Junior National Team invitees includes 19 newcomers

1B Soren Graversen (Calgary, Alta.) No. 21 with Alberta Red in Tournament 12, and the Okotoks Dawgs is one of the newcomers invited to the Canadian Junior National Team camp next week. Photo: Tyler King.

Baseball Canada announces Fall Instructional League Roster

By Adam Morissette
Baseball Canada
Baseball Canada settled on 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 Oct. 2-10.

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 the Stetson University Hatters.

All games and practices will take place at ESPN Wide World of Sports with the exception of the game on Oct. 4th against Stetson, which will be played at Melching Field on the Stetson campus in Deland, Fla.

“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 seven 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.

The newcomers include pitchers RHP Ben Abram (Georgetown, Ont.), RHP Connor Angel (Lachine Que.), RHP Jordan Balazovic (Mississauga Ont.), LHP Jack DeCooman (North Vancouver, BC), LHP Jaden Griffin (Lower Sackville NS), LHP Branden Hatley (Morden Man.), Carter Loewen (Abbotsford BC), RHP Carson Perkins (Bienfait Sask.), RHP Sam Shoemaker (West Vancouver BC).

Catcher Steven Moretto (Burnaby BC), Noah Naylor (Mississauga Ont.)

Infielders:  Dondrae Bremner (Toronto Ont.), Rhys Cratty (Langley BC), Soren Graversen (Calgary, Alta.), Edouard Julien (Québec City, Que.), Michael Stovman (Maple Ridge BC) and Jason Willow (Victoria BC).

Outfielder Tyler Duncan (Sooke BC), Clayton Keyes (Calgary, Alta.)

Head coach and Baseball Canada’s director of national tteams, 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.

Roster
Schedule
Pitching Rotation