When I was little, my parents exposed me to many sports, including baseball, basketball, soccer, jiu jitsu, motocross, track and field, snowmobiling, mountain biking, skiing, and more. We also spent a lot of time fishing and trail riding at our cabin.
At age eight, I started racing motocross indoors and at age nine, I started playing Little League. I also started running track and field in elementary school. Racing outdoor motocross became my primary sport at age 10 where I focused on training and racing up and down the West coast with a goal of making it to the Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s. I also continued to play Little League, but motocross was my primary focus (competed in top venues at Washougal, Glen Helen, Hangtown, Pala, Milestone and more) until age 12.
I broke my leg during a race right before the Pacific Northwest regional qualifier for Loretta’s after training all winter and spring. Severe injuries are the norm in motocross, but I realized that continuous injuries in motocross would prevent me from playing team sports competitively.
I decided to focus on baseball and also started playing tackle football. My peers had a lot more reps from playing select baseball and football, but I knew my athleticism would help me catch up. I put in the work and made the FCA 13U baseball team. After one season of football, I also made the middle school 7on7 team at Ford Sports Performance in Bellevue, which is a nationally ranked program.
During my freshman year, my school district was the first in the United States to close down due to COVID and was also one of the last to go back. While high school baseball was shut down, my FCA coach found a way for us to continue to compete. Even though it was a shorter season, it helped me improve my baseball IQ and realize more than ever that baseball is my first love. We had a limited high school COVID schedule my sophomore year, but a full season of Select the summer before my junior year and now things are back to a normal routine. I continue to make progress athletically and in my knowledge of the game and want to play in college. I hit .394 in 13u. Hit .455 in 14U. Hit .510 in 15U and .355 in 17U (lead the team with 38 hits in 107 at bats).
My parents both played competitive sports. My dad was drafted by the Chicago White Sox out of high school and then left baseball to play D1 football under Walt Harris and Jon Gruden at University of the Pacific on a full-ride scholarship. My mom played D1 field hockey and softball, also on scholarship at University of the Pacific. They have painted a realistic picture about the grit required to be a student athlete at any level of college baseball. I’m ready and excited for the challenge.
In my downtime, I like to fish, especially fly fish and research stocks. I also love to drive and spend time hanging out with friends.
Link to my Baseball Northwest overview: https://baseballnorthwest.com/user/jmehl/. Email: jackmehl37 (at) icloud.com. Twitter: @JackKMehl.