Baseball
Favorite athlete: Bryce Harper
Favorite team: Phillies
Favorite memory competing in sports: Competing and playing for Team PA in Georgia at the PBR Future Games
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: I tried basketball for a year (in middle school) and it did not go well.
Music on playlist: Classic Rock and Rap
Future plans: Play Baseball at Lackawanna College and obtain a degree in Accounting
Words to live by: “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!” -Rocky Balboa
One goal before turning 30: To have a stable well-paying job and start a family
One thing people don’t know about me: I still like to build Legos.
By GORDON GLANTZ
Poor Tommy John.
Despite a borderline Hall of Fame career that lasted from 1963 to 1989, he is remembered most for resurrecting his career with what was then a revolutionary surgery on his pitching arm in 1974.
When he returned in 1976, John earned the nickname of “The Bionic man,” which was named after a popular TV show at the time.
Quakertown senior Jakob Melchior was somewhat aware of the injury, as it was part of common 
baseball vernacular, but didn’t pay it much mind.
Until it hit home on his right pitching arm.
“I always joked about it, with my friends and stuff, but I never thought it would happen,” said Melchior. “When it first happened, I felt a pop, but I didn’t really think too much about it.
“Then, when I went to warm up for another inning, I couldn’t throw the ball more than 10 feet. It was just like my elbow had given up on me, and I knew there was something wrong. A week later, when I went to get an MRI, it was, like, ‘Oh.’ It was just really disappointing.”
The timing could not have been worse for Melchior. The injury occurred just when it appeared that he was carving out a niche for himself with the Panthers.
“Last year, he was looking very good with a shot to be in our rotation,” recalled Quakertown coach Jon Pollone. “We were down in Tennessee playing Bethlehem Catholic, and he threw two innings, striking out four, with no hits or walks. When he was warming up for his third inning, he grabbed his elbow.”
And the whole trajectory of his career changed.
“He got Tommy John (surgery) and has been working hard to come back since,” said Pollone. “He’s on pace to return to the mound at the end of the season, but he was cleared to play in the field.”
More Adversity
Just when it seemed like Melchior was ready to contribute as a first baseman/outfielder, another obstacle got in his path.
“When we were in Myrtle Beach this year, he popped out his left shoulder when swinging (a bat) and did it again his first game back at home,” said Pollone. “You could see his heart drop.”
Added Melchior: “It was definitely like, ‘Why does this keep happening to me?’ It didn’t make any sense, but I just decided to make my shoulder stronger and rehab from it.”
And the team has drawn inspiration from Melchior’s fighting spirit.
“He has had his ups and downs, but he has continued to work through it,” said Pollone. “Since then, he’s been working hard to come back and play in the field for us, as well as on the mound.”
Melchior always tried to stay positive through the rigors of physical therapy and watched a lot of movies in the “Rocky” series as inspiration.
“It relates to me a lot, with my elbow injury,” he said. “It helps me to just keep on pushing forward through tough times. I always went back and watched them.”
A few weeks ago, the first step of getting back into game action was completed.
Said Pollone: “When he got on the field as a defensive replacement at home on April 14 against Hatboro-Horsham, the announcer announced him into the game and the fans cheered. It was a
great moment.”
Melchior, who said he feels too much pain swinging a bat do much more than play in the field, could feel the love.
“I did hear the cheer from the crowd,” he said. “It was really uplifting.”
With the Panthers eyeing a league title and a run in districts, he still hopes to be an active participant for the stretch.
“I’m just trying to do what little I can to help my team to succeed,” he said.
Melchior has been throwing – and throwing well -- off the mound in bullpen sessions for about three weeks and is hoping to throw an “inning or two” on Senior Night on May 12.
“That is what I’m working towards,” he said. “It’s going to feel like I never left. I’m just really excited about it. I really want to get back out there.”
Awesome Kid
The son of Amy and Chris Melchior is not only on the field with Pollone every day, but also in the classroom for Political Science.
“Awesome kid,” gushed Pollone. “Great student. He does what is asked and more.
“He’s a kind kid, respected by his peers and he has a great friend group. Nice guys that have hung together a long time.”
As far as being a good student, Melchior credited his mother for making sure he prioritized the “student” part of being a student-athlete.
“My mom has always been tough on me about getting my schoolwork done,” said Melchior, who is in the National Honor Society and is involved in Best Buddies. “Her pushing me at young age just really helped me to focus and get good grades, so that I could succeed later in life. I thank her for it.”
The oldest of three boys went on to thank his many coaches, teammates, medical personnel and trainers for their support.
Moving On Up
Despite his setbacks, Melchior will be pitching collegiately and could be a true diamond in the rough.
The righty with a nasty slider and changeup will be moving on to Lackawanna College in Scranton, where he will continue to play baseball for a familiar face in Mike McCarry.
“I first saw the coach on Twitter,” said Melchior, adding that the Falcons are looking to make the leap from Division III to Division II. “He was just kind of reaching out, saying how he wants players to play for his college. Turns out, he lives right down the street from me, so we had a good conversation about how he sees me as a player and all of that kind of stuff.
“He had me come up to visit the campus, and I just fell in love with it. I was looking at some other schools, like Chestnut Hill. Once I saw Lackawanna, I said to myself, ‘This is where I want to play.’”
