Three players from the Victoria Eagles baseball team have been asked to join the Arizona Diamondbacks team at the Perfect Game showcase in Florida this fall.
Kaleb Nantes, Noah Takacs and Gavin Pringle were approached by Doug Mathieson, the Arizona Diamondbacks scout and general manager of the Langley Blaze team, and were asked to play with the team in the tournament.
The Perfect Game event brings together all the best young baseball players from the U.S. and Canada to play in front of over 800 college and professional baseball scouts.
“[It’s] a pretty prestigious tournament,” Takacs explained. The first pick of Major League Baseball played in the tournament last year.
There will be a lot of talent there along with several division one scouts from schools that may not otherwise get to watch Canadian athletes play, he said.
“We’re fortunate enough to go with the Diamondbacks scout team,” said Nantes. “We’re pretty excited.”
Most players on the Diamondbacks team are from B.C., said Takacs, so they’ll know a few of their Diamondback teammates already. He expects to play about nine games with the Diamondbacks in the Perfect Game tournament.
There will also be a few exhibition games with college teams, Nantes explained.
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Takacs is a right-handed pitcher and Nantes is a left-handed pitcher. Despite having just finished grade 11, both players are already thinking about college ball. Nantes said the scouting emails and calls come from all over North America, but he has his sights set on playing for an American school. Meanwhile, Takacs is already verbally committed to play for a division one college team in California after he graduates.
Both athletes feel the Perfect Game tournament will be a chance to see what everyone else can do and show what they can do.
“It’ll be a great opportunity to showcase our skills and showcase what the Eagles bring to the table in terms of talent,” said Takacs.
The athletes will be travelling down to Florida in October. Nantes and Takacs are feeling both nervous and excited, but that’s to be expected, said Takacs.
Pringle, the other Eagles athlete who will play in the Perfect Game showcase, is currently playing in another tournament and is a member of the Junior National Team. He has a fastball that was recently clocked at 92 mph at the Team BC tryouts, said Martin Winstanley, president of the Victoria Eagles Baseball Club.
Takacs has also been selected to play for Team B.C. at the Canada Cup later this month.
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