Jacob Newman is in his second professional season and second with the ThunderBolts in 2025. He signed as a free agent on June 7, 2024 and appeared in 15 games (three starts) down the stretch. He spent the spring of 2024 completing his college career at the University of Illinois Springfield, where he went 4-5 with a 6.91 ERA over 14 games (13 starts) and struck out 65 in 54.2 innings. He tossed five innings as a junior for the Prairie Stars.

Jacob pitched for one year at Fairleigh Dickinson University, throwing 3.2 innings over four appearances. His collegiate career began at Rutgers University in 2020. In that pandemic-shortened season, he pitched in two games and did not allow an earned run. He attended Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Illinois.