Photo by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Ethan Pesch in action for the Loggers this past spring.

By Ray Hamill — in Ethan Pesch’s own words, family is everything to him.

Both of them.

Pesch, who graduated from Eureka High this summer, is taking his baseball talents to San Diego Mesa JC, and as he gets set for the next exciting chapter on his journey, he paid tribute this week to the two families that have each played a pivotal role in shaping him.

In addition to his parents, Rachel and Scott, who have supported him at every step, Ethan says his teammates at Eureka High have also inspired him to be the person he is today and left him with memories he’ll cherish forever.

“I’d say what I’ll remember the most is just hanging out with the guys,” he said. “They’re some of my best friends. That’s the main thing for me. It’s kind of like a family.”

The multi-sport athlete could have competed in a variety of sports at the collegiate level, but choose baseball because of the camaraderie he has always felt while playing the sport.

“It’s different,” he said of baseball. “Being with all the guys in high school, we had a lot of fun. I’ll remember all the dogpiles at the Charlie Lakin tournament. That team atmosphere helped me improve honestly.”

And improve he did, evolving into one of the Loggers’ aces this past spring, when he led a dominant team in wins (4-0) and ERA (0.95).

He choose San Diego in part because of the program’s reputation for success and sending players on to four-year schools, and also for the location.

“I have an uncle down there and I fell in love with the area as soon as I went down,” Pesch said. “I was looking for a JC and San Diego is a great program.”

The Loggers celebrate one of their many recent Charlie Lakin tournament championships with their traditional dogpile.

The Eureka grad, who will major in Business, says he wants to eventually play at a four-year school and believes San Diego Mesa is a perfect place to achieve that goal.

This year, head coach Steven Sanchez sent an impressive 11 of his players on to four-year schools.

“They get a lot of people going on to D-I and D-II, so hopefully he can help me get to the next level,” Pesch said.

Pesch, who has been playing baseball for 10 years, says he wants to go down and earn a starting spot in the rotation.

“I really just love to pitch,” he said. “I really don’t know how to explain it. I just love it. So hopefully I can go down and pitch well for them.”

This past spring Ethan Pesch, right, was honored at the Logger ESPYs as one of four seniors to have competed in at least 10 sports seasons at Eureka High. Also pictured, from left to right, are Bella Vigil, KyleeAnna Clinton and Ian Bennett.

The multi-talented Pesch also competed in basketball, cross country and track and field and was honored at this year’s annual Logger ESPYs as one of just four seniors who competed in at least 10 seasons of sports at Eureka High.

He has also played with the Humboldt Eagles, honing his talents on the mound during the summer months.

And Ethan admits two people in particular have helped shape him as a baseball player.

“My dad and my uncle (Ben) have taught me how to do everything the right way,” he said. “They taught me baseball has ups and downs and you’ve got to paddle through the rough tines.”

Ethan Pesch while playing for the Humboldt Eagles last year.

Mom Rachel also has played a big part on the journey.

“She’s taught me life lessons I’ll never forget,” Ethan said. “Family is everything to me.”