Parents of elite baseball players and those whose children aspire to play in Ontario and at the university and college level in Canada or the U.S. are invited to learn how to successfully navigate this top sports landscape.
Organized by the Newmarket Baseball Association, this free seminar is the first in its Hawks Talks series and presented under the Hawks Elite Program, that aims to provide useful and honest information to parents who want to navigate the elite baseball landscape in Ontario, as well as baseball opportunities in university and college in the U.S. and Canada.
The association says this seminar is geared toward parents of players who are playing or aspire to play elite baseball in Ontario in all age divisions and then at the university and college level in the U.S. or Canada.
All Hawks house league, select, rep, and elite families are welcome. While parents are the primary audience, players are also welcome to attend.
A panel of experts has been assembled for the event, including the commissioner of Baseball Ontario’s elite league, the head baseball coach at a Canadian college, parents of players already playing collegiately in Canada and being recruited to play at a U.S. level.
In addition, NCAA Division 1 school and a Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) specialist will discuss the following topics:
- The different elite baseball options, community-based OBA/EBLO teams vs. private/pay-for-play teams for grade school and high-school aged baseball players in Ontario;
- The different collegiate paths available, CIS and CCAA in Canada and NCAA D1-D2-D3, NAIA, and NJCAA in the U.S., plus related academic requirements including SAT scores for U.S. schools and scholarship opportunities;
- Connecting with universities and colleges and their coaches;
- Creating an online profile and skills video and;
- Attending various camps, showcases, and tryouts.
Admission is free and a donation to the food pantry is appreciated. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Elite and Collegiate Baseball seminar takes place on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Newmarket Community Centre, Room 4, 200 Doug Duncan Dr.
You are encouraged to RSVP here.
Panellists include:
Frank Fascia
Elite Baseball League of Ontario (EBLO) Commissioner, parent of MLB draft pick and NCAA D1 player and CCAA player
Alex Macdonald
Head Coach, Centennial College Baseball (CCAA), longtime Hawks coach
Wayne Patterson
Parent of 2018 Ontario University Association (OUA) champion and 2018 Baseball Canada 21U National Champion, longtime Hawks coach
Brian Bratt
Parent of current Canadian Junior National Team member and 2018 Baseball Canada 15U National Champion, longtime Hawks coach
Jaime Upiter
Education Director, Oxford Learning Centre (SAT preparation)
Moderated by Rob Hums
Coordinator, Hawks Elite Program, University of Illinois graduate
For more information on the Newmarket Baseball Association, visit here.
