By: Shannon Bickert

Jack Harley has found himself back at the Shipyard for a second season of action with the Mystic Schooners, following a strong season at Stetson University. Harley has found exactly where he is supposed to be in his baseball career.

Harley’s baseball journey began as many others did in T-ball, playing as both a pitcher and infielder. He looked up to Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox, modeling his game after the second baseman. The Mendham, New Jersey, native excelled at his craft and participated in a top-ranked baseball program at Delbarton School in high school.

“It [playing in high school] was super competitive,” Harley said. “We got challenged every day. We always had a great team, and we were also getting challenged on the field.”

Harley also pitched early in his high school career, but switched to just focusing on playing the infield and hitting in his sophomore year of high school.

Harley’s success in high school landed him at Virginia Tech for his rookie year; however, he suffered an ankle injury and was unable to play during his freshman season. After his first year of college, Harley entered the transfer portal and found himself in Mystic in the summer of 2025.

During his first summer at the Shipyard, Harley committed to Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.

In his first season with the Hatters, Harley hit .280 and tallied 28 walks.

Harley decided to come back to Mystic this summer due to his growth with the team last summer.

“I love it up here. I said it to everyone last summer, it helped me so much, and I’m so happy that I was able to come back.”

Coming back to Mystic meant reuniting with some of his 2025 summer ball teammates.

“The guys that were here last summer, we had such a great time, and we had such a great group of guys; it was so much fun,” Harley said. “Being able to come back to those guys has been awesome.”

This season with the Schooners, Harley can play with a different sense of ease of knowing where he is playing the following season.

“There’s definitely a lot more comfort, and it’s easier to come and play every day because I'm not trying to earn any more scholarships. I’m in a good spot at Stetson, and I earned my role there, so playing right now has been a lot easier.”

Harley has been a key part of the Schooners lineup for the past two years, known for getting on base, working long at-bats and drawing walks. Last season, Harley led the entire NECBL in walks with 41.

“I’m just trying to be as aggressive as possible,” Harley said. “With two strikes, I just trust myself, trust my eye. Sometimes, I strike out, but nine times out of ten, I trust the read I’m making on the pitches, so it’s resulted in a lot of walks.”

This season, Harley has worked 13 walks and picked up six stolen bases across 10 games played.

In his second season with the Schooners, Harley’s goal is to get a little better every day.

“I had my ups and downs, and I’m finally feeling like I’m on the comeback from the injury. I finally feel like I found a great spot.”