In 2005, a high school gymnast from Tennessee made a last-second decision to come to Ohio State, and turned out to be an incredible addition to the men’s gymnastics program.

“Ohio State was my final recruiting trip and a spur of the moment thing,” said Jake Bateman, a sophomore who competes in all events. “I got a call and came to spend a weekend with the team. After that, I knew this was the place for me, both athletically and academically.”

Last season Bateman made an immediate impact on the OSU men’s gymnastics team and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Bateman won the rings event in his first meet as a Buckeye at the Windy City Invitational. Bateman also finished first in the rings, second in the parallel bars and third in the vault in a meet against Penn State University.

This season Bateman said he hopes to continue to help the team but is not feeling any pressure to live up to the expectations set by his remarkable performance last season.

“That’s in the past,” Bateman said. “This year the focus is on the team and there’s no real pressure to live up to anything I achieved last year.”

Bateman said he has always dreamed of being part of a major gymnastics program such as OSU and feels privileged to be living his dream.

“I am doing what I always wanted to do,” he said. “In high school, gymnastics is more of an individual sport, but now it’s about the team. It’s been great.”

Bateman said he has high standards for himself and has set several goals.

“There is a lot of talent inside this gym and I hope to help the team reap the benefits of the hard work we are putting in and win championships,” he said.

“He is an athlete that really wants to be good,” said coach Miles Avery. “You can tell by his strong work ethic and preparation.”

The team practices two times each day for at least four hours, and Bateman can always be found lingering in the gym after each practice.

“Jake has shown he’s got great talent, but you can always find him inside the gym training hard to get better and make the team better,” said Willie Ito, a senior who competes in the pommel horse, parallel bars and high bar.

Bateman, along with seven of his teammates, will be traveling to the Winter Cup in Las Vegas on Feb. 8. The Winter Cup is an individual competition where the top three gymnasts, as well as four others who are chosen by judges, will be added to the Men’s Senior National Team following the event.

Bateman said he is not expecting to qualify for the National Team but is hoping to compete well and hit all his routines at the competition.

Outside of the gym, Bateman does not let his talents go to waste. In 2006, he was named an OSU Scholar-Athlete.

“I try to play golf when it’s warm but most of the time I try to keep up on my schoolwork,” he said.

Bateman is a biology major who plans to pursue a career in dentistry after graduation.

No matter how much attention Bateman is given as an individual gymnast, he always tries to focus on the team.

“The best moment I have had was winning the Big Ten Championship last year,” he said. “It’s a great feeling to see the team work so hard and having it pay off.

“This year the team has been putting in a lot of hard work during the preseason and hopefully it will pay off down the road.”

Zach Faulds can be reached at [email protected].