Breaking News Alerts

We'd like to send you alerts when breaking news happens. Hide this Message

Press "Allow" to Activate

Search
Aloha, !
My Profile | Logout
Aloha, Guest!
Login | Register
  • News Topics
    • Front Page
    • Maui News
    • Business
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Maui Wildfires
    • Maui Election
    • Food & Dining
    • Real Estate
    • Hawai‘i Journalism Initiative
    • Crime Statistics
    • Local Sports
    • Opinion
  • Weather & Surf
    • Weather Forecast
    • Surf Report
  • Lifestyle & Culture
    • Maui Arts & Entertainment
    • Food & Dining
    • Obituaries
    • Real Estate
    • Visitors' Guide
  • Events Calendar
    • Upcoming Maui Events
    • Events Map
    • Post an Event
  • Job Listings
    • Maui Jobs
    • Recent Job Listings
    • Job Alerts
    • Post a Job
  • Special Sections
    • Hawaii Journalism Initiative
    • Medical Minute
  • × Close Menu
  • About Maui Now
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Get the App
  • Advertise With Us
  • Meet the Team
Choose Your Island:
  • Kauai
  • Maui
  • Big Island
Copyright © 2025 Pacific Media Group
All Rights Reserved

Privacy Policy | About Our Ads

Maui Now
Search
Aloha, !
My Profile | Logout
Aloha, Guest!
Login | Register
    Maui Now
  • Sections
  • Maui News
  • Wildfires
  • Business
  • Weather
  • Surf
  • Entertainment
  • Visitors' Guide
  • Jobs
  • Obituaries
  • HJI

This article brought to you in partnership with the Hawai‘i Journalism Initiative — a Maui-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Donate Learn about HJI
Hawai‘i Journalism Initiative

Monday Morning Maui Sports: Jaxon Grossman’s baseball journey has him on verge of MLB draft or the University of Oklahoma

By Rob Collias
June 16, 2025, 6:00 AM HST
* Updated June 18, 7:51 AM
Play
Listen to this Article
4 minutes
Loading Audio... Article will play after ad...
Playing in :00
A
A
A

As Jaxon Grossman jumped on to the dog pile after the Salt Lake Community College baseball team won the National Junior College Athletic Association championship on May 31 in Grand Junction, Colo., he thought back to the remarkable baseball journey he has traveled.

The Salt Lake Community College baseball team celebrates winning the National Junion College Athletic Association championship in Grand Junction, Colo., on May 31. Courtesy photo
The Salt Lake Community College baseball team celebrates winning the National Junior College Athletic Association championship in Grand Junction, Colo., on May 31. Courtesy photo

The 2022 King Kekaulike High School graduate, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-handed pitcher, spent the 2023 season at the University of Utah where he pitched in just two games. He sat out the 2024 season to rehabilitate a slight injury, regroup and find his love for the game again. 

Then, this season he was the pitcher of the tournament at the JuCo national championship tournament, collecting two wins on the mound, allowing just three earned runs and eight hits in 11 innings. For the season, he finished 6-0 with 5.15 earned run average over 14 appearances which included nine starts. He struck out 55 and walked 18 in 50 2/3 innings.

HJI Weekly Newsletter

Get more stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for the Hawai‘i Journalism Initiative's weekly newsletter:

ADDING YOU TO THE LIST...

In his first two outings of the season, he touched 99 mph on the radar gun which makes him a prime candidate to be selected in the Major League Baseball draft July 13-14.

“It’s been a crazy journey going from Utah to taking a year off to going on to being on a national championship team, it’s just unreal,” Grossman said Thursday after returning home to Maui.

Jaxon Grossman, a 2022 King Kekaulike High School graduate, was 6-0 in 14 appearances for Salt Lake Community College this season, including 2-0 in the national junior college tournament. He struck out 55 in 50 2/3 innings and is likely to be selected in the Major League Baseball draft July 13-14. Courtesy photo
Jaxon Grossman, a 2022 King Kekaulike High School graduate, was 6-0 in 14 appearances for Salt Lake Community College this season, including 2-0 in the national junior college tournament. He struck out 55 in 50 2/3 innings and is likely to be selected in the Major League Baseball draft July 13-14. Courtesy photo

He announced his commitment to play at the University of Oklahoma on May 6 and is signed to play for the West Virginia Black Bears in the MLB Draft League this summer, but he is leaning towards staying home to prepare for the draft or OU in the fall.

He has thrived since taking a year off after a rough season at Utah straight out of King Kekaulike.

“It was definitely a struggle, but it just made me want to play even more, just gave me the hunger to want to be better than I was,” Grossman said.

There is no question where he wants to end up now: Major Leaguer.

“Nothing else,” Grossman said. “That’s all I want.”

