By Ryan Sweeney

Premier Sports Academy Inc.

“Serious” is the word coach Allen Cox used to describe Cole Tucker during one of our Premier Sports Academy Inc. guest speaker webcast.

Coach Cox, a “mentor” to Cole, recruited him to play with for the Okotoks Dawgs Academy in Okotoks, Alta. Cox is currently an assistant coach of Georgia Gwinnett College, an NAIA program south of the border.

It is perhaps “seriousness” that landed Cole a role playing Division I ball with the Niagara Purple Eagles, under coach Rob McCoy. If you ask Cox, he will tell you, “We’ve got it written down somewhere – Cole Tucker, NCAA D1 infielder] …”.

When Tucker joined Noah Anderson and Ryan Sweeney, on their show the couldn’t believe that they were speaking to a 21-year-old. Tucker’s maturity and self awareness came through. It makes it easy to understand how this youngster from Mount Pearl, N.L., ended up playing D1 with the Purple Eagles.

How did Tucker wind up playing D1?

“How you do anything is how you do everything… ” and, “I didn’t know what it was doing for me at the time, but I was always doing something…” These statements might sound cliché, and they are; typical ‘pre-approved’ talking points heard in big league clubhouses, or common phrases uttered by many ‘self-acclaimed’ motivational speakers.

However, when looking at Tucker’s resume, and hear him speak about his journey, it is easy to recognize he’s speaking his truth. When he first joined the Dawgs he wasn’t a starter, but with his work ethic, he ended up earning that role.

The same thing happened when he joined Southeastern Community College in Iowa as in his words, “I put my head down” and quickly transitioned from a role player to a starter. After one year playing Junior College, Tucker made the jump again; this time to NCAA D1, and wouldn’t you know it, Tucker found himself in a similar situation.

Again, he was a role player who needed to prove himself to crack a spot in the lineup. Before Covid-19 brought the world to its knees, Tucker was in the process of doing what he does best; putting in the work, and making the jump to the next level. When the shortened season ended, Tucker had earned regular playing time, while batting a respectable .300 with three doubles and two RBIs facing tougher pitching than he faced the year before.

Current coach McCoy had nothing but praise for the young infielder from Newfoundland, and it was clear why he recruited Tucker into his program. What stood out the most was coach McCoy’s assertion:

“[Cole] is not afraid to be told the truth, he’ll deal with it, and it makes him better not bitter,” McCoy said.

So, what is next for Tucker? During the collegiate off-season, and provided the world gets back to normal, he will be taking his talents West to play for the Medicine Hat Mavericks In the Western Canadian Baseball League. His goals before heading back to college in the fall include focusing on his defensive skills (which he admits are a little bit of a “liability”), and winning a Western Canada Baseball League title.

There have been few Newfoundlanders with the opportunity to play collegiate or pro ball, and even fewer with the pedigree Cole possesses. Coach Cox believes it is “seriousness” that may give Cole the opportunity to continue playing beyond college, but there’s so much more to this young man from Mount Pearl. In our more than 20 episodes, we’ve spoken to numerous guests who have played elite-level sport.

Those who were unable to transition through the pro ranks did not feel as though there were physical limitations to their play, however there was something missing from their “mental game.” As for Tucker, he may very well be a player who has developed the elusive “sixth tool” that these other players recognized as essential to compete at the highest level.

Premier Sports Academy Inc. will be rooting for Tucker every step of the way, and look forward to providing him with an off-season training space to keep his skills sharp.

Ryan Sweeney is the owner of Premier Sports Academy Inc. in Paradise, Newfoundland and Labrador, while Noah Anderson is the director of operations. LHP Sweeney (Mount Pearl, Bfld.) moved to Kitchener, Ont. pitching for Team Ontario (2004-2005) and the Ontario Terriers (2005-06). RHP Anderson (Mount Pearl, Nfld.) pitched for the Brock University Badgers.

(Editor’s note: This is, if memory serves, is the first story we have run on the Canadian Baseball Network site by a writer from Newfoundland and Labrador.)