Athletics

Even though Mack Lemieux has already wrapped up his first season with the Hillsboro Hops, he couldn’t keep his mind off Palm Beach State College.

“I had a great time at PBSC,” said Lemieux, who was a freshman pitcher during the Panthers spring 2016 season. “All the coaching staff helped me develop and mature as a player and a person and gave me the lessons I needed to prepare me for the major leagues.”

Lemieux, now a pitcher for the farm team for the Arizona Diamondbacks, recently donated $500 to the Palm Beach State Panther baseball program.

“It was important for me to give back and let the coaching staff know how much I appreciated my time here,” said Lemieux.

Before joining the PBSC team, Lemieux was a pitcher at Jupiter High School. One lesson he learned at Palm Beach State was how to play a longer game.

“In high school we only had seven innings as opposed to nine at the college level,” said Lemieux. “This was one of the biggest hurdles I had to adjust to. The coaches helped me increase my endurance to prepare for this.”

Lemieux wasn’t the only Palm Beach State player during the spring 2016 season to make it to the minor leagues. Shane Sawczak, Lemieux’s former roommate and fellow pitcher, is now playing for the Batavia Muckdogs, a farm team for the Miami Marlins.

According to PBSC Head Coach Kyle Forbes, there are currently 15 PBSC alumni playing professional baseball in the minor leagues.

“Mack and Shane were great players and we are very proud to now see them on the road to fulfilling their major league dreams,” said Forbes.

Lemieux, who is from Tequesta, was drafted in the sixth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this year.