DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – Over two months ago a story was written about a local baseball player who is currently representing the entire country with a bat in his hand and “Team USA” on his chest. Recently, JJ Majdic’s jersey finally came in the mail and he was finally able to rock the threads that make him look like a walking American flag.
Now that the jersey fits, the belt is buckled and the cleats are tied, it all feels much more real.
“It feels like it’s really coming together,“ Majdic said at his home practice facility. “The whole trip is starting to come along, I’ve started preparing and running every day, working on my diet … just getting ready to go down there and get to it.”
Majdic, who has been playing for the Premier West Baseball team down in Denver during the spring and summer months, helped his team take on some of the biggest competition in the region just weeks before hopping on a plane to the Dominican Republic.
“Our goal was to take out one of the bigger teams,” Majdic’s dad, Jerry, said about the tournament. “We did when we beat the Slammers 303 team … They’re the second-best team in the state.”
In that tournament, Majdic recorded his highest number of strikeouts in one game (seven) even though he was playing with older kids on a 13U team. “It was one of my better games ever,” shared Majdic, adding that his seven strikeouts “felt good [and] made me feel a little more confident on the mound.”
Just one weekend before representing the United States, the former Riverton Trash Pandas member said he had a lot of focus being spent on perfecting his craft at third base and on the mound in preparation.
“I’m just working on fine tuning my game,” Majdic said. “My coaches say that all of us are Ferraris and we have to finely tune them to be the best they can be.”
Now that he’s been able to fine tune those skills, he’s more ready than ever to play on an even bigger stage. Even though his jersey will no longer read “Riverton,” “Denver” or even “Wyoming,” the pressure of representing the entire U.S. doesn’t seem to be affecting the Riverton superstar.
“It’s a big experience but you just have to go out there and do your job,” Majdic said confidently. “It’s all about how much work I’ve put in … It doesn’t matter where you workout or what you do, it’s about the amount of work you put in and how much time you put into your work.”
Majdic is currently in the Dominican Republic participating in the inaugural practice which will help the Team USA coaches place the right players at the right positions. Not only will Majdic be trying out for the role of starting third baseman but he’s hoping his 70-mph pitches and his signature curve ball will also allow him to pitch for the United States team.
BY: Shawn O’Brate