Just under a month from now, Innisfail’s Nathan Flewelling will get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play the game he loves in front of many professional and collegiate scouts.
Flewelling was just one of 15 players selected from Alberta to play in the Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Academy’s Canadian Futures Showcase.
From Sept. 20-24, over 150 of Canada’s rising baseball talent will head to Ottawa to play in the showcase in front of college and major league baseball scouts.
Flewelling told the Advocate it’s an honour to be selected.
“I’m very thankful to get this opportunity to demonstrate what I’ve worked so hard for,” he said.
According to a statement on the Toronto Blue Jays website, the event is usually held in the Rogers Centre in Toronto but this year will be held at RCTG Park in Ottawa.
The players have been split into six teams to compete in a tournament format with Flewelling on Team Navy. The five-day event starts out with a scouts day on Sept. 20 and on the final day there will be a prospects camp and a home run derby. During that time the teams will compete against each other.
Out of the list of Albertans in the showcase, Flewelling is the only member from central Alberta which he said is a proud moment.
“Hopefully central Alberta can get known for the people that get baseball players too it doesn’t just have to be Calgary and Edmonton,” Flewelling said. “Central Alberta has lots to offer as well.”
Flewelling is looking forward to seeing how his game compares to and how he stacks up against some of the other young rising stars in the country. Despite the high expectations to perform well, Flewelling also wants to be in the moment and take it all in.
“Just understanding it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and just play the game, just have fun because you don’t need to put too much pressure on yourself. Just need to play the game, have fun, and enjoy yourself,” he said. “I just want to thank my coaches for pushing me to get me where I am today.”
Flewelling made the roster after attending an open tryout in Calgary in June. This was just one of many they held around the country and once they conclude the Baseball Academy selects the best players from all of the camps.
Flewelling played his first season with the Red Deer U18 AAA Tier I CarStar Braves where they went all the way to the provincial final but lost to St. Albert. They then went to the Western Canadian Baseball Championships in Saskatchewan where they finished second in the division.
The 15-year-old said he learned so much from playing on the Braves and from the older players. He also plans on playing for them again next season.
“They just taught me so much and I’m so thankful that they took me in, were willing to teach me, and put up with me all year,” he said.
Most recently he also played for the Alberta boys baseball team during the 2022 Canada Summer Games in Niagara. They made it all the way to the gold medal game but lost to British Columbia 11-1 to capture the silver medal.
“That was an incredible experience and definitely something I’ve never experienced before. The stage was big and playing with talented guys, playing with that level was just new. I’m just happy I got that opportunity,” he added.
Flewelling hopes to play college baseball in the United States once he’s graduated from high school to get a good education with aspirations to play professional baseball one day.
“[Baseball] just clicks and I can’t imagine my life without it. It’s just something that I love doing and it just feels right when I do it and I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
“That’s a big dream of mine as well, just taking it one step at a time,” he said.