Mike Wakelam has been appointed to the Herts Baseball Club executive board. He already manages the Herts Under-13 programme and now will also carry out the role of Youth Baseball Commissioner overseeing the whole Herts youth baseball programme which offers baseball to boys and girls from 4 to 16 years of age.
Mike Wakelam was born in Australia. His baseball background goes back a long way, from playing tee-ball as a 7-year-old in Melbourne at the well known Upwey Ferntree Gully Baseball Club. As a teenager he played for various teams and travelled to the USA as a 15-year-old to progress his career at the Mickey Owens Baseball School in Springfield, Missouri. 2 years later he returned to the USA on an exchange program to play high school baseball, where he finished the season with an All-Conference honourable mention. A knee injury meant that his playing days were limited. However, this didn’t deter him from continuing his involvement in baseball in a coaching capacity. He has been coaching little league teams since the age of 16. When he was 19 he coached the Under-16 All-Star team at Upwey Ferntree Gully baseball club, and went on to coach several players privately, two of whom travelled to the US and played and trained at the Playball Baseball Academy in Ft Lauderdale, Florida.
As a big Kansas City Royals fan Mike Wakelam made sure he was able to get to Kansas for the MLB All Star game in 2012.
In 2009 Mike Wakelam happened to be at the Northwick Park baseball and softball centre when Herts were running an exhibition event there and decided to join Herts Baseball Club. He went on to play for the Herts Eagles in the AAA League and also for the Falcons in the NBL establishing himself as one of the most feared sluggers. His career batting average in the NBL stands at an impressive .667. His persistent knee problems have kept him out of the game since 2010 but he has stayed involved in baseball contributing to the success of the Herts Baseball youth programme.
In the beginning of 2010 he was a candidate for the Coaches Commissioner role on the Board of the British Baseball Federation. He generously withdrew his candidacy to make way for Leicester’s Mark Meredith to run for that office. This has been a blessing for Herts as it has allowed him to give all of his expertise and time to the club and contribute to its success.