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From field to factory: How baseball shaped a Boeing career

Third-generation Boeing teammate and former pro baseball player draws on his on-field experiences to support 777X production.

July 01, 2026 in Our Communities, Commercial

A starting baseball player for his university, Nick Batkoski currently leads the team that assembles 777/777X fuselage sections. (Marian Lockhart photo left; Photo courtesy University of Washington right)

Nick Batkoski knows a lot about winning teams and the way people can work together to overcome doubts to achieve success.

  • “High-performing team members know their roles, complement each other and hold each other accountable,” he said. “They’ve got a work ethic and a belief that they’ll be able to battle and conquer anything.”

Formed on the field: Batkoski’s mindset was forged in the competitive field of elite baseball. After winning a state championship at Federal Way High School, he earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Washington and played professionally for two years in the independent Frontier League.

  • “Pursuing excellence has a lot of parallels across sports and work,” said Batkoski. “The only way we can be successful is if we’re all successful.”

A heritage continued: Returning to his family’s Boeing roots – his grandfather and parents also worked for the company – Batkoski later joined Boeing. He shared his pride in continuing that legacy.

  • “I enjoyed a great upbringing, and I wanted to provide that for my family,” he said. “It’s awesome to be part of the 777 and to help promote and grow the next generation of Boeing teammates.”
  • “Boeing is part of our family, our heritage and the community,” he added. “It makes me proud to represent Boeing and come to work every day.”

On embracing challenges: Today Batkoski leads the 777/777X Fuselage Assembly Center in Everett, Washington, where teams bring together major structures to form forward, mid and aft fuselage sections for the 777. The jet is the best-selling widebody family with more than 2,400 airplanes ordered by customers.

  • “We do really cool but really challenging stuff,” Batkoski said. “We’re all going to be faced with challenges. You can have a mindset that you’re going to tackle it together or that this hurdle is too tough to get over. Just go attack it. You’re going to be able to learn from it and you’re going to be able to apply it the next round. Don’t shy away from those challenges, go take them head on.”

 

Batkoski bats for the Washington Huskies, where he played for four years before embarking on a professional baseball career and eventually joining Boeing. (Photo courtesy University of Washington)

Building the future: Batkoski’s love of sport continues as he coaches his daughters’ fastpitch softball teams.

  • “On the field, I try to figure out how to keep the teams engaged and keep the energy up. It’s the same approach I take with my teammates at work,” he said.
  •  “The great thing about sports and what I get to do as a coach is to prepare our players – not just for the next game but also how to go through life and deal with adversity,” he added.

By Vanessa Misciagna and Jen Cram