Jimmy Lafakis/MDN Bo McClintock swings at a pitch at the 2019 Expedition League Home Run Derby held on July 15 at Corbett Field. He hit 11 home runs in the first round.

Bo McClintock was five years old when he chose his future occupation. He wandered throughout the bleachers with his mother Karen, seeing big leaguers take the turf and fly around the field.

The Seattle Mariners were McClintock’s team to watch, and witnessing Ichiro Suzuki compete against the Atlanta Braves was nothing short of mystifying.

“I remember looking at my mom and saying, ‘I know what I want to do with the rest of my life,’ “ McClintock said. “That’s what I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve always wanted to be a Major League Baseball player and I strive for that goal.”

McClintock now plays first base for the Souris Valley Sabre Dogs in the Expedition League, a summer baseball league in the Great Plains region and Canada. His imposing nature in the batter’s box has paved the way for seven home runs this season, good enough for the team’s third-highest longball total.

He was Souris Valley’s lone representative in this year’s Expedition League Home Run Derby, held at Corbett Field in Minot. McClintock mashed 11 home runs in the first round. Although Spearfish Sasquatch outfielder Z Westley eliminated him in the second round, he treated the home crowd to a strong showing.

“I was a little bit nervous at first,” McClintock said. “I’d be lying to you if I told you I wasn’t. I was seeing all those guys hit home runs, and I was like, ‘Man, I better put up.’ I got on a little bit of a roll and that was really fun.”

He lays claim to physical might, but McClintock’s mental toughness may be his strongest asset. A year and a half ago, he worked at Enterprise as a car detail technician. He gives baseballs clean rides now, but back then, he wiped and shined rental cars.

The slugger was out of the game, searching for a college baseball team. After playing two years at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California, he made the jump to Division I Fresno State (California). He spent just over one semester with the Bulldogs, leaving after realizing his plan didn’t mesh with the coaches’ ideas.

“I said, ‘Hey, I’m going to bet on myself and see what I can do,” McClintock said. “At first, they weren’t very happy about it, but I think they understood where I was coming from. I wanted to play. I had worked really, really hard. It didn’t look like it would be a good fit.”

The “bet on yourself” phrase is now colloquial in today’s vernacular. After departing from Fresno State, McClintock did just that. While working at Enterprise, McClintock trained at Driveline Baseball, a sports complex in Kent, Washington.

He lived with six roommates in a three-bedroom apartment. He stayed in the same geographical region as his native Beavercreek, Oregon, but his home might as well have been a galaxy away. He worked from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, went home, took naps, and trained for four to five hours at Driveline.

The way McClintock tells it, he “earned his grind.”

“I was hurting that I wasn’t playing the game that I loved,” he said. “That moment, training up at Driveline, working at Enterprise, I definitely grew more into a man. Paying my own way without relying on my mom and dad to do stuff for me. I paid for my living and did it all on my own.”

The grind paid off.

Last summer, he starred for the Swift Current 57’s, a Western Canadian Baseball League club based out of Swift Current, Saskatchewan. He launched 15 home runs, shattering the franchise record.

McClintock and teammate Blake Adams were Swift Current’s only all-stars, earning second-team nominations. That summer with the 57’s helped realign McClintock’s path with his ultimate goal.

“That place is like a second home to me,” said McClintock, who claims he has played baseball in 17 states and three Canadian provinces.

This past school year, McClintock took another leap of faith.

This time, he headed across the country to Faulkner University, an NAIA school in Montgomery, Alabama. He met his girlfriend, Sarah Mayson, and was baptized by two of his best friends at Faulkner. Both are ex-convicts.

In another twist of fate, McClintock was cut just four weeks into Faulkner’s season. For a second consecutive year, he had to make his own way. He did not anticipate invigorating another passion in Wetumpka, Alabama.

He reached out to Next Level Academy, a full-service baseball training academy in Wetumpka.

“I called them and I said, ‘Hey, I just got cut off the team,’ “ McClintock said. “‘Can I come train here?’ I was out of the game again. I wasn’t playing again, and I was like, ‘Man, how am I going to recover from this one? This is two times in a row now.’ “

He struck a deal. He trained at the facility free of charge and coached youth baseball players in return. Once again, he honed his skills Monday through Friday, all the while throwing batting practice and coaching aspiring ballplayers.

“I can’t wait to be a coach one day when the time comes,” McClintock said. “It kept me busy. That was a really cool thing.”

Then, McClintock headed home. He didn’t have anywhere else to go or play.

Sabre Dogs head coach Corey Thompson, a Point University (Georgia) alumnus, heard about him through a coach he played for.

He texted me and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got a hitter that needs a spot to play in the summer,’” Thompson said. “I said, ‘Absolutely, man. I trust you.’ I wasn’t really thinking about the production I would get.”

After the team’s initial first baseman injured his hamstring, Thompson summoned McClintock. The power hitter smacked a home run early in his Sabre Dogs’ tenure, and the coach made a decision.

“I’m like, ‘Well, you’re stuck in the lineup now, bud,” Thompson said. “It just goes to show how the world works. You treat people right, and you end up getting presents throughout it. Bo has been that present for us and continues to put a smile on my face every day.”

Maybe McClintock was destined to be a ballplayer. He was named after Bo Jackson, after all. He admits he is not as athletic as the former multi-sport superstar, so he has pushed himself to read several self-improvement books this summer.

Those books, including Ben Bergeron’s “Chasing Excellence,” Tim Grover’s “Relentless” and Joshua Medcalf’s “Chop Wood, Carry Water,” have all contributed to McClintock’s mental edge. New York Yankees Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra once said, “Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical.”

Teammate Chauncey Callier took note of McClintock’s efforts to improve both on the field and within his mind.

“He comes out here every day and puts it in,” Callier said. “I think of a leader. When he first got here, you could just tell by the way he carried himself. He came in and was helping all the younger guys, too.”

Baseball may be unforgiving at times, but it is still a game. After clobbering a home run against the Badlands Big Sticks on Monday night, McClintock and third base coach Brock Baughcum performed simultaneous “euro step” basketball moves.

During a weather delay in Wednesday’s game against the Hub City Hotshots, the first baseman led the fans in a rendition of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”

“He brings a lot of energy,” Callier said. “It’s a lot of fun to watch him play, too. He just has a good time. You can watch him over there at first and you’ll catch him sometimes. He’ll be dancing.”

The Sabre Dogs have clinched their second consecutive playoff berth and will face the Badlands Big Sticks in a first-round game on Wednesday night.

Despite the accomplishment, McClintock is reminded of an important lesson from “Chop Wood, Carry Water.” He attempts to be where his feet are, because the only stress in his life will come from looking ahead or behind.

McClintock will attend Point University in the fall and continues to work toward the goal he set as a five-year-old. He wants to take his talents to “The Show.”

“You have to be willing to bet on yourself,” McClintock said. “No one will do it for you.”

Jimmy Lafakis covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JJLII30