Any kid growing up playing the game of baseball will tell you that their ultimate goal is to make it to MLB. However, less than 5% actually achieve that goal. UVU graduate Jake Mayer is one of few who has a shot at this childhood dream.
Mayer played at UVU his entire collegiate career. Elbow surgery early in his career forced him to sit out for a season, but Mayer was a solid asset in the Wolverines pitching rotation. Appearing in 69 games during his career as a Wolverine, Mayer piled up 199 strikeouts, a 4.95 ERA and an opponent batting average of just .273. Not getting
drafted after his senior year, Mayer set off to play professionally in the United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL), an independent baseball league in Michigan.
The USPBL was a tight-knit league featuring only four teams that played each other throughout the week. “We played three games a week and practiced the other days. It’s
an incredible atmosphere,” says Mayer.
With the help of the USPBL, Mayer was able to get scouting reports sent out to major league teams to look over, with the hopes of getting signed. Performing at a high level caught the eyes of the Seattle Mariners and they signed Mayer to a free agent contract. Before he knew it, he was flying out to Arizona to join their minor league team to pursue
his dream.
“It’s hard to explain how I felt when they offered me a contract.” I had so many different emotions running through me. It’s hard to know how to act when a dream you’ve had
since you were a little kid comes true. When it all settled in, I had to find a reason why I was here, and in a book Steve Harvey wrote, ‘Act Like a Success Think Like a
Success’, he talks about how God blesses you to be a blesser and how God gives you a gift to be able to bless other people and I believe that’s my reason; that’s why I am
here: is to make a difference and become a blesser. So each day, I’m going to work my hardest, give it my all and no matter what happens, I got to live out my dream and know
I did it.”
Mayer is currently at the Rookie Ball level for the Seattle Mariners and hopes to continue to climb the ladder to make it to the MLB.
Photo taken by UVU Athletics
