Taking the ‘dad first’ approach
When Jarrod Washburn guided his high school alma mater to a baseball state championship in 2018, he was asked an interesting question: What feels better, winning a state title as a coach or a World Series as a player?
Washburn had to reflect.
He had a solid, 12-year Major League Baseball career that was capped off by helping the Anaheim Angels win the 2002 World Series. It was a thrill of a lifetime.
Fast forward 16 years and Washburn was coaching his hometown high school baseball team in Webster, Wisconsin. To make it even more special, Washburn was coaching two of his own boys, Jack and Owen, who are both stars in the making.
“Honestly, I can’t tell you which one’s better,” Washburn said. “You set a goal at the beginning of the season and to get the ultimate goal and to be able to achieve that, you can’t describe how good it feels. Winning a World Series and then coaching a team that your boys are on, it’s hard to pick one that feels better than the other. If I had to pick one, I’d probably feel better for winning the state championship with the boys. It just feels that good. It’s such a proud moment for not only my kids, I care just as much about all those other kids on those teams.”
Winning that first state title was a joy, but Washburn and his boys took home another title this past June. Back-to-back state championships – one each in Divisions 3 and 4 – are just extra special.
Washburn, who
