Cochrane teenager Justin Ferguson has only been playing baseball for two years, yet he caught the eye of outside evaluators earlier this spring to secure a spot on the town’s most competitive squad, the Cochrane Crush senior majors AAA team.
It’s a pretty impressive feat, given he learned to love the game from watching baseball movies.
“Sandlot, Moneyball…,” the 15-year-old leftie pitcher counted off, while celebrating the Crush’s 12-2 win over the Centennial Rebels. “I definitely love the game. It’s just a fun sport.”
Those classic sports films turned Ferguson on to the excitement and intricacies of real ball, and today, even though he’s on a team with a host of formidable multi-sport athletes like Bantam Bowl quarterback Xavier Vaillancourt, Cochrane Cobras Athlete of the Year contender Dawson Laye and Western Hockey League draft picks Ty Bauer and Nick De Beurs – Justin Ferguson is truly in a league of his own.
“Everyone likes Justin,” said Crush coach Paul Vaillancourt. “He’s one of the team favourites.”
This season marks the first time the Crush has held competitive tryouts with outside evaluators Absolute Baseball Academy assessing the talent coming into the club. With the continuing growth of the sport in Cochrane, Vaillancourt said it was the most objective way to fill up the roster.
“We have more players that want to play travel ball,” he said. “It’s good for us to bring outside evaluators to judge our talent – coaches don’t say anything at all.”
Ferguson, who played on the Crush last season, impressed the impartial scouts with his passion and drive, and was awarded a spot on the team for a second year in a row. Now, during any given Crush game, Ferguson can be found on the fence, cheering on his fellow players when it’s their turn up to bat. On the field, he’s also paying close attention to each play and giving encouragement in the dugout about how both he and his squad can improve.
“I like to motivate my teammates, just keep inspiring them, cheering them on,” Ferguson said. “If we get positive messages … it just boosts our confidence for sure.”
Vaillancourt said Ferguson exemplifies the “four Rs” of the Crush’s philosophy: respect, responsibility, resourcefulness and resiliency.
“Baseball’s a thinking game – he shows up, he thinks about it,” he said. “He’s one of those guys that’s worked hard. He just loves baseball.”
This year, the Crush are 5-1 at the halfway point of their regular season and hope to again take it to the top of the Alberta District 3 Little League Junior Tier 2 league when championships take place in JUNE.
Saturday’s match-up saw the Cochrane team power through to a mercy win after the fifth inning, helped along with strength on the bat from both Xavier Vaillancourt and De Beurs. Coach Vaillancourt said while the team is sitting in a good position in second place in the league, they will work on field finesse as the season progresses toward play-offs.
Ferguson – who is on a three-game hit streak himself – said he wants to sink more doubles and improve on his power hitting to emulate more closely his favourite pro players, like Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, Toronto Blue Jays MVP Josh Donaldson, and another clubhouse leader well-respected by his teammates for his attentiveness and support: five time all-star shortstop (and slugger in his own right) Troy Tulowitzki.
Vaillancourt said he has no doubt “Fergie” will accomplish whatever he sets his mind to.
“He is a good example that if you try to be an ACE – attitude, concentration, effort – good things will happen in sports and in life.”
