January 19, 2020

By Andrew Hendriks

Canadian Baseball Network

Having helped produce over 200 college-bound athletes, 32 Canadian Junior National Team selections, and 26 players who went in the draft, the Ontario Terriers’ success over the past 12 years has unquestionably cemented the organization as one of the top development initiatives in the country.

Last May, the prep program run by co-owners Rick Johnston and Nicole and Mike Tevlin added another accolade to their impressive resume when former Terrier Cal Quantrill made his big league debut with the San Diego Padres.

In doing so, the native of Port Hope, Ont., became the first Terrier to graduate to the majors.

***
Originally selected in the 26th round by the New York Yankees, Quantrill turned down the opportunity in favour of pitching for the Stanford University Cardinals on scholarship.

Through parts of two seasons Quantrill, who earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honours in 2014, made a combined 20 starts amassing an overall ERA of 2.57 to go along with 118 strikeouts and two home runs allowed through 129 1/3 innings of work.

Undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2016, the former Trinity College standout shifted his focus to academics, completing his Engineering degree a year early. That summer, the Padres would use their first-round pick to select him eighth overall in the draft.

Often praised with having poise and maturity beyond his 24 years, Quantrill credits the time he spent with the Terriers for helping shape him into the type of individual he is today.

“When I look back, I don’t think about the tournaments or where we went. I think strictly about the people I played ball with.” Quantrill said at the Baseball Canada fundraiser Jan. 11.

“Those guys are class acts and, to me, that’s what being a Terrier was,” Quantrill said. “We wanted to turn into guys that our coaches were proud to send off to colleges, the draft, or the Junior National Team. No Terrier was going to be making a fool of themselves at the next level, and I think that was something that they took great pride in.”

For Quantrill, the Terriers’ overall refinement - coupled with the dedication of its coaching staff - made them a natural choice when searching for a prep program as a junior in high school.

“I remember thinking that the structure and the coaches, in particular, that were working with the Terriers represented exactly what I cared about in baseball,” he said. “They were super honest, from the get-go, on how playing time worked and what level of baseball this was. [The talent level] was a huge step up from local baseball.”

Using integrity, performance, inspiration, and results as a combined template for success, the Terriers have developing young athletes down to a science.

Although the work is challenging at times, the program’s staff, headed by Dan Thompson, Ryan Armstrong, Scott Vandevalk and Johnston, make sure never to lose sight of what draws young athletes to this game.

“It sounds silly, but the Terriers was some of the most fun I’ve had playing baseball,” said Quantrill. “That was a pillar of playing with them. They wanted to do things the right way. Train hard, beat every other team, and have fun doing it.”

Having benefited from his time with one of the countries top high-level baseball programs, Quantrill believes that the amount of talent we have north of the border will surprise people. For him, it’s all about generating exposure for that talent.

“[Baseball Canada’s National Junior Team coach] Greg Hamilton and his staff do an incredible job of identifying talent,” Quantrill said, “but there needs to be other places where you can play competitive baseball. I ended up having the honour of getting to play for Team Canada, but some of those tournaments I played in with the Terriers probably did as much for me in terms of being seen by schools.”

Look for Quantrill to compete alongside southpaw Joey Lucchesi and right-hander Michael Baez for a spot within the Padres starting rotation this spring.

- Follow Andrew Hendriks on Twitter (@77hendriks)