April 9, 2025

The Canadian connection: Missouri State’s secret weapon

Baseball. It’s America’s pastime. But for the Missouri State University Bears, several Canadians also share a love for the game.

With the exception of two New York schools near the northern border (Canisius University and Niagara University), Missouri State features more players from Canada on its roster than any other NCAA Division I program, with a total of six Canadians on the team. Unlike northern colleges that secure talent from The Land of Maple based on proximity, MSU has done it through connections.

Enter Joey Hawkins (Whitby, Ont.), the first year head coach of the Bears.

As a man who took a path similar to many of his current Canadian stars, Hawkins has served as the main catalyst for the mass migration of Canadian players to Missouri State. A shortstop for the Bears from 2012 to 2015, Hawkins began and ended his collegiate career as the lone Canadian on the Missouri State roster.

Hawkins may not have known it at the time, but his decision to play for the Maroon and White would one day help build a bridge from Canada directly to Springfield, Missouri.

When Hawkins left his alma mater to play at the pro level and start his coaching career, no new Canadians joined the Bears’ roster. However, shortly after his return to the squad in June 2021 as the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator, Hawkins galvanized a steady influx of Canadian talent.

That influx first came to light in 2023 when the Bears welcomed their first Canadian to the team since Hawkins himself — utility player Taeg Gollert (Toronto, Ont.).

Former Mississauga Tigers Taeg Gollert (Toronto, Ont.)

Despite coming from a nation where hockey is the most popular sport, playing at the highest level of collegiate ball was always a “dream” for Gollert.

“It’s always been baseball from the get-go for me,” he said. “My dad pushed me towards baseball. I started playing when I was four years old, so it kind of comes natural to me.”

Along with his father, Gollert’s brother Harley, a former pitcher at Austin Peay State University and Oral Roberts University, served as an inspiration for Gollert to pick up the bat and ball as opposed to the stick and puck.

“Kind of just following in his footsteps has been awesome,” he said.

However, for Gollert, reaching for this goal posed its fair share of hardships. Despite posting an incredible .492 batting average in 45 games for the Mississauga Tigers High Performance Program (HPP), Gollert received little attention coming out of high school.

“I didn’t really get much exposure out of high school until late after COVID, so I took a gap year,” Gollert said.

Gollert spent that gap year training and bolstering his skills. In that time, he transformed himself into one of the top prospects in Ontario. As a two-way player, he played in the summer collegiate circuit’s Prospect League for the Clinton LumberKings after he graduated from high school in 2022. Eventually, Gollert’s play caught the attention of Hawkins, and a relationship between the two began to blossom.

“Our relationship is real close, and that was definitely one of the reasons why I did come here,” Gollert said.

For Gollert, bonding with a fellow Canadian who took a similar path to the collegiate level made his choice to become a Bear an easy one.

“He went through the process as well himself,” Gollert said. “He’s been through it, he knows what it’s about, and he can guide me.”

With Hawkins leading him as a strong mentor, Gollert has tried to let his Canadian identity shine through his versatility and his ability to drive in runs. Because of the pandemic and the lack of attention he received heading into college, the road to Springfield was arduous. However, Gollert expresses gratitude for all the opportunities that have paved the way for fond memories.

“It’s been a journey getting down here, but it’s been real fun,” he said. “I’m super glad that it happened.”

A teammate who shared in that journey with Gollert was six-foot, 195-pound RHP Kaleb Thomas.

Similar to Gollert, Thomas (Hagersville, Ont.) did not let the Canadian love for hockey get in his way when deciding what sport he wanted to play. In fact, he discovered the country’s national sport was not for him when he was just a little kid.

“My mom put [hockey] equipment on me when I was three, and I cried,” he said. “I didn’t like it.”

Former Mississauga Tigers RHP Kaleb Thomas (Hagersville, Ont.)

Although Thomas earned team MVP honours on his high school basketball team twice, he eventually determined baseball was his true calling.

Ranked eighth in all of Canada and third in Ontario among players in the class of 2023, Thomas played with Gollert in high school with the Mississauga Tigers. Through connections with his high school coaching staff and former Bears pitching coach Nick Petree, Thomas also found a home at Missouri State.

Since Thomas already shared a bond with Gollert, making the transition from Canada to Springfield seemed a lot easier. Now a sophomore, Thomas gets to play with not only Gollert, but also four freshmen who joined the team from Canada just this season.

Despite the national connection Thomas feels with the other Canadians on the team, though, he also notices how the group is united under a singleness of purpose.

“We all just want the same thing,” he said. “It’s to go to the College World Series.”

Thomas explains the cohesiveness of the Canadian players goes beyond strengthening their own unity. Their chemistry also inspires their togetherness within the rest of the squad.

“Overall, we just have a good bond with everyone on the team — not just the Canadians,” he said.

Now Thomas views these friendships as a pivotal reason for why he embraces his new identity as a Bear.

“It’s been the best decision of my life so far,” he said.

Living out this decision with his fellow Canadians has only uplifted Thomas’ outlook on Missouri State.

“It definitely helps to have a lot of Canadians here,” he said. “It makes it more like home.”

Left-handed reliever Sam Maclaughlin concurs.

