Reds player doubles his fortune
Sports
Posted 1 month ago
Richard Saad
Standard Reporter
Tyson Zarowny, currently playing for the Strathmore AAA Reds, has been selected as an alternate player for this year's edition of Team Alberta at the 2010 Baseball Canada Cup in Kindersley,
Saskatchewan next month.
The 17-year-old, second-year midget player was selected as an alternate on Team Alberta after coaches for the team pared down the list of potential players from over 50 to just 22.
The players represented on the team are considered the best in the province and will battle for the Canada Cup title in
Kindersley, starting on August 11 against Nova Scotia.
"It was good to get accepted because it was a lot of hard work," said Zarowny, who plays the centre-field position on the Reds.
As an alternate, he will get a spot on the team and see game action only if a player cannot make a game due to injury or illness.
Zarowny feels that he was selected to the team because of the speed he brings to the game in the outfield position.
"I was pretty happy when I found out and was surprised because I wasn't really expecting it," said Zarowny.
"I was a little nervous going into it but it turned out well. I expected to put in a lot of hard work and that's the way it was."
Tryouts on the first day ran just over 10 hours and involved
simulating various game drills, including batting and fielding balls.
Zane Anderson, the Reds' head coach, feels that Zarowny making the team will open a lot of doors to the young player and end up
showcasing his skills to potential scouts here in the province and abroad.
"Tyson is a good guy on the team," said Anderson.
"He brings a lot of speed to his game and he's definitely one of the best outfielders in Alberta, so I'm not surprised he was selected."
When Zarowny found out he'd made the team earlier in the month, he figured that would be the extent of the good news.
Instead, he was surprised to find that he had also been selected to the prestigious Vauxhall Baseball Academy in Vauxhall, Alberta.
The academy is one of the best-known baseball schools in the country and is also an accredited school, accepting only a limited number of players to attend every year.
At Vauxhall, players attend classes in the morning and then dedicate their time to baseball training in the afternoon.
For Zarowny, who has been on the Reds for the past four seasons, attending Vauxhall Academy will be a good stepping-stone for a career in baseball.
He has also made use of Anderson's experience at the school prior to his becoming the Reds' head coach.
"It's good to have Zane here because he's done it before," said Zarowny, who will live in a billet in Vauxhall during his time at the academy.
"He thinks it's a good opportunity for me."
Anderson added that because the academy trains the best players, it will allow Zarowny to play against top players. This will no doubt improve his overall development and help turn him into a college-bound player in the future.
"The teachers at the school are known scouts so it's dedicated teaching," said Anderson.
Because of the Zarowny's accomplishment in making both the Canada Cup team and Vauxhall's elite group, he has had to endure some good-natured ribbing from his teammates, who have taken to calling him "Vauxhall" instead of by his name.
Zarowny takes it all in stride though and still shakes his head when he thinks about getting such good news back-to-back.
"It was a good week, that's for sure," he said.
