We're launching a new weekly segment for the summer on NEWS10 ABC titled, "What's Next?". We'll dive into what's next for the Capital Region's best student-athletes who just graduated high school, while looking back on their storied careers, featuring a new athlete each week. Hitting lead-off? Stillwater's Jaxon Mueller.
STILLWATER, NY (NEWS10) -- We're launching a new weekly segment for the summer on NEWS10 ABC titled, "What's Next?". We'll dive into what's next for the Capital Region's best student-athletes who just graduated high school, while looking back on their storied careers, featuring a new athlete each week. Hitting lead-off? Stillwater's Jaxon Mueller.
"I don't think I've ever had a kid that just knows how to win so consistently," said Stillwater football coach Ian Godfrey. "It's just kind of in his DNA"
It's not just winning that's in Jaxon Mueller's DNA. It's winning at Stillwater with the "S" across the chest.
Not only did his dad, Jon, win a state title for the Warriors, his sister Marley won two in soccer. "My dad wore it and my sister wore it, too," said Mueller. "She was very successful here, 1,000 point scorer, two-time state champion. All I wanted was to get a state championship with the 'S' on me too."
Two years ago, Mueller and the Stillwater basketball team lost in the state finals. Mueller found himself back in the state title game this past fall, this time with the football team, falling to Tioga.
The third time was the charm, as Mueller led the Warriors to their first state basketball title in 36 years in his senior season this past winter. "I really couldn't put words to the excitement and all the joy that I had. It was really something that I've always wanted to accomplish and in my senior year I finally was able to."
"That's small school history," said Jon Mueller. "If you've never lived in a small town, you really don't know. It was state championship or bust."
Despite all of this talk about basketball and football, Jaxon Mueller isn't playing either sport at the next level. While he was almost headed for the gridiron, the three-sport athlete decided to play baseball at UAlbany. "It was a lot about I would miss more," said Jaxon. "At first, one day was football and the next day was baseball, and then football. Finally, I came to an ultimate decision that I would play baseball because that was the sport that I feel like I'd missed more."
An added bonus? Jaxon will get the chance to play for his dad. Jon Mueller is the head baseball coach for the Great Danes. "I let him make his own decision," said Jon Mueller. "He just said one day, 'I think I'm going to play baseball.' I said, 'Okay, where do you want to go?' He's like, 'I think I'm going to play for you.' I said, 'Okay,' then silently celebrated."
"It was something that I always looked at and always thought about," said Jaxon. "It's close to home. It's a Division-I program and they've been successful for a couple of years now. It'll be something to look forward to."
Jaxson is healing up from a sprained knee he suffered this past baseball season. While it's a big step up from Class D to Division-I, both Muellers are confident in what Jaxon brings to the table. "I'm just really excited to join all the guys that are already there and some of the guys that are coming in," said Jaxon. "One of the big things that I think I'm going to be taking with me is the power I have at the plate."
"I think that the sky's the limit," said Jon Mueller. "I'm really excited to see him on a daily basis. It's going to be fun. I'm sure there's going to be some challenges involved. There's nothing I enjoy more than throwing BP [batting practice] to him. It's my favorite thing to do. I have some anticipation and some nervousness in terms of what his role going to be. But obviously that's up to him. He's going to carve his own niche when he gets to Albany."
No matter where the journey takes him, the mark he left in the Stillwater community will last forever. "I can tell you, Jaxon is my four year old son's favorite player," said Godfrey. "We went through the elementary school a few times for football and basketball and every kid just lined up to high five him. Jaxon is the type of kid that's going to go out of his way to high five them. He just embodies everything that this school wants to be about."
"Once a Warrior, always Warrior," said Jaxon. "Never stop believing, because you never know what can happen."
If you would like to nominate a student-athlete to be featured on "What's Next?", email us at sports@news10.com.
