Boom.. boom.. Boom.. the sound of a nearly-90 mph fastball hitting the catcher's mitt echoes through the training facility as Jackson Soucie warms up for another day of training.
Soucie is an 18-year-old left-hand pitcher from Cambridge who recently threw his name into the MLB draft in hopes of being selected to a major league team.
Over 20 rounds and nearly 630 players later and Soucie never heared his name called; a sad, but not unexpected result.
“I tried to keep my emotions pretty neutral,” said Soucie. “I talked to my agent and he basically told me, just be prepared to go undrafted.”
After the initial disappointment, he and his team turned their attention to what they can improve on and his next steps to reach his dream of playing in the majors.
Having played his entire high school career at St. Benedict's in Cambridge and then transferring to a prep school down south, Soucie is no stranger to putting in the work to get to the next level.
Soucie transferred to A3 Baseball Academy in Tampa, Florida, where he would be put up against some of the heaviest hitters in the country.
Winning a national championship with the Midland Baseball team, based in Ohio; Soucie was named starting pitcher for the championship game.
Playing in the United States in comparison to Canada, there are a lot of differences, said Soucie.
The baseball culture in the United States has a win-no-matter-what mentality, whereas in Canada, there is more emphasis on enjoying the game and having fun.
Now back in Ontario, Soucie is working out with his brother Tyler at his training facility Velo Baseball in Kitchener.
“I just love this sport and helping these young guys get to where they want to be,” said Tyler. “Most of these guys are going to the states to play and have committed to college programs already, it just goes to show how much talent there is around here.”
It comes in handy when your brother owns his own business dedicated to training athletes in the sport you are playing, said Jackson.
The pristine training grounds that the Soucie brothers call home base is a mixture of strength training, endurance and practical skill. Although Velo works with many players who will play either pro or semi-pro baseball, the players are only going to reach that mark if they put in the work themselves, said Tyler.
In a few weeks, Jackson will leave again to play ball down south. This time he is headed to junior college at Wabash Valley College.
For some, taking the junior college (JUCO) route as opposed to a four-year program in the NCAA, playing JUCO will allow Jackson to be eligible for the 2023 draft.
After not being selected in the most recent draft, Jackson feels like he has something to prove- not only to himself, but all of the teams that didn’t draft him the first time around.
“I wish I could have started my pro-career this year, but now I just want to prove it to all the scouts that didn’t think I was the right choice this year,” said Jackson. “I want to prove to everyone that I am the right choice.”
