Owen baseball turns double play with signing ceremony
Jackson Warnock heads to Cleveland Community College, Gavin Hooks commits to Bob Jones University
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
February 21, 2026
Owen seniors Jackson Warnock, seated second from left, and Gavin Hooks, seated right, are joined by teammates and supporters, Feb. 20, as they commit to collegiate baseball programs. Warnock is heading to Cleveland Community College, while Hooks play at Bob Jones University. Photo by Fred McCormick
One week before the Owen baseball team takes the field to open the 2026 season, a pair of Warhorses took care of business off of it.
Surrounded by family members, teammates and coaches, Feb. 20, seniors Jackson Warnock and Gavin Hooks shared the spotlight in a signing ceremony, as the duo committed to continue their respective playing careers for collegiate programs.
Warnock, who has led the Warhorses in nearly every offensive statistical category in each of the last two seasons, will take the diamond for Cleveland Community College, while Hooks, who pitched 20 innings in 7 appearances in his injury-shortened first year at Owen, committed to continue his baseball career at Bob Jones University.
First-year Warhorse head coach Jackson Shaw recognized the work ethic of both players, moments before the student-athletes signed letters of intent.
“These two represent years worth of hard work, motivation of their teammates and showing up early and leaving late,” Shaw said. “I couldn’t be any more proud of them.”
Warnock has been a mainstay of the Owen program since joining the varsity team in his sophomore year, when he batted a team-high .467 and led the Warhorses with 15 runs batted in. As a junior, he increased his productivity, batting .545 with 21 RBI and 13 doubles, while pitching 33.1 innings and striking out 26 opposing hitters. The two-sport athlete, who is averaging 11.1 points and 6 rebounds per game in his senior campaign for the Owen basketball team, has long been focused on continuing career on the baseball diamond.
The opportunity to play the sport he has competed in since he was 4 years old came to Warnock when he received a phone call from a former Owen baseball player and teammate of his older brother, Aidan. Briggs Barker, an assistant coach for the Cleveland Community College baseball program, recognized the younger Warnock, and basketball teammate of his brother, Calvin, as a good fit for the Yetis.
“I’ve known Jackson since he was young, and he's good buddies with my younger brother,” Briggs said. “I played with Aidan when I was in high school and coached against him when he went off to (Wake Technical Community College) last year.”
The coach’s familiarity with the Owen athlete provided valuable insight into the kind of person and player would be joining the Yetis program.
“We’re getting a great one,” Briggs said. “With everyone we recruit, we know they can play, so we look closely at character. Knowing Jackson all these years, I know he’s a really good player and person.”
Owen head baseball coach Jackson Shaw, right, celebrates the career accomplishments of seniors Jackson Warnock and Gavin Hooks, who signed, Feb. 20, with collegiate programs. Photo by Fred McCormick
The opportunity to continue his baseball career in college is an “exciting” one, according to Warnock.
“I’ve been playing this game my whole life, and the chance to be able to continue to do it is a privilege,” he said. “Not everyone gets the opportunity to do it, so I won’t take it for granted. I’m just thankful to get the chance to improve, and continue to play the game.”
Hooks joined the Warhorses as a junior last year, following his transfer from Asheville Christian Academy. His coach witnessed “a lot of great things” from the pitcher and outfielder, before a hand injury forced the athlete to miss the second half of the campaign.
“This year, he’s going to keep pitching for us, and so far, we've been seeing a lot of great things from him on the mound,” Shaw said. “He’s also making a change and moving to third base, and he’s been working hard and doing fantastic over there. He’s really stepped up as a team leader.”
As he prepares to come back for his senior season, Hooks characterized his plans to play college baseball as “a dream come true.”
“I’m really looking forward to the experience,” he said. “I mean, I’ve been playing this sport my whole life and started getting really serious about in middle school. Since then, it’s been the dream to keep playing it after high school.”
Hooks, who wanted to attend college close to home, was intrigued by the prospect of continuing his education at a faith-based institution.
“I started to talking to (head coach Kyle Morrison) over there, and he’s a really nice guy,” he said. “He started to talk about what it means to play sport on a faith-based team, and I really liked that.”
Before Hooks and Warnock begin their college careers, both players expressed goals to help turn the Owen baseball program around under its new head coach. The Warhorses, who have posted a combined 22-59 record since 2022, feature a core of experienced seniors.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a winning season, so our goal is to work as hard as we can to deliver that this year,” Warnock said. “I think we have a group of guys who are definitely capable of getting us there.”
That aspiration, according to Hooks, is one all of the team leaders are committed to.
“We all want to have a winning season and end our high school careers by putting this program closer to where it used to be,” he said. “With coach and this group of guys, we have everything we need to do that.”