Alex Owen is getting a rare second chance to represent his country.
The 17-year-old Coquitlam Reds first baseman is the only midget baseball player from Burnaby to date named to a Team Canada roster in readiness for the Latin American Baseball Classic to be held in the Dominican Republic in August.
It is the first time that Canada has been invited to the international baseball tournament, now in its 32nd year.
Canada will join as many as 10 other nations, including host Dominican Republic, British Virgin Islands, Venezuela, St. Croix and the United States, in four age brackets from under-12 to u-18.
The Canadian teams are selected and promoted by Wave International Baseball Academy located in the Okanagan.
“Representing your country is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so I’m feeling pretty fortunate,” said Owen, a Grade 12 Burnaby North Secondary student.
Back in 2009, Owen was a member of the Hastings association team that represented Canada at the Little League World Series.
“Honestly, it went by so fast,” said Owen of his first moment wearing the Maple Leaf. “I felt so proud, … We played pretty well too. We almost beat Mexico in extras (innings). We lost to Asia and beat Europe (Germany). That was a summer I won’t forget.”
The week of Aug. 6 to 12 in Santo Domingo will likely be another moment Owen will remember for a while.
“Honestly, I don’t know what to expect. A 16-year-old can throw as hard our 19-year-olds,” Owen said of the Dominican youth. “We have a big job ahead of us, but we’re going to go down there and do our best, and show we can play baseball up here.”
The 6-1, 205-pound first base/corner outfielder hit around .300 in his third season with the North Shore Twins that won the junior premier league playoff last season.
This year, Owen moved over to the Coquitlam Reds for his first season in the elite midget B.C. PBL.
“It’s a small league. Everyone knows everyone, you’ll find guys moving a lot because they know where they will fit,” said Owen.
When Owen joins the Wave travelling team, he too, will no doubt learn a thing or two of fitting in.
“For a lot of kids (in the Dominican Republic) it’s either poverty or baseball. It’s their ticket out. They take it seriously, that’s why they play the game the way they do.”
Part of the experience for the Canadians will include taking bats, balls and other equipment along with them to give to the Latin American players.
Another part, is bringing along good, old Canadian work ethic.
“I do it all the time. When I go to a different country, I want people to know I’m Canadian and know I can play the game,” said Owen. “More and more players are going to the draft and going to college and being successful.
Part of the experience also revolves around fundraising, added Owen.
To help send the team to the Latin American Classic go to gogetfunding.com/project/labc-team-canada.