Former FieldHouse Pirate LHP Sam Maclaughlin (Toronto, Ont.)

“It’s almost like a family here, to be honest,” Maclaughlin said. “Like a home away from home.”

Originally from Thailand, Maclaughlin (Toronto, Ont.) moved to his father’s homeland of Canada before the age of 11. Before arriving at Missouri State, Maclaughlin made connections with several of his future teammates. As a graduate of Humberside Collegiate Institute, Maclauglin attended the same high school as Gollert.

Beyond that tie, Maclaughlin had the honour of suiting up for the Canadian Junior National Team with fellow freshmen Benito Bonilla, Owen Slater and Michael Yusypchuk.

Joining a squad with so many comrades helped assimilate Maclaughlin into the group and helped him feel less isolated early on. However, as a man who has lived in three different countries in his short 19-year-old life, he has learned that getting along with people from diverse backgrounds takes care of itself through virtue.

“People are people,” he said. “If you just be a good person, everyone will like you no matter what.”

The freshman ace Yusypchuk (Edmonton, Alta.) points out that these connections mean everything when it comes to getting the chance to play baseball at the Division I level, especially for a Canadian.

Former Okotoks Dawgs RHP Michael Yusypchuk (Edmonton, Alta.)

“It’s tough out of Canada being a long way from where you want to go in NCAA baseball,” he said.

Yusypchuk adds that connections like Maclaughlin’s often pave the way for new opportunities. For Yusypchuk, the main person who connected him with Missouri State was none other than Hawkins.

“Coach (Hawkins) gave me the opportunity, and I jumped on it,” Yusypchuk said. “It’s been a blast so far.”

The story was the same for Bonilla (Halifax, N.S.), who happens to be his roommate. A fellow freshman, Bonilla made the most of his high school experience up north by representing his province in the Canada Summer Games.

Okotoks Dawgs grad Benito Bonilla (Halifax, NS)

Among other accolades, Bonilla played in the 2022 and 2023 Canadian Futures Games, won three Western Canadian League Baseball championships with the Okotoks Dawgs and won the 2024 home run derby at the Baseball Canada 22U nationals event.

Once again, it was Hawkins who served as the best convincer to land yet another big-time recruit.

“It just made me more comfortable knowing that (Hawkins has) been through the same thing that I’m about to go through,” Bonilla said. “It was an easy decision to come here, and it just fits really well.”

The final freshman who played with the cohort of Canadian Junior National Team players is Slater, a 6-foot-3, 185-pounder.

Coached by his father Brian who played baseball at College of the Ozarks, Slater (Brooklin, Ont.) found a love for the game of baseball at an early age. However, Slater’s love for hockey threatened his time on the diamond throughout his childhood. Even playing for his Junior National Team did not fully satisfy his childhood dreams.

Former Ontario Blue Jays RHP Owen Slater (Brooklin, Ont.)

“It’s more of a pride thing,” he said. “I grew up wanting to play for my country, more in hockey than I did baseball.”

However, when the pandemic took away Slater’s desire to grind it out on the ice, his father encouraged him to continue his pursuits on the mound. Slater credits his father for getting him to where he is now.

“He knows a lot about baseball, so he’s helped me a lot along the way,” Slater said.

Like a few of his fellow Canadians on the squad, Slater also appreciates the friendships he formed with his future teammates before even setting foot on Missouri State’s campus.

“It almost felt like I was a freshman here early,” he said.

United with his teammates, Slater sees the heavy presence of Canadian players on the team as an opportunity for them to showcase what players from his home nation can really do.

“I think it shows that Canadians can play,” Slater said.

For Hawkins, this pride motivates the Canadian players to outdo their competition.

“If you’re a Canadian baseball player, you’re from a very small community, so I think you try and represent that community really well when you come down to the U.S. and play,” he said. “That’s what all those guys do.”

Ex-Ontario Blue Jay and St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguer Joey Hawkins (Whitby, Ont.) now coaches his former school, Missouri State.

Although Hawkins enjoys showing off his national pride in recruiting, that pursuit is not his main focus. In his eyes, he seeks only the best players no matter where they are from.

“For me, it’s just about getting good players here, whether it’s Springfield, Missouri, or they’re from, you know, where I’m from,” he said.

Above all, Hawkins searches for players who exhibit a zeal for the game itself.

“They love the game, and that’s my favourite part about them,” he said.

(Some 31 games into the spring schedule, Gollert is hitting .321 with 12 doubles, a triple, two homers, 28 RBIs and a .913 OPS ... Yusypchuk has been dominant in eight starts with a 3-1 record and a 4.14 ERA striking out 42 in 45 2/3 innings ... Slater is 1-1 with a 6.04 ERA in 11 games, with four starts, striking out 18 in 25 1/3 innings ... Thomas is 1-1 with an 11.57 ERA in 14 games, making two starts, fanning 23 in 16 1/3 innings ... Bonilla is batting .250 with one RBI in four games ... Maclaughlin is 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA in three games striking out a pair in two innings.)

Follow Maddux Radosevic on X, @RadosevicMaddux

Radosevic: Coach Joey Hawkins -- Missouri State's secret weapon