How Elijah Pleasants determination landed him with the San Francisco Giants organization

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Elijah Pleasants baseball journey has been a long, winding road. From being a high school state champion with Rossview High to making the trip to the College World Series in Omaha with the University of Tennessee. Now, the right-handed pitcher has had his hard work pay off after having his contract purchased to become a member of the San Franciso Giants organization.

Beginning with his high school career, after arriving at Rossview High during his sophomore year, Pleasants quickly worked his way into the pitching rotation with the help of his nasty slider. Fast forward to his senior season, Pleasants served as the Hawks ace on the mound, compiling a record of 8-0 throughout the year. He also had an ERA of 2.13, while being productive at the plate with an average of .437 on 64 hits, which included 9 home runs.

With Pleasants leading the charge, Rossview High baseball was able to bring a state championship back to Clarksville in 2018.

“Winning the state championship is something I think about pretty much every day,” Pleasants said. “It helped jump start my career, and I’m so thankful to have been a part of it.”

Longtime Rossview High head coach, Parker Holman, spoke to Clarksville Now about Pleasants, and he said he could not be prouder of his former student-athlete.

“It could not have happened to a better guy,” Holman said. “He’s such a giver in life, he does so much for others. It’s a testament to not only how good of a pitcher he is, but how great of a man he is. Incredibly happy for him and his family.”

Pleasants college career

Following Rossview’s championship victory, Pleasants was at the mall with his friend and teammate Christian Scott, when he received word he had been selected in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals. However, instead of signing with the Royals out of high school, he decided to play baseball at the University of Tennessee, where Scott just so happened to play as well.

During his first two seasons with the Volunteers, Pleasants was dominate in limited innings pitched. In 2019, he compiled an ERA of 2.45, while his ERA was 1.42 during his sophomore season, according to UT Athletics. While he had a productive career at the University of Tennessee, Pleasants told Clarksville Now he struggled to stay consistent over the course of the 50+ games played. “I had to go through that to get better,” Pleasants said.

Going into his senior season, the right-handed pitcher transferred to Dallas Baptist, then made his final collegiate stop in the spring of 2023 with Trevecca Nazarene University. During his final season in college, Pleasants amassed 76.1 innings pitched, 85 strikeouts and collected an ERA of 4.36.

With his college eligibility exhausted, Pleasants returned home to Clarksville, where he served as a player development baseball coach for his alma mater, Rossview High School. In addition to his role in player development, Pleasants helped out with their video staff as well. With these experiences, Pleasants said he was able to restore the child-like passion for the game he once had.

“It helped me mentally get back to the basics,” Pleasants said. “It helped me remember the times where I was just a kid wanting to play baseball, not putting too much pressure on myself. Interacting with the players every day, it brought me back to the love of the game, trying to just go win with my buddies.”

When the Rossview High baseball season ended and the summer began, Pleasants returned to the mound and made a few appearances for the Oakland Ballers of the Pioneer Baseball League. Then, on June 12, the right-handed pitcher had his contract purchased by the San Francisco Giants. Currently, he’s training with the organization and while he does not know what’s next, he’ll continue to do what he’s done his whole life – work.

“I want to focus on getting better every day and be present in the moment,” Pleasants said. “I have an opportunity, and I want to make the most of it.”

Christian Brown contributed to this article.