OTTAWA - Baseball
37 players have been invited to the fall camp, including Evan Grills (Whitby, ON) who was a member of the Junior National Team for the 2008 World Junior Championship in Edmonton, Alberta.
The junior team will hold daily practices while in Florida as well as play nine exhibition games, most featuring Major League Baseball affiliated teams. Included in their schedule are games against the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals. There will also be games against Seminole Community College and Lake Sumter Community College, as well as an intersquad game.
“This camp will allow our coaching staff the opportunity to evaluate all players in a highly competitive environment,” says Greg Hamilton, Baseball Canada’s Director of National Teams and manager of the Junior National Team. “The strides taken at this camp will better prepare our team for success internationally at future competitions.”
The Fall Instructional League camp is part of a continuing two year process toward establishing a club for the 2010 World Junior Championship which will take place in Thunder Bay, Ontario next summer.
The country is well represented from coast to coast as 12 players included on the fall roster are from Ontario, while 11 hail from British Columbia. Eight team members reside in Québec and three hail from Alberta. Manitoba, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan each have one player attending the camp.
For the players, the training camp will not only offer them the chance to improve skills but will also provide plenty of exposure, as several college and professional scouts will use the training camp as an opportunity for talent evaluation.
