Donnison pitching in for Team Canada
Matt Donnison is living a baseball dream.
The 18-year-old Niagara Falls native is currently in Mexico with Team Canada at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Americas U-18 Baseball World Cup Qualifier.
“It’s been one of my dreams playing for this team, playing for your country,” said Donnison, a graduate of Saint Paul Catholic High School. “This is one of my biggest goals I’ve been working toward. When I got the call I was really excited. By next year, I’ll be too old so this is my last opportunity with them.”
Donnison, a 6-foot-1, right-handed pitcher, played for the Great Lakes Canadians out of London this summer and was one of 20 players selected to the squad.
The roster was finalized after an eight-game selection camp in the Dominican Republic where the squad faced off with Dominican Professional Academy teams from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres organizations.
“It’s been a process over the course of the entire season,” he said. “I know Greg Hamilton (Team Canada manager) has been to many of our games and different events I’ve been to so it’s all about playing and performing when he’s there and standing out and that’s what I did.
“It’s really fun, going to countries I’ve never been to covered by Baseball Canada. It’s an amazing experience. Basically you really feel like a professional player almost.”
Donnison has pitched well so far, including a one-inning stint Monday in a combined no-hitter as Canada topped Peru 11-1. He also struck out the side in one inning of work earlier in the tournament and appeared in earlier pre-tournament action.
“It’s the best players from every country,” Donnison said. “You’re going against lot of future professional players, Division 1 players. It’s probably the best you can find at our age.”
Donnison features a fastball that has topped out at 92 miles-per-hour, a slider, sinker and change-up.
“I just try to use my slider as much as I can for groundouts but I’m a big strikeout guy,” he said. “My slider is my go-to pitch.”
Donnison played minor ball in his hometown before moving to Great Lakes. He was a member of the Niagara Falls Falcons U15 squad in 2018 which won an Ontario Baseball Association AA championship.
“I’ve always been one of the best players on my Niagara team but I never really thought much if it, sort of a big fish in a small pond type of thing,” he said. “Once I started going to events and stuff in Toronto that’s when I started to get noticed and realized I might be a little bit better than the average guy.
“That motived me to work even harder.”
Geoff Allen coached Donnison on the OBA championship team and said hard work is what Donnison is all about.
“They stay consistent in the weight room, in the classroom, on the field, everywhere they go. They don’t miss a practice, don’t miss a lift. That’s the difference,” Allen said when asked about the work ethic of elite athletes such as Donnison. “Consistent hard work outworks talent. Talent can get you there but it doesn’t keep you there.”
Donnison is following in the footsteps of fellow Niagara Falls native Owen Diodati, who also played for Team Canada at the 2019 World U-18 Championships.
“Matt had a great role model in Owen living five doors down from him,” Allen added. “He’s seen what it takes to get there from Owen, staying consistent and whatnot.”
Donnison already has his future mapped out after recently committing to Illinois State for the fall of 2023.
“It was a really stressful process,” he said. “I was happy to finally make the decision and feel more relieved now and also pretty excited. The work is just starting to get going now. I have to work harder and be ready for next year.”
Canada is competing in Group B along with Peru, Puerto Rico, USA and Venezuela while Group A consists of Cuba, Dominican Republic, host Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama.
The top four nations at the qualifier will earn the right to compete at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup scheduled for Tainan, Taiwan in September 2023.
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