Two Lacombe Minor Baseball alumni are finding success at the collegiate level.
Ty Wagar, who plays for the Edmonton Collegiate Trappers, and Jake Fischer, who plays for the Okanagan College Coyotes both took home awards — wining Canadian College Baseball Conference (CCBC) first-team utility infielder and first-team catcher respectively.
Wagar, who finished the year with .347 average over 22 games, said the season was a good one for both his team and himself.
“It was our first year in the CCBC, which is the league we are in and it went a little better than we expected,” he said. “We were really competitive and we won quite a few ball games. We were a couple outs away from being in the semifinal, which would have been a great accomplishment.”
Being a first-team allstar was something Wagar had never experienced.
“It just kind of speaks to the work that our coaches have put in and the amount of hours they have spent on us,” he said. “They come to field everyday and create a competitive atmosphere. That makes everyone better.”
Wagar credit his time with Lacombe Minor Baseball as the reason he had this opportunity.
“We had a core of kids my age who played all the way up until the second year of bantam,” he said. “We had an opportunity to play everyday and at that age, it was about having fun — that is when I fell in love with the game.
“That progressed to something bigger and made me want to experience college baseball. I was fortunate enough to do that in Edmonton.”
Part of the great experience for Wagar is being able to play at Remax Field, which used to be home to the AAA pro Edmonton Trappers.
“You walk around and see all the history and different names that played there. It is cool to put the jersey on,” he said.
In the short term, Wagar is playing senior AAA ball over the summer and coaching a AAA midget team out of Sherwood Park.
“I want to transition into coaching,” he said. “I have had some shoulder injuries and I have a teaching practicum coming up. I will be moving on into the adult world, so my goals are to stay involved as much as I can and also be able to pass my knowledge on.”
Wagar was grateful for the people that helped grow his baseball career.
“The support from my parents, my whole family and especially my sister Colby has been amazing,” he said. “They sacrificed so much so I could play this game and I want to thank them for everything they have done.”
Fischer said that Wagar is a hell of a competitor and that he was really impressed with his game.
Fischer himself had a great senior year, after the year prior which he felt was a slump year.
“My senior year went pretty good. I hit around .370, lead the league in RBIs and had four homeruns as well — which is nice,” he said. “It is definitely a good year to build off, especially heading into this summer.”
Fischer credited his run to finding his passion with Lacombe Minor Ball.
“That is where I started out. I was a hockey player my whole life and then got into baseball around the bantam age. That is where I found the love for the game. I will never forget that,” he said.
Fischer will play this summer with the Kelowna Falcons, before playing his final collegiate season.
“I am trying to make the allstar game. I will have to hit super well against good pitchers from good schools,” he said. “Longer term, I want to possibly play indy ball somewhere in order to get to the next level. I have one more year of college ball and then I will hopefully move on after that.
“I know I have the ability.”
todd.vaughan@lacombeexpress.com
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