Yorkton natives Derek Marshall and Mason Kelley are excited to get out of cold in late February to soak in the sun in Florida for a baseball camp.
"It will definitely be nice to get out of the cold weather," says Marshall, who plays middle infield and pitches. "Winters are never fun here. I'm so excited to get to travel to Florida and to play baseball while I'm there."
"Getting out of here is going to be nice," added Kelley, who plays shortstop and pitches. "February is like the coldest month, too. I can't wait to go to Florida."
Marshall and Kelley are going to the camp with Inside Pitch Baseball Academy, a Regina-based training program that the boys have been taking part in for the past couple years.
Inside Pitch will be showing the young ball players how college teams train and prepare for games in Florida from February 26 to March 6.
"Our goal in Florida is to show the guys how college teams practice and train," says Morgan Reiter, IPBA director of player development. "That way they get the idea of what it takes to play college ball."
Inside Pitch will also go head-to-head against some Florida-based college teams.
"It will be fun to play against those higher-up teams," says Marshall. "It will be a good experience.
Baseball has been the teenagers' sport of a choice since the get go. Marshall and Kelley started playing ball when they were roughly five-years-old.
"I've always loved baseball," says Marshall. "I started to play when I was like five and just kept at it.
"I started playing at like five or six and just really enjoyed it," added Kelley.
Both ball players played for the Melville Millionaires in the midget AA league last year. Marshall, 17, has one-year remaining of minor baseball. Kelley, 16, has two-years left with the Millionaires.
After their minor baseball careers, Marshall and Kelley want to extent their ball careers to the college ranks.
"I've thought about playing for Lakehead University in Ontario," says Marshall. "The coach of the (WMBL) Cardinals knows the coach of the college, so they've been in contact and have mentioned my name a couple times. It's a division two school, so it is a good school."
"I would like to play for the University of Lethbridge," says Kelley. "That's the school I have my eyes set on."
Reiter believes his students have what it takes to extend their careers from the high school ranks.
"I think both Mason and Derek will develop into strong enough baseball players to go on to the college level," says Reiter. "They have both improved a lot since joining our program and they will continue to improve in it."
The Western Major Baseball League is also a possibility for the youngsters. Both ball players plan on trying out for the Yorkton Cardinals.
"I'm definitely interested in playing for the Cardinals," says Marshall. "They put me on their AP roster. So if injuries happen, I hope I can get an opportunity to play."
"I've given the WMBL a lot of thought," says Kelley. "It is definitely a possibility. I'll probably tryout when I'm done school."
Inside Pitch has developed players who have gone on to play in the WMBL, not to mention Major League Baseball. The program helped develop Cory Hall, who recently signed with the Kansas City Royals.
"We take pride in working hard to develop players and help them reach their full potential," says Reiter. "Hall is a good example of one of our players reaching their potential with our help.
Whether Marshall and Kelley have what it takes to go on to the pros remains to be scene. But being in the right hands gives them hope that anything is possible.
"Working with Inside Pitch has definitely helped my game," says Marshall. "Knowing they have produced guys who have signed MLB contracts definitely makes it clear to me that the right guys are training me."
"It is awesome to see some of their prospects sign pro contracts," says Kelley.
"It takes so much work to get to that level and it is nice to see guys who were in the same program as me get to that level."
