John Gall didn’t necessarily see the destination, but he certainly recognized the path.
“I’ve always wanted to stay involved in baseball,” he told The Epoch Times. “If there was any opportunity that’s come up, I’ve always tried to check it out and see if it would fit.”
The latest opportunity for Mr. Gall, a Palo Alto native and former Stanford standout who also played briefly in the Major Leagues, is as the newly-elected president of USA Baseball, the sport’s national governing body.
“USA Baseball has been a nice fit for me,” said Mr. Goll, a member of the organization’s Board of Directors since 2013. “I’m excited about the opportunity. That’s for sure.”
While the term for a USA Baseball president is four years, Mr. Gall’s predecessor, Mike Gaski, spent 22 years in the position. During that time, USA Baseball won 87 medals in international competitions, including 53 golds, as well as bronze in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
An outfielder, Mr. Gall was a member of the 2008 Olympic squad, starting eight of Team USA’s nine games and hitting a clutch home run against Chinese Taipei to help secure a spot in the medal round.
Founded in 1978, USA Baseball boasts 15.6 million participants. The organization annually fields six national teams, including at the youth level. Mr. Gall also played for its collegiate national team in 1998 and 1999.
“I’ve seen how well the organization has been run and just want to continue on that path like Mike Gaski did for all those years,” Mr. Gall said. “I had some relationships and knew [USA Baseball executive director and CEO] Paul Seiler and some of the other people who have been there for a long time and helped build it all. I kept those relationships, and that’s kind of how this opportunity came my way.”
Mr. Gall, 45, resides in Millbrae, near the San Francisco International Airport. He rose to prominence a little farther south on the Peninsula during a four-year career at Stanford from 1997–2000. He appeared in three College World Series with the Cardinal, earning all-tournament honors with a .611 batting average during the 1999 edition.
Nearly a quarter of a century later, Mr. Gall remains the Pacific 12 Conference career record-holder with 368 hits and 263 runs batted in, and also holds the Stanford school record with 80 doubles.
After completing his collegiate career with a .358 average that ranks third in Cardinal history, Mr. Goll played nine seasons professionally. An 11th-round draft pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2000, he appeared in a combined 33 games for the Cardinals and then-Florida Marlins from 2005–07.
“For me, the goal has always been to stay involved in the game I love,” he said. “It’s such a cool organization. It goes from 12-year-olds all the way through Major League all-stars. I’ll do my best to help wherever I can.”
