Pitching prospects climbing mound to the top

Shortened seasons, inadequate venues and an almost complete lack of competition within reasonable driving distances – and despite all the obstacles, still they persevere. J.D. Bryce and Curtis Johnson are the two latest examples of local baseball talent who have found a way to rise above the odds.

The pair, both heading into Grade 12 at Lockerby Composite, were first introduced to America’s past-time locally with T-ball, between the ages of four and six. But it’s their involvement with the Sudbury Hitmen organization that largely paved the way for the opportunities they are enjoying these days.

That and an incredible amount of dedication and commitment to the sport that both have exhibited. It’s been a gradual evolution that has seen both Bryce and Johnson grow both as ball players and young men.

“It (baseball) was really just for fun up until the time I joined Tony Rheault’s team, the Sudbury rep team, at age 10,” said Bryce, a lanky left-handed pitching prospect.

“In Sudbury, we don’t really have too many teams to play,” Johnson added.

“We try and get the odd exhibition games against the Sault, maybe North Bay — other than that, we are basically a tournament team.”

Compared to a handful of other season sports, baseball in Sudbury has struggled to put together a viable progression of rep teams that would carry the city colours across the province.

In talking with those involved, it seems that a lack of players and parents willing to commit the time necessary to develop young talent on the diamond, combined with a lack of qualified coaches with time, energy and knowledge to guide the process, often add another challenge to an already tough road to hoe.

That is precisely why the convergence of the stars — as was the case with the Hitmen crew, which brought together a group of players willing to work with a group of adults committed to helping them reach their potential — is so critical to this process.

The individuals involved are not the first to overcome bumps along the road in pursuit of their sporting dreams.

“We’re forced indoors a lot of times, using school gymnasiums and weight rooms,” said Bryce.

“Down south, they have indoor training facilities specifically for baseball,” Johnson added. “We’re trying to wing it, renting out gyms and doing our own thing. When we first started playing rep, we weren’t much competition. As our team started to progress, we realized we had to put in some effort in the off-season.”

And so they did, working on mechanics, lifting weights, trying to level the playing field with others from across the province. While both Bryce and Johnson are capable of playing multiple positions, their calling card remains on the mound, an area where both believe the north is capable of matching up better with Ontario’s best.

“Pitching wise, we’re pretty much the same, if not a little higher than most of the teams down south,” acknowledged Bryce. “We have four quality pitchers that can throw three of four pitches for strikes. Hitting, it’s a really different story. We get 14 games a season if we’re lucky — they get hundreds of at-bats.”

Both of the teenagers, who have excelled in other sports — Bryce competed in the national five-pin bowling championships in his youth while Johnson has played AA hockey — take a great deal of pride in truly studying their craft.

“My grandfather taught me the first two pitches, and I quickly realized I needed more pitches,” said Bryce. “Mechanics wise, we’re lucky to have Curtis’ dad (Greg Johnson) — he videotapes us and goes over it with us.”

“His (Bryce’s) advantage is that he’s a lefty and not too many teams are accustomed to seeing lefties with as much movement as his pitches,” noted Johnson of his long-time teammate. “We basically have the same pitches.”

Both Bryce and Johnson enjoyed stints earlier this summer with Team Ontario, with Johnson set to head back to a second round of tryouts. And both have travelled south of the border to display their wares, attending showcases in the hopes of attracting some attention from U.S. colleges and universities.

“These kids have to keep going through the winter, but they have a great deal of potential,” said Jean-Gilles Larocque, a man who knows a little bit about exactly what it takes to get to the next level.

Larocque, a local catcher who honed his craft while attending a handful of post-secondary institutions, worked with both Bryce and Johnson as they attended the Baseball Academy workouts in June.

He’s hopeful the pair can be the next to follow down the path he ventured not that long ago. “We’re going to try and put them on the same training schedules kids in the U.S. would have – lots of hitting and throwing and dryland training.”

It’s the work that’s needed to beat the odds.

By now, most Sudburians will be well-aware of the sad news of the passing of Janis Foligno, wife of Wolves coach/GM Mike Foligno.

In all my dealings with Mike, Nick, Marcus and my chance encounters with Janis, they have always impressed me with the manner in which they treat the people around them.

That is why I am quite sure I share the feelings of literally thousands of local residents in passing along our very sincere condolences at the loss of Janis Foligno. Hockey takes a very distant back seat as we all mourn the passing of a truly special lady.

Randy Pascal is the voice of Eastlink Sports and the founder of SudburySports.com.