The Seattle Seahawks could probably put together a pretty good rec softball team.
Which NFC West team has brightest future? An insider’s take
The Seahawks have at least several players – and a head coach – with baseball backgrounds. And they got to put their baseball skills on display Monday, when the team headed over to the Seattle Mariners’ T-Mobile Park for some batting practice.
And yes, there’s video of the event.
Here are a few highlights from the 36-second video the Seahawks posted on social media, with time stamps to follow along:
• (0:03): Rookie receiver Tory Horton, a fifth-round draft pick out of Colorado State, takes a swing. He played baseball at Washington Union High School in Fresno, Calif., where he was an outfielder and a pitcher. During rookie minicamp earlier this month, he credited his outfield experience for helping him track the ball as a punt returner.
• (0:05): Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba fields a ground ball. His brother, Canaan Smith-Njigba, reached the big leagues and played in 18 career games for the Pittsburgh Pirates over two seasons in 2022 and 2023. Canaan Smith-Njigba also spent 12 days in the Mariners’ organization in February 2024 before being claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh.
• (0:09): Veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp takes a cut. He played youth baseball while growing up in Yakima, according to The Spokesman-Review.
• (0:12): Rookie offensive lineman and first-round draft pick Grey Zabel rips a line drive with a powerful lefty swing. The 6-foot-6, 316-pound Zabel was a star southpaw pitcher at Pierre High School in South Dakota, where he brought the heat with a low-90s fastball, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Zabel was a Class A first-team all-state selection as a junior in 2019, when he posted a 0.68 ERA while racking up 51 strikeouts in 31 innings.
• (0:16): Jalan Gaines, an undrafted rookie linebacker out of Illinois State, makes an impressive, bare-handed diving grab in right field off a fly ball that deflected off a teammate’s glove.
• (0:21): Zy Alexander, an undrafted rookie cornerback out of LSU, shows off a smooth left-handed swing while pulling the ball to right field. Alexander was an outfielder and leadoff hitter at Loreauville High School in Louisiana and helped his team win the Class 2A state title as a sophomore.
• (0:29): Last but certainly not least, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald steps in the box and drives a pitch to left field. According to Perfect Game, Macdonald was a third baseman at Centennial High School in Roswell, Ga., and was committed to play baseball at Army. Instead, he ended up attending the University of Georgia, where he ultimately earned a spot on the football team’s coaching staff to help kickstart his coaching career.
The Seahawks began voluntary offseason workouts on April 22. They begin their OTA practices on May 27 and are slated to hold minicamp on June 17-19.
