It’s been a busy month for one of the Dawgs’ homegrown prospects.
Holy Trinity Academy graduate Jordan Procyshen was one of 28 players named to the Canadian Junior National team roster that traveled to Cuba for a nine-game series with the Cuban Junior team.
The seven-day series, which ran from July 3-10, was an eye-opening one for Procyshen – both on and off the field.
The Dawgs catcher spoke of the culture shock he experienced coming all the way from Calgary and the importance of baseball to the Cuban culture.
“You have kids on the street that are just playing baseball and you can tell that that’s their life is in that country,” he explained.
“It opens up your eyes as to how much they truly care and how much that is their true sport.”
Seeing the realities of a country like Cuba also gave Procyshen some perspective on life in Canada, he added.
“It shows you how lucky we are to have everything that we do compared to them whereas in the stands we have little Cubans asking us for balls all the time. They don’t have anything really; they don’t have shirts on. It’s just an amazing culture shock,” he recalled.
From a baseball perspective, the trip had its own set of challenges.
After two days of great weather, the series was rained out for three straight days before they were finally able to get two more games in – highlighted by a 10-inning 9-7 victory by the Canadians.
As the players attempt to catch the eye of the coaches ahead of the Americas World Junior qualifier on Sep. 23 in Cartagena, Colombia, Procyshen said he was pleased with what he brought to the table.
“I think I’m going to bring more of a defensive perspective to the game,” he said. “I feel pretty comfortable and confident in my play.”
Procyshen has but one tryout camp left, running from Sept. 13-21 in North Carolina, where the final squad will be announced.
Shortly after his experience in Cuba, Procyshen was back in the swing of things again donning an Okotoks Dawgs uniform.
The five-foot-11 catcher made his debut on July 17 in a 9-5 victory against Moose Jaw and has since driven home three RBI and batted .375.
His best performance came during one of the Dawgs most important games of the season as he went 3-5 with two RBI in a 12-2 victory over the Medicine Hat Mavericks on Saturday at Seaman Stadium.
The win drew the Dawgs even with the Mavericks in the West Division as the WMBL playoffs draw ever closer.
Dawgs coach Brandon Newell wasn’t surprised that Procyshen was able to contribute in such an important situation.
“We all know Jordan’s talented,” he said.
With all of the catchers that the Dawgs have lost during the course of the season, Procyshen will be counted to relieve Mike Maddle on occasion as Okotoks chases their fifth WMBL title.
Saturday night’s victory against the Mavericks was a huge night for several Dawgs as they continued their frantic attempt to steal the division lead that Medicine Hat had clung to all year long. Austin Voros had two home runs and four RBI while Drew Pettit went 4-4 with three runs scored.
Newell was pleased with the contributions of all the Dawgs’ hitters, especially a guy like Voros who has thrived against right-handed pitching all year long.
“He’s the kind of guy that can come off the bench and last night he put a couple really good swings on the ball,” he said.
The Dawgs recorded 14 hits on the night and provided plenty of run support for starter Jared Rogers.
Rogers allowed only one run in 7.2 innings while Alex Regan pitched the final inning to close the game out. Newell was complimentary of his starter’s ability to work through some tough innings on the way to the victory.
“Our guys are feeding off of each other on the mound right now,” he said. “(Rogers) grinded through the first three or four innings of the ball game before he got comfortable.”
With the division title now within their grasp, Newell said that he was encouraged by his team’s effort on Saturday when it mattered the most.
The Dawgs improved to 31-12 by beating the Yorkton Cardinals 10-4 in Saskatchewan. They are one game up on Medicine Hat.
The Dawgs will return from a four-game set in Saskatchewan to host the Edmonton Prospects on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. at Seaman Stadium.
The Dawgs will likely host their opening game of the playoffs on Saturday night against either the Swift Current Indians or Lethbridge Bulls at 7 p.m. at Seaman Stadium.
Game 2 of the best of five opening series will also likely be at Seaman Stadium at 7 p.m. on Sunday.
