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Lake Forest Little League

Lake Forest Little League

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18

Jun, 2022

Play Like Zach

Many of us in LFLL remember the 9-year old boy who suddenly passed away last Fall due to an anomaly in his heart. His name is Zachary Shane Mitchell, and he was a 2021 All Star player for LFLL. He loved baseball. 

As we pass what would have been his 10th birthday and begin the 2022 All Star tournaments, we would like to celebrate him and keep his memory alive and have him be an inspiration to all of the 2022 All Star players and have thus added a "Play Like Zach" patch to the jerseys with his jersey #12. Here is his family's story...

It doesn't seem like a lot but to me there is a lot behind it.  Just like this phrase, Zach wasn't one to be flashy, or loud, he showed up, led with his actions and did what he was supposed to do.  Like you guys wrote on his ball after last spring he was coachable, versatile, fearless and determined in the way he approached life and played the game.  Just like anyone, he didn't always have a perfect day, he dropped balls, missed throws and struck out.  But, he never let that stop him from pushing forward whether that was in picking up his teammates in the dugout (I've heard he led the league in "who cut the cheese" jokes) or going out there and taking advantage of his next opportunity on the field or at the plate.  A couple examples that come to mind to me that show his coachability, determination and fearlessness are ones we've talked about; he only pitched once during his first triple A season, he was nervous and walked 2 batters, didn't throw a single strike, and got pulled.  He didn't come off the field crying, he knew he needed to put work in to get better so he worked his but off in the backyard and took the next opportunity he got in Allstars and looked like he owned the mound.  He learned a lot from his Allstar experience, how to come together as a team, play multiple roles and tackle adversity head on.  Their last game against Aliso Viejo, even though they lost, was one of the best experiences of his short life.  He loved his team playing the role of underdog and knew that if they were determined that they would battle to the end.  They faced tough pitching but he was swinging for the fences and in the field showed how much he had worked on his glove and arm catching a tough line drive in center and then doubling a runner off at 3rd.  In the end the team lost but some of his best memories, biggest smiles and most impactful pictures were from that day.  I know that was a lot but "Play Like Zach" means a lot both to me and hopefully to the kids who knew him and played with him.

Contact

Lake Forest Little League
25422 Trabuco Rd., Ste 105 #472
Lake Forest, California 92630

Email: [email protected]

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