Two outs, up by one run at the bottom of the seventh inning. Sophomore Shaurya Jain steadies himself on the mound, ready to pitch as the opposing team’s batter steps up. With this pitch, he can secure the victory. Using calculated precision, he delivers a fastball. The batter swings, but the baseball whizzes by his bat and into the catcher’s glove. Just like that, Shaurya’s district championship with the Cupertino Little League Juniors two years ago culminated in a final triumph. 

“When we noticed we got that out, everyone rushed onto the field,” Shaurya said. “We were in disbelief because it was our first big win together. That season was a great season, and that win was just the best way to end it.”

Shaurya joined the Harker varsity baseball team last season, ranking fifth nationally in number of strikeouts with 107 among frosh. This year, he continues to dominate, leading the Harker varsity baseball team in strikeouts. 

Shaurya first started playing T-ball at age seven, following in the footsteps of his brother Adi Jain (‘24). In the Cupertino Little League, Shaurya improved rapidly, and after just one season, Shaurya graduated from T-ball, moving up to the second level baseball of a farm team and then a Minor League Baseball team within a year. 

Now, he divides his time between Cupertino Little League in the summer and Living Legends travel ball in the fall, where he participates in showcases and development camps. 

Because he is versatile across several positions, Shaurya steps up to lead and take on the empty positions when the team is short-staffed. He carries a special affinity for playing shortstop and pitching.

“I found pitching interesting because I felt that I was able to control the game,” Shaurya said. “When you’re pitching, you’re the person with the ball who initiates the whole game. You get to control the tempo, and I found that really appealing.”

Shaurya noted that pitching requires strategic thinking, so he approaches each throw with a tactical mindset to achieve the best game outcome. 

“When I’m pitching on the mound and the first rider comes up, I get to see their swing and how they react to my fastballs,” Shaurya said. “At that point, I’m already reading the hitter’s mentality at the plate, so I can leverage and take advantage. Every lineup is different and every team is different, so I always need to adapt to what they don’t expect.”

In addition to the mental components of the sport, he focuses on honing physical skills, excelling in batting and leading the varsity baseball team in both batting average and on-base percentage for the second consecutive season this year. He credits these accomplishments to his own effort in physical training. 

“Everyone’s swing has a personal touch to it, and finding that personal touch for me was hard,” Shaurya said. “I tried to replicate other people’s pitching and batting, but I realized that didn’t work because our minds and bodies are different. I had to find my own swing, and that took a lot of revision. I’m still tweaking it now, but I’ve appreciated the learning process.”

Brother and teammate Adi Jain (‘24) watched Shaurya grow from an elementary school novice to an active leader of his team. Adi recalls his core memory on the Harker team, working tougher with Shaurya to secure their Senior Night win. 

“He’s put in the work physically to become a stronger and better athlete — that’s working out, taking repetitions, fielding ground balls, throwing bullpens and working on technique,” Jain said. “Mentally, he’s prepared himself for possible situations of what could happen during the game, how to respond and to be the best possible leader he can individually. If a teammate asks him for help, he knows how to respond in a way that is tailored to what they need to hear.”

Playing a team sport at the high school level has also allowed Shaurya to take on a greater leadership role. Although the varsity baseball team had a senior-heavy roster last season, Shaurya demonstrated his maturity as a leader and continues to guide his teammates through practices and games this season.  

“At first, it was difficult to become that leader, but now I really enjoy that role,” Shaurya said. “Because I was new to Harker in ninth grade, I also really appreciated that baseball connected me with other people, and I formed a lot of friendships that I still have today.”

Holding multiple responsibilities across various positions on the team creates pressure to perform during games, but Shaurya focuses on staying resilient to overcome challenges. 

“Sometimes when I field the ball, I can get nervous and spike the ball,” Shaurya said. “That feels devastating, but I’ve evolved to get over it because mistakes happen, and during the game, it’s not the time to feel bad for yourself. I make sure to do my best on the next play and take the game pitch by pitch.” 

Beyond the baseball field, Shaurya has found that the lessons of adaptability and leadership extend into other pursuits. 

“Being able to adapt is a really big part of life as well,” Shaurya said. “On a group project, I’m able to adapt to people’s timelines and needs or wants. Because baseball is always putting me in the position to adapt, I’ve been able to become a leader in other areas too and take that initiative to help other people and make the best situation.”

What stands out to Shaurya about baseball is that every play is unique. The unpredictability of the game constantly challenges him to stay alert and pushes him to develop both physical and mental skills. 

“I really like that baseball is spontaneous,” Shaurya said. “Something happens in every game that I’ve never seen before, and that excites me. You don’t know what’s going to happen in the next play and need to be ready for everything. I had to learn to adapt and take whatever comes my way.”