Mattie Murphy to pitch at Rogers Centre
St. John’s righthander one of four Newfoundlanders competing in showcase tourney at Rogers Centre
Four Newfoundland baseball players will take part in the inaugural Tournament 12 this weekend at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Corner Brook’s Daniel Humber, Myles Vincent and Daniel McCarthy, along with St. John’s minor baseball grad Mattie Murphy, will be part of a Maritime team.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to play up there and the overall experience,” said Murphy, 18.
“You don’t get to play with the best players in Canada very much.”
Murphy, a right-handed pitcher who plays for the Feildians’ senior and intermediate club entries in the St. John’s circuits, has been to two Canada Cups with provincial teams (2011 and 2012) and played for the province at the 2011 national junior championships as a 16-year-old.
“This is completely different. It’s an older age group,” said Murphy. “With all the scouting opportunity they have up there, it’s going to be pretty cool.”
Last month, Murphy stood out for Newfoundland’s baseball team at the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que. He pitched a pair of wins over Prince Edward Island, including a three-hit shutout in the team’s final game.
“I was proud of what I did. It was probably the best statistical game I’ve ever pitched,” says Murphy, who posted a 1.17 earned run average at the Games.
Tournament 12 aims to shine a light on col- lege-eligible players from across the country and will be scouted by NCAA schools such as Kentucky, Miami, Missouri and Philadelphia’s Temple University. Joining the Maritime teams are three squads from Ontario, two from Quebec, one each from B.C. and Alberta, a combined unit from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and a Futures Team comprised of players from all over.
Murphy, who is in his first year of studies at Memorial University after graduating from Holy Heart in the spring, says it’s always been a dream of his to play collegiate baseball. But with the bevy of talent expected at the tourney, Murphy is tapering expectations.
“I can only do my best and give them what I’ve got,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to the opportunity and getting the chance to have a look at the other players as much as the scouts are really.” As for how he figures the Maritime team will stack up against the mainland squads, a lack of familiarity with his teammates has left Murphy in the dark.
“I know Ontario is projected to do really well, but I think where we have a few selections from every (Atlantic) province, we might surprise some people,” he said.
Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and former Toronto Blue Jays great Robert Alomar will act as the tournament commissioner, with assistance from his father Sandy Alomar Sr., and former Jays Duane Ward and Lloyd Moseby.
I can only do my best and give them what I’ve got.
Mattie Murphy