Meet the Jackfish: Jonah Weisner
Jonah Weisner comes to the Welland Jackfish with a loaded baseball resume.
The 24-year-old infielder was the Western Canadian Baseball League most valuable player in 2023 and finished up last season with the Quebec City Capitals of the Frontier League where he was part of a league championship run.
Weisner was slated to return to Quebec City this season but when things fell through at the last minute, he was left without a place to play.
The native of Mission, B.C., then went to Alberta to play in a summer league to keep himself sharp with the hopes of getting back into competitive ball.
That’s when Jackfish general manager Jason McKay called with an offer to come to Welland.
“He expressed an interest to get me out here and after doing some research on what the team and league was about, it was a no-brainer to come here and play,” Weisner said. “I drove all the way from Alberta.”
Weisner, who has a Graduate Bachelor of Science Applied Psychology degree and is working on Masters in Forensic Psychology, wants to keep the dream of playing as long as possible.
“I feel like it’s the time for me, especially with college for me being on the cusp of being finished, to go out and really pursue something that I have a huge passion for and that’s baseball,” he said. “For a guy like me with very limited professional experience and having a taste of what that was like with Quebec Frontier League, it definitely pushed me to be even better and get back to the level to see if I can continue to play this game at a professional level.”
Weisner joins Tyler Dupuis and Dawson Tweet in a talented and crowded middle infield.
“We needed another middle infielder,” Jackfish manager Brian Essery said. “If we ever got an injury, we needed depth there and he fits in with the other two guys who play the middle.”
Weisner is versatile enough to play anywhere in infield and started at third base Thursday.
“He’s got a great glove,” Essery said. “We’re just waiting for the bat to come on. It’s been there at every level. We’ve seen glimpses of it. It’s being consistently there.”
Essery said the logjam up the middle will work itself out based on performance.
“Whoever is rolling plays in the playoffs. Whoever is hot, they’ll be in the lineup. That’s how we’ve always done it but with Dupuis’ defence, he’s not going anywhere,” Essery said.
Weisner is glad he made the choice to join the Jackfish.
“It’s been unbelievable. From the front office, to the fans, to the organization, to all my teammates, this is the best spot to be in the IBL, hands down,” he said. “You get to come here and play in front of all these fans and the community itself, it’s a lot of fun to be part of.
“It’s a great situation for me. This is the picture perfect summer for me.”
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