From Australia to North America: Mrakovcic enjoying baseball journey

By Lethbridge Herald on June 17, 2025.

Herald photo by justin Seward Maxim Mrakovcic is living through an exciting baseball journey from Australia to North America.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

Lethbridge Bulls pitcher Maxim Mrakovcic was late joining baseball but the Australian credits joining the sport and the learning process that goes along with it for getting him to where he is today.

“I was a bit of a late bloomer in baseball,” said Mrakovcic

“I didn’t even know what it was until I was 11 years old and I went for a try-out with my friend and he said he wouldn’t do it unless I did. So, we did it together, he played one year and I’m still here. So, that was the beginning of it.”

Mrakovcic played rugby and soccer prior to hitting the diamond and once he joined baseball, he got used to playing a 14-game schedule that had two byes and one practice a week.

“It was really different but it’s still competitive and it’s still so much fun,” said Mrakovcic.

Mrakovcic thought of playing in Australian baseball leagues as fun.

“It was just getting to hang out with a lot of older guys too … and they just told me how much joy it brings them,” said Mrakovcic.

“You meet up hours before the game and you talk and you hit, (and) you hang out and then after the game, you talk and hang out and watch another game or something. So, it’s just a good environment to be in.”

Accepting failures was something that Mrakovcic had to get used to in baseball.

“It’s tough dealing with failure because it’s not something that’s accepted in pretty much every other sport but this is a large part of the game, even as a pitcher,” said Mrakovcic.

Once the Sydney product turned 16, Mrakovcic turned his sole focus to baseball and dropped the other sports.

“After high school, I got (an) opportunity to play travel ball in Florida with the DownUnder Travellers,” said Mrakovcic

“We played for three weeks against JuCo’s (junior college) high schools and that’s when I started pitching and that’s when I got recruited and then straight off to junior college.”

Mrakovcic landed at McCook Community College in Nebraska at 19 years old.

“I knew a guy that was already there and one that was going that was from Sydney too,” said Mrakovcic.

“I thought if I’m gonna do this for at least a year, I’d rather have people I’m comfortable with just to make the transition easier.”

After two years at McCook, Mrakovcic went on to play a year at University of Louisiana Munroe and played last season at University of Arkansas Monticello to finish out his university eligibility,

“After one year at JuCo, it was a pretty successful year personally,” said Mrakovcic.

“I developed a lot and I thought there was a lot in the tank that I could really get out.”

Mrakovcic has had pitching coach Kregg Snook two separate times including once at McCook and the other time at Monticello and he had some influence on getting him to play in the Western Canadian Baseball League with the Bulls this summer

“So, I wanted to keep playing and we were just looking at opportunities and he mentioned Lethbridge Bulls,” said Mrakovcic

“They take seniors and he said it’s gonna be one of the best summers you have. He said  I can promise you that. He said it’s gonna be competitive, you’re gonna play in great places and he said Coach Mac (Ryan MacDonald) (and) Burg (Josh Burgmann), they’re all gonna take really good care of you and help you get better and so far they haven’t lied to me.”