Mike Mokma has done a lot in baseball.
He won a state championship as a player at Holland Christian.
He pitched three seasons in the Big Ten at Michigan State.
He pitched two years of professional baseball in the minor leagues.
Now, he's the head baseball coach at South Christian High School.
"This is a really special place, they win a ton, look what they did in football, look what they did in basketball," Mokma said. "You have a great athletic director David Kool, so I wouldn't really say it was a hard decision."
Mokma was not offered a contract by a professional organization after he posted a 2.27 ERA in 26 appearances with the high A Everett AquaSox in the Mariners organization last season.
"Obviously when you stop playing baseball it is a little tough," Mokma added. "It is completely different being on the inside of the dugout versus the outside is completely different, but it's awesome, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Being able to help these kids in life and in baseball is special, so I am really excited to get going."
The Sailors players are welcoming Mokma too, some of them even remember his high school playing days.
"Interesting thing actually, my brother played against him in high school so I had watched him a few times," South Christian senior pitcher and outfielder Seth Ritsema said. "My brother never beat him, Mike always beat him so I knew about that and I knew he played at Michigan State and in the minor leagues for a little bit."
"It is really nice for me because he can give me a lot of useful information, tips I didn't know before," Ritsema continued. "A lot of new stuff already that I didn't know before that's very helpful."
The Sailors are off to an 0-2 start to the season, but three players just joined the team after helping the basketball team reach the division two state championship game.
South Christian is on spring break next week and its next scheduled game is a doubleheader with Ottawa Hills at home on Tuesday April 11th to open OK Gold conference play.
For more scores, highlights, and the latest news on high school sports in West Michigan, go to the FOX 17 Blitz page.
