OTTAWA- Baseball Canada announced today the names of 30 players that have been invited to the Junior National Team’s (U-18) annual Fall Instructional League Camp in Lake Buena Vista, Florida from October 2nd to 10th.
The camp includes daily practices and an eight-game exhibition schedule against Fall Instructional League clubs from the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals along with one game against Stetson University.
All games and practices will take place at ESPN Wide World of Sports with the exception of the game on October 4th against Stetson, which will be played at Melching Field on the Stetson campus in Deland, Florida.
“This camp will serve as an introduction to the Junior National Team program for the majority of our roster, while also preparing for future international competition and the challenges associated with the next levels of the game,” said Head Coach Greg Hamilton. “From a coaching standpoint, it will allow the staff to evaluate all players in a highly competitive environment.”
The roster features 7 players (Josh Burgmann, Cooper Davis, Mathieu Deneault-Gauthier, Isaac Deveaux, Adam Hall, Luke Van Rycheghem and Andrew Yerzy) that took part in the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup earlier this month in Osaka, Japan where Canada finished in sixth place.
Other players who have attended previous camps with the Junior National Team program include: Brad Aldred, Matt Jones, William Sierra and Sam Turcotte.
All other players named to the Fall Instructional League roster will be participating with the Junior National Team program for the first time.
Head Coach and Baseball Canada’s Director of National Teams, Greg Hamilton, leads the coaching staff while former Major League and National Team pitcher Mike Johnson will handle Pitching Coach duties. Junior National Team alum Hyung Cho, who coached with the program from 2011-2013 will return to the staff, while former National Team players Rick Johnston, Chris Robinson and Adam Stern will attend as guest coaches.
For the players, the camp will not only offer them the chance to represent their country while improving their skills but will also provide plenty of exposure, as several college and professional scouts will use the camp as an opportunity for talent evaluation.
