Cape Catfish GM lands Jason Chavez - finally

Former Southeast Missouri State baseball coach Mark Hogan won 526 games in 18 years with the Redhawk program, so he doesn’t have many regrets following an illustrious career.

“Well,” Hogan said recently, “I should have signed (Jason Chavez), but I didn’t.”

Hogan, who is in his fourth season as general manager of the Cape Catfish, did sign Chavez – eventually. However, it is now as a coach, instead of a pitcher.

Chavez will join the Catfish this summer as the club’s pitching coach.

“I’ve known Jason for a long time,” Hogan said. “He has been involved in baseball for years. He is a guy who loves the game and goes after it.”

Chavez was a standout pitcher at Cape Central High School before playing at Mineral Area Community College. In 2002, he was drafted in the 43rd round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the San Francisco Giants.

“I was about 170 pounds soaking wet,” Chavez said of why he bypassed signing with the team.

He went to Southern Illinois and had a productive two seasons with the Salukis. Chavez not only threw in a pair of wins over Hogan’s SEMO team, but he also worked seven innings in a win over then-ranked No. 11 Wichita State.

“Each time that we talk,” Chavez laughed about Hogan, “he says ‘I’m sorry.’”

Chavez has coached at varying levels of baseball since graduating and currently serves as the pitching coach for Class 6 No. 8-ranked Jackson High School.

“I have always been very interested in the high-level baseball stuff,” Chavez said. “I’ve coached all different levels, but being able to talk about high-level baseball, and having players be able to make it work, make it happen, that has been something I’ve always wanted to do.”

Hogan replaced his entire coaching staff from the first three seasons, which turned the new franchise into the most successful club in the Prospect League.

Chavez is excited about working under – and learning from – new Catfish manager Scott Little.

“He knows his stuff,” Chavez said of Little. “He has been in (professional baseball) in some capacity for 20, 30 years.

“I’m just going to try and be a sponge and soak (all of the knowledge) up.”

The 2023 Catfish roster is coming together and has players ranging from Chavez’s guys at Jackson (Caden Bogenpohl and Quinton Borders), as well as several NCAA Division I pitchers.

“That is super exciting,” Chavez said. “I’ve always wanted to work with these high-level guys, and now I get to be around these dudes from the (Southeastern Conference), these big-time colleges, and they are playing really, really well.”

The Catfish begin the 2023 season on May 31 at O’Fallon, with their home debut at Capaha Field on June 3 against Jackson (Tenn.) at 7:35 p.m.