OTTAWA- Baseball Canada announced today the names of 30 players who will compete at the Junior National Team’s annual Fall Instructional League Camp in Orlando, Florida from October 3rd-13th.
The camp includes daily practices and a nine-game exhibition schedule against MLB-affiliated Fall Instructional League clubs. Opponents include the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Washington Nationals and Toronto Blue Jays.
The juniors will also face Stetson University, Lake Sumter Junior College and the French (Senior) National Team.
All games and practices will take place at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports with the exception of the game on October 6th against Stetson University which will be played on the Stetson campus in Deland, Florida and the October 12th game against the Toronto Blue Jays where the juniors will travel to Dunedin, Florida and play at the Bobby Mattick Complex.
The roster features 5 players (Mitchell Bigras, Gareth Morgan, Josh Naylor, Demi Orimoloye and JP Stevenson) that recently took part in the IBAF 18U World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan where Canada finished in seventh place.
Other players who have previously experience with the Junior National Team program include: Nolan Bumstead, Kurtis Horne, Charles LeBlanc, Matthew Lloyd, Ben Onyshko, Zach Pop, Mitchell Robinson and Colton Wood.
All other players named to the Fall Instructional League roster will be participating with the Junior National Team program for the first time.
The coaching staff is led by Head Coach and Baseball Canada’s Director of National Teams Greg Hamilton, while former Major League and National Team pitcher Mike Johnson will handle the Pitching Coach duties. Shawn Bowman, a Junior National Team (2001, 2002) and Senior National Team (2009-2012) alum will be joining the Junior National Team coaching staff for the first time along with long-time National Team member Adam Stern who will return as a Guest Coach. Maxime Hockhoussen will be a member of the staff as a Guest Coach.
“This camp will serve as an introduction to the Junior National Team program for the majority of our roster, while also preparing the entire group for future international competition and the challenges associated with the next levels of the game,” said Head Coach Greg Hamilton. “From a coaching standpoint, it will allow the staff to evaluate all players in a highly competitive environment.”
For the players, the training camp will not only offer them the chance to represent their country while improving their 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.
