Farion willing to go extra mile for success
In his mind, Jeff Farion didn’t become a true pitcher until he was nearly 30.
Farion’s transformation from unheralded, relatively routine softball thrower to elite softball pitcher was a gradual progression.
It did not happen overnight.
“The difference is you become smarter over the years,” says Farion, a fixture on the Saskatoon softball scene. “You’re always a thrower. You become a pitcher when you’ve got the thinking game and everything else.”
Farion began playing softball at age five. He’s been chucking softballs from the mound since he was 14.
Over that time, Farion has pitched his way out of obscurity to make his mark on Team Canada’s radar.
“We think Jeff is one of the top-two left-handers in the country,” says Saskatoon-based Don Bates, head coach of Canada’s national men’s softball squad.
“Left-handers are obviously a valuable commodity. It gives you a different look.
“Jeff has worked really hard at it.”
This summer, Farion is playing for an assortment of teams. He pitches for the Delisle Diamond Dogs in Saskatoon’s Keith McLean Division. He’ll join the Saskatoon Sr. Diamondbacks for the Canadian men’s softball championship this summer in Prince Edward Island.
He also throws for the Hill United Chiefs, out of Ohsweken, Ont., his ISC travel team. The Chiefs are ranked No. 1 for the upcoming ISC world championship Aug. 8-16 in Kitchener, Ont.
At 34, Farion is now throwing harder than he did in his 20s.
“It’s mainly technique and practice,” he explains. “I tried a lot of different styles of pitching. I’ve stuck with one that I can throw hard with.”
New Zealand stints
The turning point, he says, came in 2008.
Farion had a pair of softball stints in New Zealand, where an increased focus on softball helped hone his skills. He spent about seven months there back in 2004 and again in 2008 for three months. He played for the Waitekere Bears based in Auckland.
“Working with (catcher) Patty Shannon and (pitcher) Marty Grant really helped me quite a bit,” Farion recalls.
“Then, in 2008, when the last ISFs were here, it was a bit of an eye-opener for me because I helped out with doing some batting practice and stuff for the guys and I got a few tips from (thenhead coach) Mark Smith and (then-pitching coach) Donny Bates from there.”
Farion enjoys the idea of playing softball year round. You stay in shape. As a pitcher, you start hitting your spots early and go from there.
These days, Farion throws a dropball, riser, change-up, curveball and slow curveball.
“I never really had a change-up before (2008) — that was one of the things I needed to work on,” says Farion, who stands 5-foot11 and weighs 195 pounds, which is a bit on the small side for pitching.
“We really have to use our legs a lot more and rely a lot more on our movement in the pitches.”
Farion, who works as an industrial mechanic for the City of Saskatoon waste-water plant, is also surprised at how far he’s come.
“I didn’t really take it too seriously until probably 2008 and I made that (making Team Canada) my main goal. It’s still my main goal.”
Farion, who has played in some exhibition games with the national pool, will be hoping to land a spot on the roster for the Pan American championship in Argentina come October.
Next summer, the ISF world men’s softball championship will be staged right here in Saskatoon.
“That’s my ultimate goal,” says Farion. “That’d be great.”
Bates says that Farion has worked tremendously hard to improve his mechanics, fitness level and mental game.
“He’s changed his delivery an awful lot,” says Bates. “His mechanics have improved.
“The other area I really see a change in him now is his mental part of his game. A few years ago, he was pretty tough maybe once through the lineup and then sort of maybe wouldn’t be able to maintain that focus against those top teams for the full seven. Now, I’ve seen him throw some real gems. He’s throwing a complete seven and it’s made a big difference in his game.”
Bates agrees that Farion’s journey has been a long one.
“He’s probably worked as hard, or harder, than anybody else because in the offseason he’s always looking for places to play. He’s going to Indonesia, New Zealand or wherever, where somebody’s looking for some throwing.
“For a guy who’s that committed, it pays off.”