TAMPA, Fla. — In the biggest moments, when the lights are brightest, that’s when legends are made. Jesuit pitcher Wilson Andersen has that understood.
Earlier this month, Andersen threw a complete game shutout in the region semifinal, striking out 12 batters to advance in the playoffs.
“I was having a lot of fun and just felt good, prepared, and let my talent take over so it was great,” Andersen said.
Jesuit baseball head coach Miguel Menendez praised his pitcher for his performance.
“Honestly, probably the most competitive person I know,” Menendez said. “Matter of fact the other day we had the lead, and he was pitching and obviously throwing a gem and we had somebody warming up in the pen and he said ‘coach what are you doing like please tell him to sit down I’m not coming out of this game’ and he’s earned that trust from me, there’s time where I send the pitching coach out to tell him something because I don’t want him to yell at me.”
Andersen is familiar with these moments. In fact, he has had more of these moments than anyone else on his team.
In all 12 seasons that Menendez has been the Tigers’ head coach, no freshman has played on varsity, a fact that displays how loaded their teams always are. But Andersen was the first in 2023 and was a starter.
“As a freshman it’s kinda crazy I’ve kinda grown up on this team and on this mound and I’m so grateful for the opportunities I had and I think pitching as a freshman here has shaped who I am as a person and a player,” Andersen said.
Menendez’s trust in Andersen was there, even as a freshman, pitching him in the state championship game. The Tigers would go on to lose that game and being the runner-up fueled Andersen going into next season.
“All of those experiences and dealing with that adversity as a freshman just built my drive and my work ethic and want to never feel that feeling again and to win for Jesuit and for my coaches and for my teammates,” Andersen said.
The Tigers got revenge the following year in 2024, with Andersen on the mound to record the final out, winning a state championship in his sophomore season.
“It was kind of full circle the way it worked out I was on the mound and to have my coach’s trust and my team’s trust and really just go play for one another and play for God that’s what we’re all about here and that’s what carries me through in those hard times and pressure situations,” Andersen said.
Jesuit lost in the state semifinals last year so they are out for revenge again this spring, trying to put another year up on the scoreboard that lists state championships.
“I was fortunate enough as a player to play on some teams that won and had a dog pile and there’s nothing better than that feeling,” Menendez said. “We only have a handful of guys from that 2024 team that are still around, so I know they want to taste that feeling.”
Then, Andersen is set to take his talents to the SEC, committed to pitch at Mississippi State.
“It’s been my dream ever since I was a little kid. Always hearing SEC just means more. So that’s kinda what I grew up on, especially at a place like Mississippi State where everyone’s so into it and it’s all about baseball. It’s a dream come true and I’m really excited,” Andersen said.
His four-seam fastball is averaging mid-90s, touching 98 miles per hour. That’s some series heat to pair with his changeup, curveball, and really developing his slider this season into the mid 80s.
He’s listed as a top 100 draft prospect on MLB.com so there is a chance that he could go pro if he gets drafted high and gets offered some good money, but he said continuing his education is important for him.
His two brothers both played sports at Jesuit. Bennett Andersen played basketball and walked on at Florida, winning a national championship in 2025.
“I’m so proud of him because he kept grinding and grinding,” Wilson Andersen said. “I always give him crap because he didn’t play much, but it’s hard to play on a team like that.”
Neither brother won a state championship at Jesuit. Wilson has one, and will try to get back to Fort Myers this month and win a second.