John Wilson came to Lexington when he was 18 for a baseball scholarship at UK. He went on to play professional baseball and was a catcher for the AAA Mets, Expos and Nationals.
After retiring from pro ball, Lexington was where he chose to reside and start the Lexington Baseball School. "Not to sound gushy, but I fell in love with the community. I had been here my whole adult life. Any relationships I've built, I've built here," Wilson said. "I just really like Lexington, Chevy Chase in particular."
He started the school, which recently moved to Wilhite Drive, in December of 2006.
Wilson's intent at the baseball school is to keep improving the baseball talent in Lexington. "The things I learned in college and pro ball are what I try to teach kids at a much earlier age to shorten the learning curve."
He hopes the mentoring done at the school extends beyond the baseball field. "We try to get involved and make sure guys are well-rounded, that school comes first and that they're respectful to their parents," Wilson said. "Just by being in their lives we hope that we're role models and we can show that even when you're done playing you can take some of the same skills that you applied to be successful in baseball to other areas of life."
And, though, baseball and the school are a big part of Wilson's life, during the day he does medical sales. "Just the experience of living in Hollywood and the hospitals that I work at (UK and Central Baptist), having a baseball school here [formerly] on Duke road, it's just really made for a really nice lifestyle," said Wilson. "I'm close to everything. I get to interact with doctors and nurses and see patients get better and then get to come in and work with kids and do baseball, which is kind of like my lifelong passion."
Wilson said the reasoning for starting the baseball school was to be a consultant for the baseball talent coming in. "With sons that are interested in baseball, don't be a stranger."