Prospects make jump to college
Mitchell and Shedden heading to U.S.
Preparing for the next step is what summer college baseball is about for many players, but for a pair of Edmonton Prospects, the future really is now.
Prospects pitcher Blake Mitchell and shortstop Derek Shedden both committed earlier this week to play at U.S. universities this fall.
“I’ve always hoped that I could play some college ball, get a scholarship, and have some of my schooling paid for,” said Shedden, an Edmonton native who has verbally committed to play for Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. “It’s always been my dream to go as far as I can in baseball, and that’s what I’m going to keep doing till the day is over.”
It was through the guidance of veteran coaches Ray Brown and Orv Franchuk that helped Shedden get to this point.
“(My coaches) have helped me a ton. They tried to change the way I swing,” the Edmonton native said.
“Basically, make me a ground-ball, line-drive hitter so I can get on base and use my speed.”
The adjustments seem to be working, as the 18-yearold graduate of St. Francis Xavier high school is currently sporting a healthy .412 on-base-percentage this season.
Mitchell agreed to attend Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho.
“I’m pretty pumped up about that,” the right-hander said about signing to become a member of the NCAA Division II Crusaders.
Franchuk, a Prospects special adviser, says developing the Prospects is about more than just baseball, it’s also about helping these players become successful in their future endeavours.
“Coaching is a lot of teaching,” said Franchuk, a time fixture on the Edmonton baseball scene. “Ray (Brown) and I spend a lot of hours trying to teach, and it’s a learning process. These kids are trying to get better, but it’s tough because it’s a limited amount of time.”
Teaching players with limited time can be a difficult task, but the coaching staff is more than up for it.
“They need a lot of reps. You can tell them once and try to show them, but if they’ve been doing a certain thing a certain way all their days and having a little bit of success ... then they’re really reluctant to make a change,” Franchuk said.
“Why do I need to make an adjustment? Maybe at the next level, you’re not going to have that success, and that’s what we’re trying to teach them.”
Both players have been putting their coaches’ advice to good use.
Shedden’s shortened swing worked for him Monday night — he led off the game by beating out a single and stealing second, then was driven home by first baseman Vinny Martin for the game’s first run.
Meanwhile, Mitchell is coming off a big performance on Canada Day, in which he pitched a complete-game shutout. The performance was made all the more special by the 6,417 fans that showed up to watch the performance.
“It’s exciting, it’s the biggest crowd I’d ever pitched in front of,” Mitchell said.
The Prospects are in the middle of a three-game southern Alberta road trip, facing the Okotoks Dawgs twice — they lost 8-0 to the host Dawgs Tuesday before facing Lethbridge Wednesday and Okotoksaga in Friday — before a two-game homestand Saturday and Sunday against the Medicine Hat Mavericks.