Grossman is keeping pace with fellow Maui baseball players in college. Four players from the Maui Interscholastic League — Ben Zeigler-Namoa, Dylan Waite, David Vergel de Dios and Konnor Palmeira — played for the University of Hawai‘i this season, the most ever in a single season for the Rainbow Warriors.

Wehiwa Aloy was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and his brother Kuhio Aloy was named first-team all-SEC — both went to Baldwin High School. Wehiwa Aloy is also a finalist for national player of the year awards, the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy.

“Hawai‘i baseball, in general, is very slept on,” Grossman said. “There’s a bunch of guys that get to places like those guys at Arkansas, and there’s guys at smaller D-I schools that are very good. They didn’t get as much opportunities as other people. And then there’s guys that didn’t have the opportunity at all to play college baseball — and I know some of those guys, they could be playing.”

Jaxon Grossman, a 2022 King Kekaulike High School graduate, was 6-0 in 14 appearances for Salt Lake Community College this season for the national junior college champions. He struck out 55 in 50 2/3 innings. Courtesy photo
Jaxon Grossman, a 2022 King Kekaulike High School graduate, was 6-0 in 14 appearances for Salt Lake Community College this season for the national junior college champions. He struck out 55 in 50 2/3 innings. Courtesy photo

There are times that Grossman has to pinch himself to realize that he has found his baseball life, again, much like he had after high school when he was also a draft prospect.

Now, he will forever have a national championship ring from the 2025 season in Salt Lake.

“There was a lot of up and downs throughout the season,” Grossman said. “But I pushed through and then we just came out on top and just an awesome feeling to just be in that situation.”

Jaxon Grossman, a 2022 King Kekaulike High School graduate, holds the natioinal junior college championship trophy that his Salt Lake Community College team won on May 31. Courtesy photo
Jaxon Grossman, a 2022 King Kekaulike High School graduate, holds the natioinal junior college championship trophy that his Salt Lake Community College team won on May 31. Courtesy photo

In a month, he may become a professional through the MLB draft. If that doesn’t happen, he will be in Norman, Okla., in August.

“I mean, both,” Grossman said when asked what he is looking forward to. “If I had the opportunity to get drafted, that’s just an amazing opportunity. And then going to Oklahoma, that’d be an amazing opportunity, too. I’ve just got to see what happens with the draft and kind of decide from there.”

Not bad to have options like that when a year ago he was out of baseball.

“I actually hurt myself at the last practice at Utah,” Grossman said. “I basically took that year off to rehab and get myself healthy for this year. I had just a little something off my shoulder, but I decided to leave Utah and I didn’t want to go to another school not feeling well.

“So I just said, ‘I’m just going to take this year off and just see what happens.’ I’m 100% now.”

Grossman admitted he is proud of himself as professional baseball or major college baseball awaits.

“I’m super proud,” he said. “I just know that I have a lot left in me and it doesn’t stop here.”

“Monday Morning Maui Sports” columns appear weekly on Monday mornings with updates on local sports in the Maui Interscholastic League and elsewhere around Maui County. Please send column ideas — anything having to do with sports in Maui County — as well as results and photos to rob@hjinow.org.

Rob Collias
Rob Collias is a general assignment reporter for the Hawai'i Journalism Initiative. He previously worked as a sports reporter for The Maui News and also spent time with the Pacific Daily News in Guam and the Honolulu Advertiser.
Read Full Bio

Comments

This comments section is a public community forum for the purpose of free expression. Although Maui Now encourages respectful communication only, some content may be considered offensive. Please view at your own discretion. View Comments

Help Fund Local Journalism

Learn More about HJI
  • One-Time
  • Monthly
  • Yearly

One-Time Donation Amount

$20
$40
$60
$80
$100
$

Monthly Donation Amount

$5 / month
$10 / month
$20 / month
$40 / month
$60 / month
$
/month

Yearly Donation Amount

$50 / year
$100 / year
$150 / year
$200 / year
$250 / year
$
/year

HJI Weekly Newsletter

Get more stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for the Hawai‘i Journalism Initiative's weekly newsletter:

ADDING YOU TO THE LIST...
Arrow UpBack to Top
  • Maui News
  • Maui Business
  • Weather
  • Entertainment
  • Maui Surf
  • Maui Sports
  • Crime Statistics
  • Maui Activities
  • Maui Discussion
  • Food and Dining
  • Real Estate
  • Maui Events Calendar
  • Maui Jobs
  • Official Visitors’ Guide
  • Hawai‘i Journalism Initiative
  • About Maui Now
  • Contact Information
  • Advertise with Us
  • App
  • Newsletter
  • Terms of Service

Copyright © 2025 Pacific Media Group.
All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | About Our Ads

Facebook YouTube Instagram