It is day two of the Edmonton Collegiate Baseball Club inaugural season. We are on our third and final installment of Mom’s introducing their sons as players of the Club. You know what is even more exciting than that? The ECBC, playing the defending champions in their opening series, already have there first win under their belt!
@ECBC15 picks up its first @CCBaseballConf win today in the second game of its first double header vs @YotesBaseball 7-5. Brett Higgens with the W @BaseballBrisson picks up the save and @ty_wagar with the clutch go ahead RBI single in the 8th! #2clapsandaRicFlair
— ECBC (@ECBC15) March 24, 2021
Today we are introduced to pitcher and outfielder Anthony Owen via his Mom Sandra.
I remember when it happened. He had just finished competing at track and field provincial championships and we rushed over to the baseball diamond to watch his younger brother’s team compete in the Mosquito house league championship. The game had already started. As I walked towards the bleachers, I looked back to see where he was. He was standing in the dugout with his Dad, who was an assistant coach. I could see the awe and wonder on his face as he looked out at the field. I sat down alone and watched the game; his brother’s team won. When we got home, he said, “I wanna play baseball next year.”
He played house league for a couple of years and loved baseball so much that he attended back-to-back-to-back fall, winter and spring camps for two years. In his second year of Bantam, he made the St. Albert Cardinals AAA team, then the U18 AAA team and was invited to play for the Prospects Baseball Academy.
Playing elite baseball resulted in many amazing moments for him and us: travel to Kelowna, Kamloops, Abbotsford, Langley, Atlanta, Kansas, and Spokane for tournaments; winning Provincials; winning silver at Nationals, Westerns and Provincials. He’s had the opportunity to play with, and against, some great players and coaches, including playing with and against some guys who have been drafted! All this while being a high school student and holding a job. The thrill of victory; the absolute agony of defeat; the enduring friendships with other parents.
What’s his dream? What does he want? He’ll tell you he loves the game and just wants to compete, to be the best he can, to be a good teammate and have fun doing it for as long as he can. He enjoys his classes and has plans for a career when he graduates. (How does he do it? School/homework, baseball/travel, and a job.)
I want him to get a great education and play baseball. He can get an education without baseball, and he can play baseball without getting an education, but there is something special about a person who accomplishes both. These are the resilient adults we need – they know how to work together to achieve something, to celebrate together, to dig deep when the going gets tough and not give up, to accept defeat gracefully, but plan how to succeed next time.
The Edmonton area has several top notch academic institutions and a lot of great baseball players; this shows the strength of our local programs. I’m excited there is a collegiate baseball team for student athletes who choose to attend university or college here. I’m thrilled that a very successful former player from this area chose to coach here and that I’m able to watch my son and his teammates develop this program. I’m looking forward to seeing the boys get started making lifelong friends and memories as they juggle their busy academic and baseball lives. I want no-hitters, double plays, and amazing catches in the outfield; hits, stolen bases, runs and wins. Go ECBC!
(This message has been read and approved by Anthony.)
I hope you have enjoyed the trilogy of baseball Mom stories. Your first chance to enjoy the ECBC at home (RE/MAX Field) will be on Saturday April 13 beginning at noon. Tickets are free, parking is free and you are allowed to bring your own food and drink with the obvious exceptions of peanuts, sunflower seeds or alcohol. The full home schedule is listed in the poster below. Send it to your friends and plan an afternoon at the ballpark. See you there!
