“Lucky 13”: Titans MVP Jaxen Lehr Commits to NCAA D2 Salem University Tigers

Titans Leadership Award Winner and 16U MVP Jaxen Lehr became the 13th player from the Class of 2022 to commit to a US College. The resident of Angus, Ontario signed his letter of intent to the Salem International University Tigers at the end of December.  He will join 18U Titans teammate Haidyn Norman at the NCAA Division 2 school in Salem, West Virginia, and offered three reasons for attending SIU:  “I chose to commit to the Salem International University Tigers because of how friendly the coaching staff is. They offered me the best opportunity to grow as an athlete and keep me working towards all of my goals. Another reason why I chose Salem University is the school itself; SIU offers a ton of academic programs.” Lehr is looking forward to living in Salem, W.V. since it “offers a lot of historical sites that I am looking forward to seeing. I am so excited to join the team and help out the community, too.” The Honor Roll graduate of Nottawasaga Pines Secondary School will major in Physiology and Exercise Science and his academic goal is “to complete all of my courses while holding at least an 80% average; as for athletics, I am looking to gain velocity on my pitching as well as my batting.”

18U Titans Head Coach Denis Bailey acknowledged Lehr’s versatility and talents on the baseball diamond:  “Jaxen is a sparkplug. He can be successful on both sides of the ball. Great team guy, too.  I’m looking forward to seeing what he does at the next level.  He can hit up and down the lineup and play any spot on the field.” 

Director of Player Development and Baseball Operations Lawrence Vera applauded the former 16U Titan MVP’s post-secondary choices:  “We are extremely proud of Jaxen and his decision to commit to Salem University.  In 2020, Jaxen was our first Leadership Award recipient and will be a role model for many Titans to come.”

The award-winning Titan was appreciative of the work that Coaches Bailey and Vera put forward on his behalf:  “The Titans helped tremendously with my college baseball placement. Unfortunately, I sustained an injury and was unable to play baseball last year or go down to any of the American trips to meet any coaches. However, Coach Bailey reached out to Salem and told them how interested I was. Since I was unable to go down and meet the coach, he put me in contact with Coach JT and that allowed me to start the recruitment process.”

Lehr reflected on the best part of being a member of the Titans community:  “The highlight of my Titans career would have to be in my 16U season when I initially joined the Titans Baseball Club. This is due to the instant bonding that happened within the team; it's never been a clique. Everyone on the team turned it from teammates to brothers in the first couple of days.”  He presented these guidelines for younger Titan student-athletes in order to achieve their post-secondary goals:  “The best piece of advice I could offer is to keep grinding as a student-athlete; always remember that student is the first word in that and complete all of your school work on time. Another great thing to do is keep your body intact and focus on self-care.”  These are wise, timely, and cautionary words from a student-athlete who is making a valiant effort to return from an injury that kept him from competing fully in the 2021 season.

All the best in Salem, West Virginia in 2022, Jaxen-- both on and off the field for the SIU Tigers.  Stay healthy and thanks for your Leadership as a Titan.