Jack Mahoney, a 2023 graduate of Appleton West High School, has turned a childhood fascination with baseball into a professional pursuit that has taken him from the University of Wisconsin‑Milwaukee to the diamonds of Australia and now to the Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League.
After a standout season in the Australian Baseball League, where he posted a 5‑2 record and a 1.99 ERA, Mahoney earned a contract with the Oakland Athletics organization. His journey also included stints with the Milwaukee Milkmen and the Canberra Cavalry, experiences that honed his deceptive repertoire and creative approach on the mound.
The Making of a Prospect
Mahoney’s primary weapon is a sharp slider, a pitch he credits to the tutelage of former MLB reliever Norm Charlton, who reminded him that the privilege of playing the game is worth the effort required to master such craft.
Despite a shoulder impingement that threatened to derail his progress, Mahoney has remained grateful for the opportunity to compete, finishing the 2025 season with Lansing at a 3‑0 record and a 4.50 ERA over 24 innings in the 2026 campaign.
Now focused on climbing the Athletics’ farm system, he continues to blend creativity with discipline, hoping each start brings him closer to the ultimate goal of wearing an Oakland uniform at the major‑league level.