July 18, 2024

By Melissa Verge

Canadian Baseball Network

Inspiration was everywhere for Jimmy Dionne.

It was in the crowded stadiums, the road-trips to new places, the talent of the Quebec Capitales players that Dionne had front row seats to growing up as son of a Capitales coach.

The life of a pro baseball player surrounded him, and it was a dream he wanted a part of.

The now 6-foot-4 19-year-old would jump into his dad’s vehicle as a four and five-year-old en route to ball fields in Boston and New York. When the Capitales went on the road, his dad, Stephane Dionne coached, and Jimmy, too young to play and too young to coach — took it all in.

“I kind of started falling in love with it straight away, and I kept doing it,” Dionne said, who was an offensive machine in his freshman season this year with the Howard College Hawks hitting .420.

The dream stayed with him, pushing him throughout the years to train hard, to always strive to be better. He rose through the ranks, playing with the ABC Academie in Quebec (the same one that has helped produce talent like Russell Martin) and playing for the Junior National Team and Okotoks Dawgs.

During his time with the Dawgs, the French Canadian was able to refine his English, and land a scholarship with the Howard College Hawks. Last season with the team wasn’t a fluke. Dionne is currently playing with the Amsterdam Mohawks in the Perfect Game Summer Collegiate League, hitting .393, with 22 hits in 25 games including four doubles.

He credits some of the success to work he put in last winter, tweaking small things, and focusing on improving his strength and speed. He also isn’t afraid to swing early, he said.

“When I get to the plate as soon as I step my foot in it, I'm going to be aggressive,” he said. “I'm going to look for my pitch early in the count, and I feel like that’s why I’m succeeding a lot.”

In 112 plate appearances for the Hawks last season, he had 47 hits, 11 of those doubles. Although he was a two way player, when he arrived in Texas, he started to focus solely on hitting, a move that has paid off with how dominating he’s been at the plate. In the field he plays both first base and outfield.

He learned a lot in the early days from his dad. As a four year old, he would teach him basic things about hitting, he said, and as he got older he would throw him BP. That advice has stayed with him throughout his career so far, he said.

Still, some things aren’t skills that can be taught, his dad said, and the younger Dionne has those too.

“There’s one thing you cannot teach is hard working and he’s a competitor, and Jimmy has both of that,” his dad said.

Although his ultimate goal is to play in the big leagues, for now, he’s focusing on the nearer future - going back to college in Texas, and having another successful season.

“I’m trying to give it everything I can,” he said.