By Ken Hansard
Jesus Portillo Carrillo, a junior for the J.C. Harmon Hawks, is carving out a name as one of the most impactful arms in 5A baseball. A pitcher and first baseman, Portillo Carrillo emerged last season as one of the classification’s leaders in strikeouts, a milestone that continues to fuel his confidence heading into his junior campaign. “The stat I’m most proud of is probably my strikeouts last year,” he said. “I’ve almost matched that mark this season, and there’s still more games to play.” As Jesus notes, last season’s dominance on the mound has carried over into this season, where he’s already tallied 42 strikeouts, to say nothing of his contributions at the plate, where he has added two home runs and a .429 batting average.
Despite his individual success, Portillo Carrillo has taken on a bigger responsibility within the program. “I see myself as the leader of this team,” he said. “I’m just trying to give my team a winning chance every time I’m on the mound.” That mindset reflects both his competitive drive and his commitment to elevating those around him.
After a 12-13 record last season that ended in a first-round playoff loss, Portillo Carrillo believes this year’s team is capable of more. “I think we could’ve won more games than we did,” he said. This year’s start hasn’t yet matched expectations, but he remains focused on improvement. “There are things we can still improve on, and we are working steadily towards our goals.”
Individually, his goals are clear. “My goals are to be better than last year and try to be top 10 in anything,” he said. He’s also worked to address weaknesses, especially at the plate. “My main weakness was my hitting last year, so I took more reps and did more drills.”
Looking ahead, Portillo Carrillo hopes his baseball journey is far from over. “I would like to continue playing baseball at the college level,” he said. “I’m not ready to stop playing yet.”
