One of America’s promising baseball stars, Micah Pietila-Wiggs has passed away. He died on Saturday, January 22, 2022, at the age of 21.

According to a family statement, Pietila-Wiggs died on Saturday, January 22, 2022, in a deadly car crash near the U.S.-Mexico border.

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What happened to Micah Pietila-Wiggs? Accident and cause of death

He was driving a pickup truck south on Interstate 5 when he lost control in a turn near the border and slammed into a concrete traffic barrier, family members and officials said.

He was rushed to a hospital with serious injuries, but Pietila-Wiggs didn’t survive. No one else was in the truck at the time of the crash.

Who was Micah Pietila-Wiggs? Age, height, parents, girlfriend, baseball team, net worth

Micah Pietila-Wiggs was a student-athlete who first made headlines when he helped take the Eastlake team to the 2013 Little League World Series.

The 21-year-old Chula Vista native was a fan favorite — with his easy grin and long, golden hair — when he played second base as a middle schooler.

His former coaches said he continued to impress throughout high school and into college, both on and off the field.

Pietila-Wiggs started making headlines on the Eastlake Little League all-star team. Even then he was quick on his feet and had a powerful stroke — but he was probably best known for his hair.

His untamed hairdo fell well past his shoulders, making the leadoff hitter easy to spot. His team won the U.S. championship before losing to Japan 6-4 in the title game.

His Little League success was just the beginning.

At Eastlake High, Pietila-Wiggs played four years of varsity baseball as an infielder and outfielder with a career batting average of .420. In his four years on varsity, the Titans were 115-21.

Pietila-Wiggs was a three-time All-Mesa League player and league Player of the Year in 2017 as a junior. He was a first-team All-CIF San Diego Section selection as a junior and senior.

The 2017 Eastlake team won the CIF San Diego Section Open Division championship, finishing the season 32-4. The Titans were ranked No. 9 in the nation by MaxPreps.

He also lettered in football as a wide receiver — all while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average.

After high school, Pietila-Wiggs went on to play college baseball, appearing in 13 games in the 2019 season at the University of New Mexico.

Though he was only with the team for a short time, his positive attitude left its mark, assistant coach Jon Coyne said in a statement.

Later, Pietila-Wiggs transferred to Santa Ana College, where he played in 47 games over two seasons.

His grandfather, renowned high school soccer coach Ron Pietila, said his grandson had just started at San Diego State University last week. A recent transfer, the junior had planned to major in business.

In the decades the elder Pietila has been coaching youth sports, he’s learned a thing or two about what makes a player great.

Micah Pietila-Wiggs girlfriend

He didn’t have any known girlfriend. He was single at the time of his death.

Micah Pietila-Wiggs net worth

Micah Pietila-Wiggs had an estimated net worth of $500,000 at the time of his death.