Lake Bachar traveled an unlikely path from college football to MLB reliever

MIAMI — Lake Bachar thought he was done with baseball.

As a senior at Wheaton North High School in Illinois, Bachar was all-conference on the diamond and as a kicker on the football team. But with dreams of playing in the SEC or Big Ten, Bachar attended a bunch of kicking camps and did the whole college recruitment thing before deciding on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, a NCAA Division III power in football.

Where, by the way, Bachar kicked three field goals as a sophomore in the 2014 Stagg Bowl to help the Warhawks win a national championship.

But the summer preceding that football season, Bachar was back home playing American Legion baseball with his friends when he suddenly started hitting 90 mph with his fastball.

It got Bachar’s wheels turning.

“I gained like 25 pounds that summer,” Bachar explained. “I was in the gym doing football lifts. Then when I hit 90 I remember thinking, ‘I could do this.’

“I was enjoying the game again. I balanced both sports as best I could. All I wanted to do was go out there and compete.”

Bachar did more than compete. As a kicker and punter, Bachar was a first team All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection and was even named an All-American by the National Strength and Conditioning Association following his sophomore football season.

Over three seasons, Bachar averaged 37.5 yards on 108 punts, pinning the opponent inside its 20-yard line 43 times. His 278 kickoffs averaged 60.5 yards, resulting in 118 touchbacks, and Bachar kicked a career-long 46-year-old field goal as a junior in a national playoff game.

Bachar also likes to poke fun at himself when it comes to his career conversion rate (10 for 20) and why he didn't wind up at a bigger school. After transitioning from soccer to football in fifth grade, Bachar had natural kicking talent. It was the accuracy that was sometimes a challenge.

“I think what they found out was I had a boot, but I wasn’t the most consistent,” said Bachar, who says he once made a 68-yarder in practice. “No one wanted to really dive in on me. Whitewater gave me a great chance.”

And an opportunity to play both sports while balancing academics. Hardly your typical athlete — he’s obsessed with the paranormal and purchased a bunch of ghost-hunting equipment from Amazon — Bachar majored in mathematics at Wisconsin-Whitewater.

He also blossomed into one heck of a baseball player and actually became the No. 1 prospect in the Northwoods League on Baseball America’s 2015 Summer College League Top Prospects index.

After sitting out his freshman year, Bachar went 7-1 with a 2.24 ERA as a sophomore, earning All-Region honors from D3baseball.com. Following his junior season, when Bachar finished fifth in the country with 103 strikeouts and became an All-American in a second sport, the Padres drafted him in the fifth round.

“It was a whirlwind after giving up on baseball and thinking I may never play again,” Bachar said. “It’s not that I tired of baseball. Just at that point, I had picked football. It’s what I thought was my best chance of going D-I.

“I don’t have any regrets of not picking baseball first. It’s part of my story. I’ve always enjoyed it. Just at that time I had committed to football.”

Bachar has been plenty proud of what he’s been able to do on a baseball field. In three MLB seasons, he hasn’t seen his ERA rise any higher than 3.93, while he’s been able to fill a variety of roles for the Marlins and now the Pirates, starting five times and specializing in pitching multiple innings in relief.

Last season with Miami, Bachar struck out 75 in 71 innings and this year has once again averaged more than a strikeout per inning (67 in 62 2/3). Not bad for a kicker — who, by the way, attempted one from 64 yards in his final game.

“It had the leg,” Bachar said proudly. “I just missed it to the right.”

These days, Bachar said he doesn’t kick a ton. He’s usually busy with family stuff. Plus, he has to be careful to not risk injury.

Bachar doesn’t watch much NFL — or sports in general — but the Packers are his team when he does. While Bachar said he was unaware that Braxton Ashcraft and Konnor Griffin were high-level football players back in the day, he has heard from Mitch Keller, who claims he can kick a little.

“I wanna see him punt,” Bachar said. “He said he loves giving the ball a good boot.”

This week will be a special one for Bachar, who will be making his return to Miami. The Marlins claimed Bachar off waivers from the Padres in September 2024, and they gave him his first shot in the Major Leagues.

Bachar wasn’t expecting to get traded, but he also understands the business side of the game. Most of all, Bachar hasn’t seen his wife or two young boys since the trade and couldn’t wait to have them pick him up at the airport.

“I’m really excited to see my family,” Bachar said. “I think it’ll be great to see some of the guys I’ve been with for a couple of years, get a quick little reunion and say hello. There are some good people over there. It’ll be weird to be on the other side of the stadium, but I’m excited.”

Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.