There’s no maybe about these Mabees when it comes to baseball.
Oliver Mabee is the latest from the family chasing his dreams on the diamond. Grandfather Bob Mabee played on the national team for Canada in the 1970s at the world championships and Pan Am Games, and uncle Henry Mabee made it to Double-A in the Chicago White Sox system.
Oliver Mabee is one of 37 players, along with Victoria Eagles teammate Tyrus Hall and Anson McGorman of Parksville, invited to the Canadian junior national team camp from Wednesday through Sept. 1 at Ajax, Ont., site of the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games baseball competition.
Following the camp, a select number of players will travel to Florida for a seven-game Friendship Series against the United States. With the postponement of the 2021 Under-18 Baseball World Cup in Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida, to 2022, the Friendship Series will be used as one of the final tune-up events for the 2003-born age group, along with the Fall Instructional League Camp in Florida this October.
“I’m stoked. This has been my dream since I was a kid to wear the Canada jersey,” said Oliver Mabee.
He has had plenty of role models in the sport. “My uncle made it to the pros and has been an idol of mine. And I learned everything about the sport from my grandfather, from the basics to mechanics to mindset.”
Oliver Mabee is a six-foot-six pitcher and outfielder who attacks batters with strikes and gets ahead in the count. His versatility is evident in that he is a multi-positional player.
“I love hitting as well as pitching and I want to stay with both as long as I can,” he said.
McGorman, out of the Parksville Royals of the B.C. Premier Baseball League, is a six-foot-two, 200-pound pitcher who is committed to NCAA Div. 1 Sacramento State. He was a top-15 ranked Canadian for the 2021 MLB draft, but not selected. Mabee’s and Hall’s draft year is 2022.
Hall is an infielder with soft hands, who, along with Mabee, led the Victoria Eagles to the championship game of the 2021 B.C. Premier Baseball League season and the runner-up placing behind the Langley Blaze. The BCPBL has an alumni list that includes current or former MLB players Nick Pivetta from the Eagles, Michael Saunders and Rich Harden from the Victoria Mariners, James Paxton, Tyler O’Neill, Ryan Dempster, Jeff Francis, Brett Lawrie, Adam Loewen, Justin Morneau and Hall of Famer Larry Walker.
“I grew up idolizing all those guys and it’s so cool to be in the same league they came out of,” said Mabee.
The scary thing is the Eagles are a young group, including Mabee and Hall entering Grade 12 at Oak Bay High, and will be back with the Eagles next season.
“We’re a tightly-knit group. I’ve known Tyrus since elementary school. Our goal next season is to win the league championship and we’re going to work hard over the winter to prepare for that,” said Mabee.
With, perhaps, a detour to Florida wearing the Maple Leaf jersey.
“I’m expecting really high competition from across the country,” said Mabee.
Greg Hamilton, coach of the junior national team and director of men’s national teams, is excited to finally get a look at his next generation of prospects. These are the players likely to be representing Canada on the road to the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics (baseball is not included for Paris 2024).
“Since we haven’t had the ability to operate our program in-person since March 2020, our coaching staff is looking forward to evaluating players and providing a development and competitive opportunity that will pave the way for our future national team,” Hamilton said.
