Sebastian Kupis is an ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism student covering Mountain Ridge High School for AzPreps365.com.

In the newest era of athletics, social media engagement has seemed to take precedent over hard work and passion for the game. The likes of families like the Newmans, Cavinders, Balls, and the Selmons have capitalized on this trend and turned the dynamic of family athletes to more of a marketing ploy. This overstimulation makes any change of pace that much more refreshing, and the Forbes brothers are exactly that. 

Playing baseball at Mountain Ridge High School, Jackson and Joe Forbes are all about getting better each day, and they don’t care who is watching. Their hard work officially came to fruition when both brothers were able to commit to the University of Arizona to further their baseball careers. Jackson, the senior infielder committed back in Oct. of 2021, while his brother Joe, the junior catcher, followed suit just three months later. 

“He committed first, so getting to go and play baseball at our top three schools at the time, that’s the dream, getting that offer and making the dream come true was everything I could ask for,” said Joe Forbes. 

The University of Arizona looks to continue their success under Chip Hale, who has sent nine players to the MLB since being hired after the 2021 season, posting a 79-61 record in that time. The school has been a recruiting destination on the west coast, something that hasn’t been lost on the pair.

“We love the whole school, the atmosphere, the facilities, the coaches, we love the coaches a lot. They treat us really well and we love how they brought us into their program and made us a priority,” said Jackson Forbes. 

The cherry on top of it all is their dad, Kevin Forbes, getting the best seat available to watch his kids grow up on and off of the field. Kevin is the third base/assistant coach for the Mountain Ridge Mountain Lions and can constantly be seen being a hands-on coach, no matter if it’s his son or not. Having experience in the MLB’s minor league system, that intangible knowledge is invaluable and he does whatever he can to share it before and after games. 

“We tried to keep them focused on if you do the work then the rewards will come down the road, but you have to do the work first. Just making sure the grades were what they needed to be, the weight lifting was happening when it was supposed to and the baseball stuff was being taken care of before you start worrying about the stuff you have no control over,” said Kevin Forbes. 

Nobody is going to know how to motivate, train, or talk to an athlete more than their own parents. Finding and honing in on the uniqueness that makes the Forbes brothers stand out among the average high school athlete is something that comes naturally to their dad, and after talking with him, it’s abundantly clear they’re in great hands.

“They’re similar in terms of their drive, but how they get there is the difference. Jack is completely analytical, he wants to micro-manage every piece of his swing. He and I are similar in that way which can work against us because we’re both over analyzing stuff. Joe, and this is just now starting to change, if I start talking analytics, you can see on his face that he just wants me to be quiet. He just wants to feel it, and when it feels good, he’s good. You have to coach them a little differently, you have to do the analytical conversation with Jackson but you have to cut him off at a certain point and let him feel it. Joe is like, you need to let him feel it for as long as he can and when he’s not feeling it you have to bring him back to mechanics to give him some kind of process. It’s just how their minds operate, it’s the same thing in life, Jackson is super planned out, all of his clothes for tomorrow and all that is all done, and Joe’s room is a mess. They’ll both be at the game on time, they’re just going to get there different ways,” said Kevin Forbes. 

Mountain Ridge is 7-3 on the season, with their next game on Apr. 4th at Boulder Creek.