Victoria Eagles pitcher Noah Takacs is one step closer to making his dream of playing professional baseball a reality.
Takacs, a Grade 12 student at Oak Bay High School, was invited to play for the 2020 Canadian Junior National team and will travel to Florida in March for the first of several team showcases.
From the March 5 to the 15, he will join 18 other young Canadian players to train and show their skills to the Major League Baseball (MLB) coaches that will be in attendance.
Making the Junior National team has been Takacs’ goal for a long time and when he got the call from the team’s head coach, Greg Hamilton, he was ecstatic.
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Takacs had thrown in front of the head coach of the Junior National team in the past, but worried he didn’t do well so he tried to put it out of his mind. Then he broke his arm which was a “major setback.” He worked hard to get back into shape and had a good junior season. He played in several big tournaments including the Canada Cup in Saskatchewan and the Perfect Game Showcase in Florida. As it turned out, the Junior National head coach was still watching.
Takacs got the good news while heading to his school’s library in October. When his phone rang, he ducked into a quiet hallway to answer. He said the moment felt “surreal” and he was shaking the whole time.
He was proud to have achieved the goal he’d been working towards all through high school. He feels it’s a big step towards making his MLB dreams come true. He noted that his time training and playing with the Victoria Eagles contributed to getting him on the path to success.
His parents are proud that he’s been so “passionate and committed” to baseball. His father, Miles, noted that his son consistently put a lot of work into his training and that they rarely needed to push him.
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“If you never strive to be the best, you’re striving too low,” said Takacs with a smile.
The family will celebrate Takacs’ achievement and plan to attend the showcase in March to cheer him on.
Several Canadians who currently play in the MLB including James Paxton, Joey Votto and Mike Soroka – a young pitcher who Takacs looks up to – have played for the Junior National team in the past.
Takacs is looking forward to heading down to Florida to kick off three months of working with some of the best young athletes in Canada.
“It will really put my head in the right mindset,” he noted.
Takacs will graduate high school in 2020 and plans to attend college in Sacramento next fall. He’ll be playing ball for his college team.
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