THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay’s baseball community are proud to share that 15 year old right hand pitcher/infielder Michael Moskalyk was selected to participate in the 2011 Mizuno Junior Elite Camp at the Roger’s Centre in Toronto, Ontario which begins September 7, 2011 through to September 11, 2011.
Final attendee picks were made by Greg Hamilton, Head Coach of the Junior National Team and Director of National Teams with Baseball Canada. Coaches from the Toronto Blue Jays and Major League Baseball will also be providing instruction to some of the best 16-Under players in the country. Workouts begin September 8th @ 9:00am finishing up with an East vs West intra-squad game September 10th @ 5:00pm at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
“Michael is a product of one of the two travel team programs participating in the Thunder Bay Baseball Association,” according to Reg Galbraith, President of the TBBA. “The Mountain Baseball Club and the Northwest Slam Program strive to give players “next level” opportunities and Michael’s achievements are another fine example,” added Galbraith.
The quest to earn an invitation to the Mizuno Junior Elite Camp for Moskalyk, a Fort William National Little League grad, began in August 2010 when Michael played for Team North in the Ontario Summer Games. In early August this year he attended a baseball camp in Sudbury, Ontario hosted by The Baseball Academy. He was successful in catching the attention of, and made an impression on, hosts Rob and Rich Butler, both former Toronto Blue Jays players. The Butlers highly recommended Moskalyk as a potential attendee to the Mizuno Junior Elite Camp.
Added Wayne Smith, Director of Baseball Operations for the Thunder Bay Mountain Baseball Club (TBMBC), “the Thunder Bay Mountain Baseball Club is extremely proud that Michael Moskalyk has been selected to attend the Mizuno Junior Elite Camp. The Mountain Baseball Club’s “Mission Statement” is to provide a venue for our young players to pursue the dream of playing baseball for a Canadian National team or a Major League baseball club. Representing the TBMBC and the TBBA at the Mizuno Junior Elite Camp gives our players the kind of exposure that leads to various opportunities, including a chance to be selected to one of the Canadian National teams, operated by Baseball Canada”.
During his tenure with the TBMBC, Moskalyk has been a player with the Mountain Ravens and now currently plays for the Mountain Hawks. Chris Toneguzzi, Moskalyk’s current head coach and himself a former member of the Canadian National Junior Team, said “being invited to a camp with this prestige is truly an honor for Mike and the Moskalyk family. His hard work and sacrifice are starting to pay off, and I’m confident he will impress a lot of people at the Mizuno camp. It’s a very exciting step in Mike’s career and we wish him the best on the way to his goal of being a professional baseball player”. Moskalyk has benefited from working out during the season with the Thunder Bay Border Cats under the instruction of Head Coach Mike Steed. Jean-Gilles Laroque, Robbie Skinner, Warren Philp, Matt Linder and Joe Cuciarello were also instructors that had a big influence on Moskalyk’s on-going development.
Voting continues in the Baseball Canada contest to decide Canada’s Favourite Baseball Park. At last report, Thunder Bay’s Port Arthur Stadium was trailing London Ontario. Go to www.baseball.ca to cast your vote.
