It all started with Ryan Dempster, and thanks to the efforts of many coaches and solid training grounds, several other Coast baseball players are trying to earn their way to the major leagues.
In recent years, the Gibsons Minor Ball Association has produced an impressive crop of young talent.
Pitcher Mitch Rainer is in his second season with Hill College in Texas, playing in the North Texas Junior Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Rainer is having a solid season despite little team success. The Rebels are 8-24 in conference play and 22-33 overall this season. Despite that, Rainer is 5-5 in 77 innings pitched with a 2.68 ERA.
A big highlight for Rainer was pitching in the Texas/New Mexico all-star showcase at Baylor University. It was there that several scouts from top universities noticed the up-and-coming star. Several schools have stepped up to the plate offering NCAA Division One scholarships, and Rainer is still weighing his options to see where he will go next year.
"I'm really confident that we'll find something and something will happen soon for next year," Rainer said in an earlier interview with Coast Reporter. "My focus is to pitch well, help the team win, and the rest will take care of itself."
Closer to home, Russ Thorsteinssen is pitching with the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack. He picked up two wins in the fall schedule with the team, but has yet to see much game time in the spring schedule. He is in his freshman season with TRU.
Outfielder KP Hlatky is playing with the Douglas College Royals in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges. The Royals are 8-12 in conference play and 10-16 overall as they wind down their season in the next few weeks with an eye to the playoffs.
Hlatky is batting .305 with seven RBIs and eight stolen bases.
Tim Scarr is at Vancouver Island University and is benefiting greatly from the experience.
Like Thorsteinssen and Hlatky, Scarr is being immersed in a great baseball program with quality coaching, tons of training opportunities and opportunities to further his career.
Scarr plans to play with the Calgary Dinos next fall.
Tim's brother Thomas is in his first year with the North Shore premier Twins where he has pitched in four games so far.
Gibsons Dallas Colpitts is playing with the junior Twins where he has pitched one game and played in three other games in the outfield.
