Two Kelowna men are heading to Toronto, bringing their coaching skills to the annual BlueJays T12 Tournament.
Evan Bailey and Geoff White will set off to Toronto again to the cozy confines of the Rogers Center this week as the Blue Jays host the annual T12 Tournament.
T12 is a national tournament that brings together the top 160 players in the country that are in high school in the Rogers Center. Roberto Alomar is the tournament commissioner for the round robin tournament that is a “showcase” for all 30 MLB teams and 100’s of college that flock to see the upcoming talent in a single location.
Bailey and White will be coaching the group from B.C. that is touted to have some of the top talent in the country heading into the 2019 MLB Draft. This is White’s third time invited and Bailey’s second time invited by the Blue Jays.
“It really is an honour to be selected to coach at this event by the Blue Jays,” White said. “We know how many coaches across the province want to be selected, so to consistently be asked is rewarding.”
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White is coming off a 2018 national championship as the head coach of the Okanagan College Coyotes and is in his 11th season. Bailey who is the U18 Head Coach of the Okanagan Athletics and program director has placed 4 players to the T12 tournament roster and 3 players to the Canadian Junior National team.
“It is always exciting to go back to Toronto for this event. It has become the top event for any high school player in the country, only the Canadian National Team would be the team above this to make, so it is very special for players to be invited,” White said.
Carter Morris, right-handed pitcher from Vernon, is the lone representative on the roster from the Interior. Morris is a member of the Canadian Junior National Team and recent signee at Sacramento State University in California who plays Bailey and the Okanagan Athletics in the BC Premier League.
“Carter attended last years event and it springboarded his career, after a strong showing at T12 in 2017 he was invited to the Canadian National Team. He has developed into one of the top pitchers in the country,” Bailey said, who has coached him for three years.
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