The 43rd annual Wallaceburg Sports Hall of Fame Awards Banquet is set to be held on Saturday, April 5, 2025 at the UAW Hall in Wallaceburg. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets are $70 and can be purchased at Desjardins Insurance in Wallaceburg. More details, here.
2024 Coach of the Year: Jake Lozon
Coach Jake lives in Port Lambton with his wife, Kylie, and is a proud father to three sons—Cody, Tyson, and Austin and a grandfather to two grandsons, Anthony and Beckham.
Today, Jake’s passion lies with the Port Lambton Pirates, but his childhood team was the Wallaceburg Warriors.
Born on April 5th, 1975, Jake was raised in a family that instilled a deep love of sport. His love of baseball began at a young age when he and his father, Robert (Grizz) Lozon, would spend countless hours playing catch in the side yard of their home outside Wallaceburg. In 1981, Jake took to the diamond with the Wallaceburg Leisure Sports Warriors, joining the OBA team where he would play for an impressive 12 years.
Throughout his baseball career, Jake was fortunate to learn from a remarkable group of coaches, including Charlie Masefield, Doug McCallum, Bob Lozon (his father), Jim Hawn, Ken Gordon, Murray Richardson, and Randy McNeil. Of all his influences, Jake credits his father, Bob, with making the most lasting impact. To this day, Jake incorporates his father’s coaching principles with the Port Lambton Pirates, including a no-swearing policy, removing ball caps during post-game handshakes, and always showing respect to umpires and opponents.
Jake is a graduate of Wallaceburg District Secondary School. He ventured off to Sir Sandford Fleming College, receiving a Fish & Wildlife Biology diploma. Jake worked for the Ministry of Natural Resources for several years, and he now co-manages Ontario NativeScape, a local wildlife habitat restoration company.
In 2016, Jake began his coaching career as an assistant coach for the Port Lambton Pirates’ 9U OBA team.
By 2018, he stepped into the role of head coach for the 9U OBA Pirates. His leadership has seen the Pirates thrive, with Jake coaching OBA teams in the 11U, 13U and 15U divisions.
Throughout the years, he had the help of many assistant coaches that all played integral roles: Tyler Jacobs, Tim Ritchie, Tom VanDeVelde, Ben Hazzard, Brett Miskokomon, Ian Wigle and Nathan Pelletier. As head coach, the Pirates have earned a stellar record of 82-44-6, reaching the finals three times and semi-finals six out of 12 tournaments since 2018.
Jake, alongside assistant coaches and local friends, helped organize an exciting American vs. Canadian baseball game during the 2024 Port Lambton Gala Days. The Emmett Irish Michigan team faced off against the 15U Pirates in a thrilling match that came down to the final inning.
Trailing 3-1 in the seventh, the Pirates rallied with back-to-back hits, securing a dramatic victory!
In 2024, Jake’s 15U team took first place in Western County, a victory that Jake often reflects on with pride, noting how the Pirates, from their small village, triumphed over much larger cities.
That same year, his team reached the semi-finals in two tournaments, including a heartbreaking OBA semi-final loss to Mitchell, despite being up 7-3 in the sixth inning.
Also in 2024, Jake was asked by WDSS high school teacher and baseball coach, Linda Nethery, to lend a hand in coaching the school’s baseball team. After recruiting his good friend Tyler Jacobs to join him, Jake helped guide the WDSS team to a thrilling LKSSA championship victory over Sarnia Northern.
This victory sets the stage for the team’s upcoming battle at the SWOSSA finals in 2025.
Jake’s dedication to the Port Lambton Pirates organization will continue in 2025 as they make another run for an OBA title with the 15U Port Lambton Pirates.
