September 17, 2023

By Melissa Verge

Canadian Baseball Network

It’s a love that Jack Baxter (Quispamsis, N.B.) would happily move across the country for.

So when an opportunity comes, he takes it. At 16 years old, he packs up his life in a small New Brunswick town to follow his baseball dreams.

His new home?

Vauxhall Academy in Alberta, an elite high school baseball program designed to help players achieve their baseball dreams.

That’s where the 6-foot-2, 190-pound pitcher has spent more than a year, improving his game, refining his pitches, hopeful of a bright future in the game.

It’s growth both on and off the field. When he arrived at the academy, he was quiet and reserved, head coach Les McTavish said. He’s since flourished, joking around with the guys and maturing quickly in an environment that requires independence at a young age.

It’s a full schedule - school in the morning, baseball in the afternoon, studying for three to four hours then hitting the gym. Then repeat. But his dedication to the sport keeps him going.

He dons his No. 6 Jets jersey and takes the mound, giving 100% of himself each outing he gets.

Baxter with the Vauxhall Academy Jets. Photo: Vauxhall Academy

“I’ve learned really just no excuses, and try your hardest and never give up,” Baxter said.

The left-hander will have a big opportunity in Toronto this week to further his baseball career. He’s one of under 200 talented players selected from across the country to show off their skills in front of MLB scouts and college recruiters at the Rogers Centre.

There have been 115 previous showcase participants since 2013 to be drafted by Major League Baseball organizations, and more than 500 have received college scholarships. The last day of the showcase will include a home run derby and prospects game.

“I think the showcase is an opportunity for the best 140 to 160 players from across Canada to come to a major league stadium and show their talents in front of major league scouts, NCAA recruiters, junior college recruiters with the hopes of, you know, expanding their careers past high school, said TJ Burton, Toronto Blue Jays program manager, Amateur Baseball.

This is Baxter’s second year attending the showcase, and in his grade 12 year he has a lot on the line. The 17-year-old is uncommitted and hoping to catch the eyes of some recruiters in attendance, he said.

“As a second year, I’m hoping I get better looks as a grade 12, and it would be better this year because last year was really cold," Baxter said. “So I'm hoping my velocity is a bit higher because it was minus something last year.”

(Baxter is in luck - the weather forecast for Toronto is calling for sunny days in the low to mid 20’s.) The left-hander usually throws 83-87 mph, and has a solid fastball, changeup and curve.

After attending the showcase last year and facing some of the top amateur talent in the country, it gave him a confidence boost on the mound, he said. That’s on top of the growth he’s seen at the academy.

He has a lot to offer on the field, McTavish said. When things are going well for him, he doesn’t give hitters room to breathe. He works fast, it’s strike after strike after strike.

“He’s big, he's strong, he's left-handed and he has a really good arm,” McTavish said. “He’s certainly gotten better over the course of the last, I guess, 14 months, but there's so much more in there it's going to continue to get better.”

Although the outcome of the showcase and Baxter’s future is still uncertain, McTavish is confident in his young athlete.

“He’s got all the makings to have a really successful college career, and who knows past that,” he said.

That’s Baxter’s short-term goal, and he’s hopeful scouts and recruiters will see the positive attitude he has on and off the field, he said.

“Showing how it’s not just all about on the field it’s my attitude on and off the field,” he said.

“I’m not committed yet so hopefully get an eye and commit to a pretty good school is my goal, and to get a few looks.”