“I think it could be a good opportunity to see some high-level competition in the West Coast League and also get exposed to scouts,” Maier said. “I’ve also heard it’s just a ton of fun, I’m excited.”
The Vancouverite is an all-around athlete. He was invited to the Kamloops Blazers rookie camp in 2016, but he declined to pursue baseball instead. On the diamond, he is as effective at the plate as on the mound.
Photo Credit: Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds
In his first season with the Thunderbirds during the shortened 2020 campaign, Maier put up a 2.84 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 19 innings of work on the mound. He also posted a .290 average with eight RBI and five doubles in 62 at-bats as the designated hitter.
“Adam is just a really good ball player. Not only is he one of our best pitchers, but he’s also one of our best hitters,” said Sammie Starr, Maier’s assistant coach with both the NorthPaws and Thunderbirds. “As soon as he stepped on campus, he was one of our better players and impact players.”
Maier was a standout high school player.
He won the BC Premier Baseball League MVP in 2019, leading his North Shore Twins to the provincial championship with a 7-2 record, two saves, five complete games, three shoutouts and a perfect game to accompany his 0.24 ERA and 88 strikeouts. At the plate, he added a .321 average and 29 RBI. In the playoffs, he posted another complete game shutout, pitched a 1.08 ERA with a .588 average going 10-for-17 at the plate.
Lastly what we had known all year was made official! @AdamMaier88 wins the league MVP and top pitcher honors with a season for the record books. IP 58.1 ERA 0.24 88K 10BB oh and he also hits AVG .321 29RBI he tops it off with a season saving home run!! pic.twitter.com/CbThCjaYe5
“He’s had success everywhere he’s been, Starr said. “He’s a really confident player, never gets too high, never gets too low. It was a no brainer talking to him and trying to get him on the NorthPaws squad for the summer.”
Maier also got the opportunity to play for the Canadian Junior National Team making stops in Australia and the Dominican Republic before competing at the U-18 Baseball World Cup in South Korea.
Canada finished with a 4-4 record, and Maier finished with a 4.22 ERA and seven strikeouts in 10.2 innings on the mound against the Netherlands, South Korea and was the starting pitcher for Canada’s win against Chinese Taipei.
“That was a really cool experience. We went and toured all the different MLB facilities that the Dominican Summer League teams play at,” Maier recalled. “It was an awesome feeling for sure.”
Photo Credit: Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds
Kamloops NorthPaws inaugural season tickets are on sale. Click here to reserve your seat to see Adam Maier and all the incoming talent at Norbrock Stadium next season.
The Kamloops NorthPaws are an expansion West Coast League franchise bringing the highest calibre baseball Canada’s Tournament Capital has ever seen. The West Coast League, founded in 2005, has 15 teams across Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alberta featuring some of the top collegiate players during a 54-game summer season. Find the NorthPaws online at www.northpawsbaseball.ca, @northpawsbaseball on Instagram and Facebook, or @northpawsbb on Twitter.
VICTORIA, BC – The Victoria HarbourCats are pleased to announce that their always popular summer baseball camps are now open for registration.
Catering to kids in the 8-11 and 12-15 year-old age groups, a series of half-day camps will take place both outdoors at Royal Athletic Park – the home of the HarbourCats, and indoors at the Edwards Family Training Centre, the official off-field training facility of the HarbourCats and the Victoria Golden Tide.
Camps are set up as half-day sessions and by two age groups: 8-11 and 12-15. For Outdoor camps only, you may register your child for both the morning and afternoon camps according to age, but you must add both the morning camp and afternoon camp to your cart when registering. This option is NOT available for INDOOR camps.
Spaces in each session are limited and sessions may be cancelled if there are not enough participants.
Camps schedule and pricing as follows:
July 2-5th INDOOR – $200.00 (four half-day sessions per age group) July 8-12th OUTDOOR – $300.00 (five half-day sessions per age group) July 15-19th OUTDOOR – $300.00 (five half-day sessions per age group) July 22-26th OUTDOOR – $300.00 (five half-day sessions per age group) July 29-August 2 OUTDOOR – $300.00 (five half-day sessions per age group) August 6- August 9th INDOOR – $200.00 (four half-day sessions per age group) August 12-16th INDOOR – $250.00 (five half-day sessions per age group)
All camps will be run by Victoria Golden Tide College Baseball coaches and players and/or HarbourCats players when available pending their schedule.
Not all are far flung — lefty-hitting DH/1B Brayden McClary of the VIU Mariners and returning lefty arm Hayden Cuthbertson are islanders who know Serauxmen Stadium well.
Hata can fly — he started 40 games as a freshman and will top that this spring, piling up 28 stolen bases over two seasons. He’s not just speed, he hit a game-winning grand slam in extra innings earlier this month and has three home runs and 25 runs driven in, batting .320 with a low strikeout rate.
.
Cuthbertson has had a breakout year with a 3-1 record and four saves, striking out 27 in 17 innings and earning a Division1 spot with Miami-Ohio. McClary, also an Islander, will be the first married player on the NightOwls — he’s a key offensive force in the middle of the VIU lineup, hitting a ball out of Serauxmen this weekend against TRU.
.
Felix is a young star catcher with position versatility— and he’s big at 6-2/200 as he goes to Cal Poly this fall. Jakobson is a righthander who will have ample innings available for the summer, a oower arm with bullpen potential.
.
Ariaza is a great mix of power and strikes, and he’s the biggest NightOwl to date at 6-5/270. He didn’t walk a batter in 10 outings as a freshman and has 25 strikeouts in 18 innings, along with a save, this spring.
.
Hanning has had success at the junior college level and has proven to be a workhorse, including 61 innings already this season, tops on his staff.
.
Nonomiya has moved into a starting role in the NWAC conference and is now over 30 innings for a team that has NightOwls assistant Sean FitzGerald on the staff.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login