x
Breaking News
More () »

12 Sports Original #JacobStrong: Baseball tournament honors life of Jacob Medina

The 24-team baseball tournament honoring the life and legacy of former Perry baseball player Jacob Medina.

TEMPE, Ariz. — There are moments in sports that you’ll always remember. Game-winning shots, home runs, epic touchdowns, legendary moments.

For me, I will always remember being out at the first annual JM23 Classic at Tempe Diablo Stadium. The 24-team baseball tournament honoring the life and legacy of former Perry baseball player Jacob Medina, who died in May at age 19 after a long battle to leukemia. 

Emery Miller, Jacob’s longtime friend, helped organize the event with his Team Miller Foundation. Emery and Jacob came up with the idea of a baseball tournament together, with all the proceeds raised going to a family in need.

“You have to embrace the sadness, to fully embrace the joy,” says Miller. “The people that are here the last 19 months have embraced a lot of sadness, and they still are. It’s going to continue. It’s not over, but I’m really happy that now that we’ve embraced that sadness, we can celebrate Jacob’s joy and how he wanted us to live.”

Before You Leave, Check This Out