A native of College Place, Washington, Mitchell Lesmeister played baseball, football, and basketball at Walla Walla High School. Fans of Blue Devil athletics have probably grown familiar with his name over the last few years. Over his career at Wa-Hi, Lesmeister racked up a laundry list of accolades in all three sports.
In football, he was MCC All-Conference honorable mention back-to-back years (QB 2016, 2017). In basketball, he was MCC All-Conference honorable mention and Defensive Player of the Year (2016) and second team (2017). In baseball, he was MCC All-Conference first team consecutive seasons (2016, 2017) and the 2017 MCC Player of the Year.
Perhaps his most notable athletic accomplishment is that he broke Drew Bledsoe’s career yardage record at Wa-Hi by nearly 1000 yards, finishing his career with 5,045 total yards. Lesmeister chose to pursue baseball because he felt it gave him the best chance at a long playing career.
“To be honest, I don’t know how long I would’ve lasted in football,” Lesmeister said. “I feel like baseball is a little easier on the body. Not that it’s an easier sport, but at least injury-wise, I can play it longer into my life than football. So I thought baseball was the right choice for me.”
Lesmeister is currently attending Central Washington University, where he is pursuing a degree in chemistry and plans to attend pharmacy school post-graduation. He wants to be a pharmacist to be able to help others and give back to the community.
Growing up, Mitch had the opportunity to attend several Sweets games and he said he cannot wait for the opportunity to finally don the uniform himself.
“Growing up, going to their games and watching them play, I had always aspired to eventually play for the Sweets," Lesmeister said. "I finally got the opportunity this summer, so of course I took it, and I’m super stoked about it.”
He also noted that the atmosphere at Borleske Stadium is electric and he's excited to play in front of the Walla Walla faithful.
“Borkleske is a one of a kind stadium, you’re not going to see another baseball stadium like it," Lesmeister said. "Then of course there’s the Walla Walla fans, everybody just comes out and supports. They love the Sweets, and I’m really excited to be a part of that atmosphere this summer.”
He is the son of Teri and Todd Lesmeister and has two brothers, Michael and Mark.

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