A dream come true: Max Thielbahr commits to play baseball at Occidental

SANDPOINT — Sandpoint High’s Max Thielbahr is headed to play baseball at Occidental College.

The senior outfielder and pitcher recently announced his verbal commitment to the Division III liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California.

“One of my dreams ever since I was a little kid has been to play baseball in California and Occidental is a great location,” Max said.

Max was born in Sacramento and his family lived there for several years. He knows the area well and that familiarity played a significant role in his decision to attend Occidental, along with the weather and his future outside baseball.

“Baseball can only go so far and education is a very important thing to me, so I kind of got the best of both worlds,” he said. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to go there.”

Max also has a close connection to Occidental. His dad, Jason Thielbahr, played outfield for the Tigers and is a member of the school’s Baseball Hall of Fame. Jason, a 1997 Oxy grad, had a career .322 batting average and earned third team All-American honors during his senior year.

Max is looking forward to following in his father’s footsteps and leaving his own legacy at Occidental. Jason, the SHS hitting coach, has already passed on a few pointers to Max for life as a Tiger.

“We’ve talked about it a lot, and it’s a cool thing going to the same school as him,” Max said.

Max looked at several other schools in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Florida Tech, but it was clear Oxy was the place for him.

“I feel like Occidental had the best opportunity for me and even though I wasn’t able to visit in a time like this ... I really enjoyed the coach,” he said. “I think the school is a better fit for me over the other ones.”

Prior to having his junior season taken away, Max started at left-field for the Bulldogs as a sophomore. He hit leadoff for SHS and had a .400 batting average and a .580 on-base percentage.

Sandpoint head coach Chase Tigert said Max couldn’t be more deserving of this opportunity.

“I think Max has a lot going for him to be honest with you,” Tigert said. “Not only is he a really great teammate, he’s just a really great kid to have in your program … He kind of has all the variables you’re looking for.”

Tigert said Max is a natural and “he’s got a tremendous eye at the plate.” He’s great at working the count and his ability to pitch left-handed will be a great asset for Occidental, Tigert said.

“They got a really good one in Max,” he said. “If he goes out there and does what he’s capable of doing and he continues to make strides like he has been, I think he’ll have a good shot to log some innings on the bump.”

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Max and many other high schoolers around the country have had to find ways to get the attention of recruiters without having a spring season in 2020. Fortunately for Max, he got some time on the baseball field this past summer. He got a 40-game season in with Northwest Premier in Coeur d’Alene.

A handful of tournaments the team typically competes in out of state were canceled due to COVID-19, but Max was able to get time on the field and that’s all that matters.

“We were grateful to get some games under our belt,” he said.

Max sent Oxy a video of his play this summer. The school reached out to him soon after in September and he’s been in contact with them ever since.

All the recruiting was done virtually and due to COVID-19, Max hasn’t had a chance to visit the campus. Despite all the challenges, Max is just glad the school is giving him an opportunity to continue his baseball career.

“It will probably go down as one of the most difficult years of recruiting ever,” he said, “but we found a way around it.”

During his time at SHS, Tigert has helped several athletes reach the college ranks, but not this one. Tigert said this opportunity was all Max’s doing, and that says a lot about the person he is.

“This whole thing has just been really challenging for every single party involved, whether it’s the kids that are being recruited or the colleges doing the recruiting,” he said. “It’s presented a lot of challenges and I’m just excited because I think Oxy is going to be a great fit for Max.”

Max hasn’t signed his letter of intent to Oxy yet as he waits out some of the uncertainty in California with the coronavirus, but he plans on studying economics and business once he gets there.

Max can’t wait to get to LA.

“College is a cool thing and it’s a way to expand your branches a little bit and start your own life,” he said.

Tigert believes Max will be successful at the next level because of his love for the game and dedication to getting better each and every day.

“Baseball is just a part of Thielbahrs,” he said. “I’ve got to see him grow a lot since his freshman year and he’s really come into his own.”