Admirability is the quality of excelling and possessing good qualities to a high degree.

LMC pitcher Jack Saylor is as admirable as anyone can be on or off the baseball field. He endured a tragic incident a couple of years ago in which his close friend passed away, but from then, he made it his intention to dedicate all his success to him.

“I most definitely faced struggles to get where I’m at as I came to LMC as a freshman being one of the worst players,” said Saylor. “Everything changed at the beginning of my second year as I made a promise to dedicate the rest of my career to a close friend of mine that passed away the year before.”

During his five starts of the 2022-23 season, Saylor pitched 34.1 innings with a 2.10 earned run average. He also struck out 31 batters and has 8.13 strikeouts per nine innings. However, stats are not everything as he is trying to get his team the win in each game he pitches. 

“There are plenty of games left to play,” said Saylor. “Scoreless innings and wins are all I care about.”

Saylor describes his only dream of playing baseball is to be a dominant player in the future, “it’s that simple.”

Growing up, baseball was the primary sport that he was around, as his father was a college pitcher at Creighton University. His father, John Saylor, had a 4.03 career ERA at Creighton while also striking out 67 batters. 

“I was directed towards baseball by my dad, as he was a ball player himself. He taught me how to pitch when I was very young,” said Saylor.

Motivated by his father, Saylor also looked up to one major league baseball player, and that was the San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum. Lincecum, also known as “The Freak,” is known for his unique throwing motion pitching. He is a two-time Cy Young Award Winner, a four-time all-star and a three-time World Series Champion.

“I saw myself in him from a young age and haven’t had anyone else come close,” said Saylor.

A current goal he has set for himself is to attempt to touch 90 miles an hour on his fastball. He believes it’ll be great for his career to give him a better edge against opposing batters. 

Saylor has made it known that he pitches for those he loves, and is passionate about the game, displayed in his success this season so far. 

Like most athletes, he also has a tradition before each pitching appearance, and it usually starts the night before when he stretches and watches footage from Lincecum in his prime. He would focus on the mechanics of Lincecum and hopes to resemble it in his pitches.

Leading into the game day where Saylor says he takes time to “meditate, stretch, and prepare for the explosive movements that [he] will use on the mound.”

Going into the mechanics of throwing, his favorite part about baseball is the mental aspect of the game. He thrives on failure as the best players take those failures as lessons for themselves to build on. 

“You can never get too high or too low as the next pitch is always the most important. It teaches you how to stay consistent and stick to your routine that works,” said Saylor.

He adores being on the baseball team due to the selflessness of everyone a part of the team and how everyone wants the best from teammates. 

“We’re a team that wants to win and we make that known,” said Saylor. “I love this team and I wouldn’t rather play with any other group. Roll Stangs!”