By STEVE KRAH
Eli Watson is playing baseball far away from home this summer.
Born in Louisville, raised in Jeffersonville, Ind., and a 2021 graduate of Our Lady of Providence High School in Clarksville, Ind., played sparingly at Western Kentucky University because of injury and spent the 2024 spring season at Arizona Western College.
The outfielder/first baseman is currently with the summer wood-bat California Collegiate League’s Pasadena-based Arroyo Seco Saints and is bound for Bellarmine University in Louisville in the fall after committing to the Knights last week. He has two years of remaining eligibility and will purse a Business Management degree.
“I decided I would play at home and be close to the family,” says 21-year-old Eli.
His parents are senior consultant Chuck and physican assistant Denna Watson. His brother is Tre’ Watson (26). He and wife Jacquie have a son named Waylon, which is Eli’s nephew.
The Watson brothers have the distinction of both being part of IHSAA baseball state championship teams for the Providence Pioneers — Tre’ as player in 2016, assistant coach in 2021 and head coach in 2024 and Eli as player in 2021.
“He’s got the trifecta,” says Eli of Tre.’
Eli Watson was the starting third baseman for the Scott Hutchins-coached Class 2A state champs.
The youngest Watson played at Jeff/GRC Little League then travel ball with the Ironmen.
Chuck Watson founded the Southern Indiana Showcasers and Eli was with then for his 15U and 16U seasons then went with Canes Midwest for 17U.
At AWC, Watson played in 53 games (all starts) and hit .319 (59-of-185) with no home runs or triples, 14 doubles, 29 runs batted in, 37 runs scored and 12 stolen bases.
The Yuma-based and Drew Keehn-coached Matadors went 37-17 in junior college play.
“I absolutely loved it,” says Watson. “The majority of the team was from different parts of the world (Australia, Canada, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Germany and Panama).
“It was an amazing place to be even though there was absolutely nothing to do out there. To be able to play baseball with all types of different cultures was just awesome.
“Understanding the games from all these parts of the world gave me a lot of knowledge to bring back home.”
At WKU, Watson tore his ACL Nov. 11, 2021, took a medical redshirt in 2022 and played in 12 games and hit .250 with one homer in 2023.
He was with the Park Rangers in the College Summer League of Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in 2021, spent the next summer rehabbing his injury and played the summer of 2023 with the Sunbelt Baseball League’s Waleska (Ga.) Wild Things.
A 6-foot-1, 190-pounder, Watson throws from the right side and swings from the left.
“My (offensive) approach is simple as it can be,” says Watson. “I zone hit meaning I pick a side of the plate to attack on and give the pitcher a part of the plate to try to beat me with.
“Most of time I’m looking for a fastball outside because on a lefty they want to go away. I’m hunting that outer-half heater and trying to go up the middle or over the shortstop’s head until I get to two strikes.”
With two strkes, Watson shortens his stroke and his grip and looks to see a ball higher in the strike zone and avoid chasing a ball in the dirt.
He has keys on defense.
“At first base it’s plain and simple for me — cup each ball up make sure it does not get by you by any means,” says Watson. “In the outfield, I stay above the ball on my routes so it doesn’t cross paths with my routes so I have to do a shoulder turn.”
Watson was a big fan of the Chicago Cubs when Alfonso Soriano was on the roster.
“Nowadays I just watch baseball to learn,” says Watson. “I like certain attributes from different player’s games — Ken Griffey’s swing the energy Bryce Harper brings to each and every game. He plays hard. I love the way Brandon Marsh stays loose.
“That’s a big part of my game — stay loose and have fun,” says Watson. “Make it serious, but not too serious to where you start pressing.”
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