Jared Austin Strait, ”J-rod” or “Str8er”, of Enfield, NY, formerly of Lansing, NY, passed away tragically on June 9, as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in Texas. Jared was born on March 25, 1998, to James and Janet Strait. He is the brother of Joshua (Alexandria) Strait and a longtime partner of Nina Drake. One of his biggest fans, Grandma Gloria Carlyle, “GmaG”, of Newfield, NY, enjoyed many of our baseball excursions from Lansing to West Texas.

Jared recently completed his studies in computer science at Wells College in Aurora, NY, and was a valued team member at HPM Tech Services in Ithaca.

Playing baseball since he was three, Jared continued to refine his skills. He was playing with the Alpine Cowboys in the Pecos League in Texas and reached his professional stride this summer. An accomplished pitcher, he recently expanded the breadth of his skills by partnering with Ryan Stevens to sign on as a pitching coach and, more recently, as an assistant coach at Wells College. Sean Persky, the Alpine Cowboy’s manager “Skip”, left a remarkable impression on Jared, both personally and professionally.

Jared relished baseball. The strategy of the game, the competitiveness of the play calls, and the overall thrill of pursuing the outs thrilled him. He had so many plans to continue his work with new and existing team players at the collegiate level. He learned all he could about baseball from the many coach and player influences along the way, and he was paying that forward. We have to believe he is now keeping score and talking strategy with Daniel Atkins.

It wasn’t all baseball; well, maybe mostly it was. Jared loved Nina and his family. His time with us was short—just 25 years—yet his impact is immeasurable to so many. There was no way we could have known that everything would have aligned so well to take him away from us that day. A slight shift in any one of the factors could have had a very different impact. Our family encourages everyone to hold tight to those they love and share the moments that make everlasting memories. We have so many with Jared, and we will treasure them always.

Jared was preceded in death by his grandpa, Robert “Bob” Carlyle, of Spencer, NY, and grandma, Mary Wells, of Enfi eld, NY.

For those interested in honoring Jared, please consider supporting the Wells Express baseball program. Donations can be made online earmarked for ‘Other: Wells Baseball’ or sent to Schwartz Athletics Center, 170 Main Street, Aurora, NY 13026.

A memorial service will be held in the near future, and plans will be posted on social media.