Zach Jurgens Is a Baseball All-Star Too
8-year-old Zach Jurgens is set to represent the White Sox
By TARA GRIMES
Updated 1:18 PM CST, Tue, Jul 28, 2009
For 8-year-old Zach Jurgens, his love of baseball has him hitting homeruns on and off the field.
The young baseball star didn’t just get lucky when he became a finalist in the Aquafina Major League Baseball Pitch, Hit & Run competition. Instead, it was his aptitude and proficiency in the sport that helped him get there.
Now the soon-to-be third-grader at Mary Drew elementary School in Frankfort, Ill., is the only Southland resident to advance to the finals in the past 13 years, the SouthtownStar reports.
The competition will be held All-Star Weekend, July 12-14, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Jurgens will represent the White Sox at the national competition and will be competing against other national finalists in his age group.
If it didn’t seem like it could get any better than that, after the competition Jurgens has a chance to shag balls in the outfield during the homerun contest.
It wasn’t exactly an easy road to the competition. Jurgens had to win competitions at Frankfort Square Park District, Midlothian Park District and U.S. Cellular Field. Pitch, Hit & Run is designed -- believe it or not -- to showcase pitching, hitting and running abilities of boys and girls ages 7 through 14.
From buying a new hitting tee to putting up a temporary target on the side of the house to practice pitching, Jurgens' parents support him as much as they can.
“He hits until he gets tired," Michele Jurgens, his mother told the Southtown. "We'll go to the park and let him hit as long as he wants."
His parents aren't the only family members who are excited about the 8-year-old's upcoming challege. Jurgens' big brother Tim, 11, and younger sister Jessica, 3, are pretty psyched, too.
Tim claims himself to be “Zach’s agent," and the 3-year-old says, "I play baseball too."
"I taught him everything he knows," Tim humbly told the Southtown.
While at the competition, Jurgens hopes to see his favorite player -- -White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko. But if he doesn’t, he said he’ll “settle for Albert Pujols.”
"I've been playing baseball every day," the little slugger said. "Boy, thank goodness I like baseball."
Watch out big leaguers, this guy's movin' up.
First Published: Jul 6, 2009 1:58 PM CST
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