A pair of Abbotsford baseball talents have signed with the Illinois State University Redbirds.
The NCAA program, based in Normal, Ill., announced the signings of local products Kayden Beauregard and Dayton Peters on Thursday.
Welcome to our second signee, Kayden Beauregard!
He comes to us from Cloud County JC!#REDBIRDbaseball//#BackTheBirds pic.twitter.com/SLOIci6Rmd
— Illinois State Baseball (@RedbirdBaseball) November 11, 2020
Beauregard, a Yale Secondary grad and former star on the Fraser Valley Cardinals, has also spent time in the American junior college baseball system.
He was a part of the Cardinals BCPBL title win in 2018 and also competed for Team B.C. at the 2017 Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg.
RELATED: Abbotsford Cardinals win 2018 BCPBL title
According to ISU baseball head coach Steve Holm, the catcher has been on the Redbirds radar for a while.
“Kayden is a guy that Wally [Crancer, assistant head coach] and I have known about for over three years,” he told the Redbirds website. “We quietly followed his progress from Canada to his junior college here in the Midwest. We feel he has the ability to hit somewhere in the middle of our lineup, all while being a plus defender behind the plate.”
Beauregard said he’s looking forward to joining the team.
“I am proud to announce my commitment to Illinois State University,” he posted to Twitter. “I want to thank my coaches and everyone who has helped me get to this point and I am excited for this opportunity.”
I am proud to announce my commitment to Illinois State University. I want to thank my coaches and everyone who has helped me get to this point and I am excited for this opportunity! @RedbirdBaseball pic.twitter.com/128EFuczVp
— Kayden Beauregard (@kbeau34) November 4, 2020
Peters was born in Abbotsford, but moved to Alberta in his teens and starred at the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball in that province. He also spent time in the American junior college baseball program. He is expected to play outfield with the Redbirds.
“Dayton is another player that we have targeted to hit in the middle of our lineup,” Holm stated. “He had gaudy numbers in the COVID-shortened season, and we look for him to step right in and be able to play any of the three spots in our outfield next year.”
Another signee!ðŸ˜
Welcome to your new home, Dayton Peters!#REDBIRDbaseball//#BackTheBirds pic.twitter.com/DrAwKiC10k
— Illinois State Baseball (@RedbirdBaseball) November 11, 2020
The Redbirds finished with an overall record of 36-26 in the 2019 season and advanced to the NCAA tournament.
