It was May of this year. The Fleetwood resident and member of the White Rock Tritons of the B.C. Premier Baseball League would graduate high school in mere months. And he hadn’t yet heard from American colleges about baseball scholarships.
“I was kind of scared,” Reyes said. “I was anxious to get that first phone call from a school. It was totally nerve-racking.”
The 18-year-old shortstop/pitcher always hoped for a good scholarship to an American college. If he played two years of college ball, he hoped to get a scholarship with a NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) team, preferably somewhere in California.
But it was May and the offers weren’t coming. “I kind of lost confidence,” Reyes said. He lost his drive, too – albeit temporarily. “Yeah,” he said. “My stats were dropping a bit. My work ethic deteriorated too, you could say. I was thinking, what’s the point?”
Reyes’s coaches, friends and parents promptly gave him a swift – but loving – kick in the rear.
“They really encouraged me. I had the talent, they said. I just had to give it my all and eventually I’d get that interest from schools.”
Reyes decided to change his lacklustre attitude, for the game’s sake. He decided if no scholarship offers came, he would work just as hard at baseball, attending a Canadian college somewhere.
“I thought, hey, what’s the point of giving up like that? I’ve been playing since I was five, and after all I’ve put into it…”
The Pro 9 B.C.’s Best tournament in Parksville was two weeks away. Scouts and pros would undoubtedly attend the annual playoff of high-calibre B.C. and Alberta teams. As it turned out, the College of Southern Idaho coaches did visit the tournament and they certainly liked what they saw in Reyes.
Within two weeks, Reyes got an offer from Idaho.
More offers followed – from schools in Texas, Oregon, and California. But Idaho was his pick.
“I’m very excited. This is something I’ve wanted to do all my life – experience life outside the town where I’ve always lived,” Reyes said. “And to have your education paid for while you play the game you love!”
Reyes plans to major in Business or Entrepreneurial Studies. His classes began Aug. 27 and his first practice with the team was last week.
“The coaches are going to teach me a lot,” Reyes says. “I’m looking forward to it and I’m going to work hard, bear down on my schooling and really focus. It’s something I really need to do.”
As for the skills Reyes will hone, he said, “I could improve my whole game – everyone could. But most of all I want to focus on arm strength. Last season I topped out at 86 miles per hour.”
One year earlier, Reyes topped out at 82 miles per hour. And although he would be thrilled to make the 90-miles-per-hour-mark in the next two years, he concedes, “sometimes it just comes naturally and there’s only so much you can do to increase your velocity.”
Reyes adds he feels grateful for the support of his Tritons coaches.
“I was blessed to have such great support.
“You can’t look too far ahead,” he says about his NCAA goals. “But it would be a real honour if I could eventually go play for Cal State or one of the big 10 schools.”
The Tritons returned from the Under Armour Fall Classic in Jupiter Florida on Monday.
