop what
they're doing and make sure they

find a way to
help you right then.

- One sentence answer, why
do you love baseball so much?

- It's been a passion
since I was...tee ball?

Four years old maybe?

I know at spring training,
someone asked me a similar

question and right before spring
training my fourth grade teacher

kind of sent me a message on how
she's proud of me and she talked

about, she has a project in
fourth grade and it was like,

what do you want to
do when you're older.

And evidently I
wrote like this two,

three page paper about how I
wanted to be a professional

baseball player.

So that passion's always been
there and I feel like once she

told me that, I
haven't forgot it.

I can almost go back to
remembering writing that paper.

- I bet.

You probably recite it verbatim.

That takes you off
the hot seat, Jacob,

but it doesn't
end the interview.

We like to wrap up all our
interviews with something called

five for the road.

So, quick answer,
five questions,

pretty simple.

Favorite
professional sports team,

any sport?

Please do not say the
St. Louis Cardinals.

- The Cardinals.

No.

Honestly, I don't know if
I have a specific team.

- Any sport?

- I watch what's on.

I don't, you know,
follow specific teams.

I've always been a Cardinals fan
since I grew up so I've followed

them since before I started...

- I let you slide on that one.

How about your
favorite pro athlete,

all time?

- All time...

I like Mark McGuire, hitting.

- How about your favorite
musician or band or genre of

music that you
like to listen to?

- I stick with country music.

Florida Georgia Line's at
the top of my list right now.

- Sure, they're hot.

They're red hot, no
question about it.

- Favorite movie of all time?

- American Sniper.

(Greg)
Good movie.

How about if it
was a sports movie?

- Miracle.

- Miracle, okay.

- And then, finally, your
favorite television show?

- NCIS Los Angeles.

- NCIS LA.

No delay on that one.

- Nope.

I watch every episode, make
sure it's recorded and watch it,

every episode that comes on.

- Jacob, we've really
enjoyed watching you grow in the

Cardinals organization,
obviously here in Memphis

playing for the Redbirds.

Continued success and I know one
day we'll be watching you play

at the major league level.

Thanks so much.

- Thank you.

- That's Jacob Wilson.

We'll take a break.

Overtime is next.

[theme music]

Memphis has been a hotbed for
golf over the last few weeks

with events all
around the community.

Recently, the 2015 AAU Golf
National Championship was held

at Mirimichi golf course with
champions crowned in several age

groups ranging from 18
and under to 6 and under.

There were some outstanding
young golfers on display and our

Sports Files camera was
there for some of the action.

- What is the
deal with AAU golf?

- AAU golf is 15 years old
and like I say we started as a

convention 15 years ago and
we've been doing these national

championships, one a year for
the last 15 years and we move it

to different cities
every three years,

you know, we'll try to put it in
one place and keep it there for

three years.

Now AAU, everybody
knows AAU from track,

basketball but a lot of people
don't know that AAU is the

largest youth organization in
the world with 40 sports and

600,000 athletes.

That's a lot of kids.

(off-screen male)
What kind of ages are
kids that are golfing out here

today?

(Bill)
We're doing 6
and under to 18 and under.

We've got kids from each stage
in this tournament out here

today at Mirimichi.

(off-screen male)
So, somebody here
wins in their division.

Is that a national
title or what is it?

(Bill)
Here's what they get.

Each age group, the winner,
they get their three medals,

you know, the gold,
silver and bronze.

The winner gets the gold
medal plus he gets a beautiful

Bridgestone bag, embossed on
that bag is National Champion.

That's what they
take home with them.

Then the match play winners
gets the Yose Cup and a sky kit.

[instrumental music]

(off-screen male)
So how much golf
are they playing this weekend?

(Bill)
They're going to play
36 holes of stroke and then 2

days of match play.

A lot of golf.

(off-sccreen male)
Do you have a history of
players going to the tour having

come out of the AAU?

(Bill)
We've got one
lady on this tour,

that's Viola
Greenwood, is the daughter,

15-year-old, of Bobby Greenwood,
who played on the tour and who

won the Memphis
Open here one year.

She has won five
championships this year alone.

She has offers from 64 colleges.

She'll be on the LPGA
tour, you can book it.

[instrumental music continued]

(off-screen male)
What advice do
you have for your daughter?

- I told her just slow down
and relax and take it easy,

enjoy the golf course.

(off-screen male)
So Dad, what's your
advice for her tent up here?

(Bobby)
Well, just take a deep
breath and swing hard in case

you get it, it
might go a long way.

No.

You just have fun and enjoy it.

It's just a journey and
we're having a great time.

Thanks to AAU.

[voices mumbling]

[instrumental music continued]

- Well I played on the
PGA Tour for seven years,

that's 1969 through '75.

It's great to be
here in Memphis.

This is where Jack Nicholas
and I had the match nine months

before he won the US Open.

I was the last amateur to
beat Jack before he turned pro.

But we're just great.

We're just happy to
be here for the AAU.

They're such great people and a
wonderful golf course down here.

(off-screen male)
So tell me about your
daughter here, Viola.

Apparently she's
gaining some notoriety.

Tell us about it.

(Bobby)
Well, she's only
been playing four years.

She used to play soccer and
softball and jujitsu and karate

and then finally she said, Dad,
team sports are not that great.

How about I want to try golf?

And I said, yes.

And so she started playing.

She's a good athlete and she's
coachable and I know a little

bit about teaching so
we've had a good time.

(off-screen male)
Give us some of
your accomplishments so far.

- Well last year I won the AAU
National Championship at Link

Hills in Greenville, Tennessee.

And this year it's at Mirimichi
and I'm really happy to be here.

(off-screen male)
Have you played here before?

(Viola)
No, this is my first time.

(off-screen male)
What have you noticed
so far about this course?

(Viola)
In my four
years of playing golf,

I've never played a
prettier golf course than this.

And I want to thank AAU for
choosing this great golf course,

great place for us to
display our talent and skills.

- And congratulations to
Viola and to Bartlett's Clayton

Gregory who both won national
match play championships.

The popular Memphis Publinks
Tournament took place recently

and first time
participant Jason Dallas,

a real estate developer from
Phoenix who recently relocated

to Memphis, was spectacular as
he went wire to wire for the

win.

Dallas shot 196
over his 54 holes,

winning by four strokes.

He put it on cruise
control for the final 18,

recording a 67 at Galloway
golf course to seal the deal,

and in doing so preventing
three-time defending champion

Matt Cooper from making it
four in a row which would be the

first time that
it ever happened.

Dallas opened the event with
a 63 at Audubon golf course.

Cooper got off to a relatively
slow start in the event,

but closed with a magnificent
62 at Galloway to put a little

pressure on Dallas, who kept
his composure in taking home the

title.

Veteran Ed McDugle would
finish in third place.

And that'll put a wrap
on this week's show.

Remember you can catch any of
our previous shows by simply

heading to our
website at WKNO.org.

In the meantime, have a great
week and we'll see you next

time.

[theme music]

(female announcer)
Production funding
for "Sports Files" is

made possible in part by..

(male narrator)
Infiniti of Memphis
has moved to Germantown

road just half mile north of
Wolfchase Galleria and is proud

to support WKNO for its quality
broadcasting and service to our

community.

Quality and service -- No wonder
Infiniti of Memphis feels at

home on WKNO.

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BY WKNO/MEMPHIS.