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Local Southampton student, Tyler Marcinko, is off to the United States on a full scholarship to do what he loves most, play baseball.

Tyler Marcinko

Marcinko has received an academic scholarship at Piedmont College in Demorest Georgia, approximately 100 km northwest of Atlanta. He will major in business administration with a minor in sports and marketing.

Marcinko says that he received offers to play at four other colleges but chose Piedmont because he wanted to play for a competitive college team in the southern U.S.  The Piedmont team plays in the Great South Athletic Conference.  He [Marcinko] visited the college and met with the coach last summer when his team participated in a tournament in Georgia and then, in November, he went to a 'showcase' camp hosted by the college.

He has been playing for the Ontario Nationals during the last three seasons, which is part of the Eastern Canadian Premier League.

According to Marcinko, "They take their baseball pretty seriously down there. One player from their team was drafted by the Chicago White Sox last year. Their baseball facilities are awesome, just as good as some of the Division 1 colleges my team has played at. I also wanted to go there because the college has a good reputation academically and the class sizes are small."

The college's Coach Dombrowsky says that, "We are very excited about the commitment we have received from Tyler Marcinko.  He is a very hungry baseball player and I fully expect him to continue to work and develop into his full potential on the baseball field. In addition, Tyler is a very grounded young man who understands and appreciates the opportunity he has to further his education at a rigorous private college in the south. We are looking forward to getting Tyler to campus in August and watching his development begin."

Marcinko says that he has to thank the coaching staff of the Ontario Nationals for helping him prepare for college baseball, as well as his teammates from Saugeen Shores, who have played with him over the years and who have supported each other and are also playing with the Nationals - Jayce Dunlop, Curtis Cobean and Mitch Borden.  Working part-time at Fitness Corner in Port Elgin, Marcinko says that he also has to thank owner, Holly Vanderzwet, who scheduled his shifts so as not to conflict with his baseball activities.

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Monday, January 31, 2011