McFarland: Dawgs’ Poirier headed to Miami
Okotoks Dawgs Academy right-hander Max Poirier (Regina, Sask.) has pitched for the Junior National Team. Photo: Okotoks Dawgs Academy
*This article was originally published on Alberta Dugout Stories on October 10, 2024. You can read it here.
October 11, 2024
By Joe McFarland
Alberta Dugout Stories.
After seeing all that Western Canada has to offer, Max Poirier is ready for something different.
In fact, the young hurler is heading to the opposite coast to continue his baseball journey.
After living and playing the game in Canada’s three western-most provinces – suiting up in some major tournaments and playing for Baseball Canada’s Junior National Team – the 17-year-old has committed to the University of Miami.
It’s a big move for Poirier, who goes to a school that earns a spot in the NCAA Division 1 national tournament almost every year, winning it all in 1982, 1985, 1999 and 2001.
“Thank you to all my coaches who have made me the player I am today,” he posted on social media.
“Thank you to my family, friends, teammates and Okotoks Dawgs Academy for making my dream become a reality.”
Poirier is hoping he will one day join a long list of Hurricanes alumni who went onto play Major League Baseball, including Greg Vaughn, Alex Cora, Pat Burrell, Yonder Alonso, and, most recently, Cleveland Guardians hurler Andrew Walters.
DAD KNOWS BEST
Born in Regina, Poirier says his first experience with baseball came with his dad, who was playing in a tournament in Yorkton.
“I was seven and thought it was cool to be the bat boy and hang out in the dugout,” the right-hander told Canadian Baseball Network. “My dad helped me develop over the years and still debriefs with me after every game.
“He would say things like ‘just let it fly’ and play for the love of the game.”
A year later, the family moved to Nanaimo, B.C., where he continued to grow, standing out with the Mid Island Pirates and Big League Experience programs, as well as the provincial team.
Poirier received the invite to his first Canadian Futures Showcase in 2023, which opened his eyes to what the future might have in store.
“It’s a pretty cool experience and a unique experience to play in the same stadium that you see a bunch of the major leaguers play at,” he told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast.
“It’s just a cool opportunity to really show yourself and compare yourself to all of the players all around Canada.”
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Listen to Alberta Dugout Stories interview Max Poirier here.
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His performance in 2023 also caught the eye of coaches around the country, including from Dawgs Academy in Okotoks.
IN THE DAWG POUND
Poirier remembers well how he ended up in his third Canadian province.
In October 2023, he received an email from Dawgs general manager Tyler Hollick, hoping to set up a call with his family.
“We were super-happy about it because we were thinking about going to the Dawgs that year,” Poirier said.
He says Hollick outlined how he could start in February or wait until the new school year.
“Sooner the better” was the mindset of Poirier, who says it turned out to be the best decision he could have made.
While it was daunting coming to a new program in the middle of his high school education, the transition turned out to be seamless.
“One thing Hollick said when he recruited me was that the most important thing for them was to recruit good people with good character,” he said. “I really noticed it, as everyone here is super-nice, very kind and very inclusive.”
Poirier wasted no time making an impact on the field with his new team, throwing a no-hitter against AHP Academy in April, allowing just one walk while striking out six.
The 18U Dawgs Black squad went onto have a successful first year with him in the lineup, winning a few tournaments and big games along the way.
REPPING THE MAPLE LEAF
On a personal level, Poirier has continued to turn heads everywhere he’s gone.
Aside from helping the Dawgs win, he fulfilled another dream by suiting up with the Junior National Team.
Poirier was back home in B.C. taking a dip in the ocean when he received the phone call from Baseball Canada head coach Greg Hamilton, setting into motion a whirlwind summer that culminated with representing Canada at the WBSC Americas Pan American Championship.
“The coolest thing to me is putting on the Team Canada jersey and Team Canada hat,” he said. “It’s a great feeling knowing you have the country behind you.”
Poirier also settled in for his second opportunity at the Canadian Futures Showcase, where he allowed no runs and no hits in three innings of relief work.
The 6-foot-4, 165-pound righty also struck out three en route to being named to the showcase game between Team Bautista and Team Encarnacion.
HURRICANE WATCH
Heading into the Canadian Futures Showcase, Poirier said he had been looking at a few U.S. schools where he hoped to go after high school.
He didn’t want to rush a decision, believing that he needed to put his development first.
“I’m just looking for a really good baseball program with a really good pitching coach,” Poirier said. “One that has a really good record of developing really good players and developing a good team, in general.”
Check, check and check, as his pitching coach will be Laz Gutierrez, a Hurricanes alum who had a 13-year coaching career with the Boston Red Sox as their mental skills coordinator helping them win three World Series championships (2007, 2013 and 2018).
Poirier will also be joining a familiar face in fellow B.C. and Dawgs Academy product Tim Piasentin (Coquitlam, B.C.).
While he’s not certain what he will be studying yet (biology or criminology are at the top of the list right now), Poirier says he doesn’t want to take any of it for granted.
He says the early gym sessions, afternoon workouts, practices and more are starting to finally pay off, and he hopes it serves as an inspiration for young athletes battling through their own grinds.
“Just keep going,” Poirier said. “No matter how poorly you think you’re doing or how good you think you’re doing or how you feel, just keep going – keep pushing – as you never know what’s going to come.”
With a lanky frame and easy release, excitement is starting to grow for what’s next for a young man who has done a lot of traveling to get to this point.