Saints recruit number of local baseball players
The St. Clair College Saints men’s baseball team is getting a muchneeded infusion of young talent.
The four-time defending OCAA champs had Tecumseh Thunder left-handed pitcher Mitchell Prsa, catcher Curtis Cunningham and outfielder Carson Burke officially signed on with the club Wednesday at a ceremony at the Sportsplex along with second baseman Patrick Kibble, who plays for the Windsor Selects.
“We’re hoping these kids will all be around for two, three or four years with us and these kids should step in and compete,” Saints head coach Dave Cooper said. “They have a lot of potential and a high ceiling if they want to do the work.”
Cooper’s squad has also added infielder/catcher Josh Talerico, infielder Lucas Diluca and righthanded pitcher Seth Chauvin from the Selects program.
Former Selects infielder Matt Bondy is transferring over to St. Clair from Siena Heights University in Michigan while the Saints have also added first baseman/ outfielder Keeshaun Such from Hantsport, N.S., and second baseman Josh Simpson, who is from Mississauga.
“Usually, we have a five- or sixman turnover,” Cooper said. “This year, we’re going to lose 18 guys out of 24. Our average age will drop from 24 to about 20, but we need this (recruiting class) right now.”
Prsa, Cunningham and Burke were all part of the Tecumseh midget team that captured the Ontario Elimination Tournament earlier this month and will represent the province at nationals in August.
“That’s what you want,” Cooper said. “You want guys from winning programs.”
And the chance to stay with a few teammates is something Prsa did not want to pass on.
“These are my boys,” said the 18-year-old Prsa, who is from Tecumseh and will study pre-health science. “I’ve played with Carson and Curtis for a while and we always played against Patrick, so it’s pretty good.”
A three-time OFSAA champion at St. Anne, Burke said school was what drew him to St. Clair, and the chance to play baseball is an added bonus.
“I was interested in the advertising and marketing program and they came to St. Anne and did a whole presentation,” the 17-yearold Burke said. “Plus, the baseball team from previous years had won, so it was awesome. I just like the fact they’ve won previous years and players feel comfortable going in.”
Cunningham’s brother Eric Cunningham just graduated after three seasons with the Saints and he knows the program well.
“I’ve worked with Coop and Chico (LaBute, the Saints’ assistant coach) and they’re both good coaches and good guys,” said the 17-year-old Cunningham. “There’s a lot of talent around here and hopefully we will win more.”
While several have battled on the field locally, Kibble is excited to see what they can accomplish together as a team.
“At first, it was the school that brought me here, but baseball’s been my entire life,” said the 18-year-old Kibble, who wants to go into the paramedic program. “Coming here is going to be great. It’s a mix of all the great guys around here. It’s going to be a good team to play on.”