Where Are They Now? Mike Ekstrom went from ’98 pounds’ at Barlow to a career in MLB; he’s still involved with baseball through his job with Nike

By Dave Ball 

Former Barlow pitching ace Mike Ekstrom remembers being excited to be on the bus traveling to Eugene, Southern Oregon and eventually Salem to play for a high school state championship his senior season. 

Before he hung up his glove, baseball would take him on a world tour.

Ekstrom was on the small side physically when he arrived at Barlow, but his arm carried a surprising pop.

“He came in as a freshman and probably weighed 98 pounds, but mechanically he was so efficient and so clean — he threw like it didn’t take him any effort,” former Barlow coach Steve Stebbins said.

Ekstrom hit his growth spurt during high school and became the go-to guy on the mound his senior year in 2001.

The Bruins finished second in the Mt. Hood Conference and picked up a home playoff win over Mountain View.

Next, Barlow traveled south on Interstate-5 and notched an 8-2 win over league champion North Eugene. The Bruins followed with a 7-1 win over perennial power Jesuit, then took a long bus ride to Crater and came home with a 9-6 victory and a shot at the championship. 

“When you win game after game and you are playing with confidence, it snowballs,” Stebbins said. “You just find ways to win games.”

Stebbins has spent the past 12 years as the head football and baseball coach at South Umpqua High near Roseburg.

“Coming up through the program, we saw the ’99 team make it to the semis, and we saw some of those guys go on to play in college,” Ekstrom said. “We expected that we’d have a good regular season. Our playoff run was a bit unexpected. “

Something was different on the ride to Salem for championship Saturday.

“We had been having fun and playing loose, but that day the bus was quiet, and I thought we might be in some trouble,” Stebbins said.

Lakeridge recorded a 9-0 shutout in the finale.

Still, Ekstrom earned all-state honors and a spot on the roster at Oregon State University. 

“We had some talented pitchers in the program, but our catcher, Bryan Donohue, always told me that Mike throws the hardest out of all of ’em,” Stebbins said. “I remember being at an all-star game after his senior year and the scouts had him at over 90 miles per hour on the radar gun.”

After his sophomore season with the Beavers, Ekstrom transferred to Point Loma, an NAIA program in San Diego. His name remains among the top five across most pitching categories for the Sea Lions. 

Ekstrom was drafted in the 12th round by the San Diego Padres and his first professional stop was with the rookie-league squad in Eugene.

“Baseball is a crazy game, and there were a lot of scouts in Southern California, so I got noticed,” Ekstrom said. “I figured I’d give it a few years, and it turned into 11 seasons.” 

He ended up with a 66-49 record and a 3.80 ERA during his minor league career and was called up by three different clubs — the Padres, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Colorado Rockies, making more than 50 major league appearances. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that he didn’t spend a day on the injured list.

“I tried to stay even keel and embrace the fun of the game — you have to do that when you are a reliever and are out there for 70-80 games in a season,” Ekstrom said.

Late in his career, he spent time playing in Australia, Taiwan and Italy.

“I was able to see the world through the game. Some of my best memories are from playing in the international league and seeing those cultures,” he said.

Ekstrom is married to wife Annie (seven years), and the couple is raising two boys, Anders and Aksel.

Now, he is a member of Nike’s Global Marketing division, specializing in baseball, softball and lacrosse. 

“I go into a clubhouse now, most of my former teammates are now coaches, and they’ll ask why I’m carrying around a bag of cleats, and they also wonder where all my hair went,” Ekstrom says with a laugh.

His job revolves around getting input on equipment upgrades and exposure for Nike’s latest line of products.

“We serve the major league athletes, and when we make a new cleat, it needs to be out on the major league fields. My connections allow me to have candid conversations in how we can make the best product for them,” Ekstrom said.

“I’m super fortunate to stay connected to the sport, and to have an opportunity to improve the athletic experience for the next generation.”