There was no doubt baseball was in Mark Mosure future the day he entered the world.
Mosure, a second-year Prince George IDL Midget Knights second baseman, was born into a family who has a passion for the game. Both his parents continue to play slo-pitch, while all four of his older siblings have spent time in the dugout.
"I pretty much grew up on the diamond," said the 16 year old.
In the first two games the Knights played in the 2012 B.C. Minor Midget double-A tournament at Citizen Field Mosure lit up the opposing pitchers for five hits in seven at bats in two games.
"I try to have a high on-base percentage," said Mosure. "I've been hitting the ball well and getting the pitches to hit."
Mosure was 2-for-3 at the plate in Thursday's 12-1 win over the Cloverdale Spurs and then went 3-four-4 under the lights in a 10-3 win over the Vancouver Community Mounties. In the the evening game, Mosure scored a pair of runs, had an RBI and showed off his speed on the bases.
Tim Knoop, the Knights' first-year coach, said it's fun to watch Mosure as a base runner.
"He can fly on the bases and he's really come into his own in pitching this year," said Knoop. "Mark is a very mature kid and is very focused. He's a natural athlete."
After performing the role of extra hitter against the Mounties, Mosure showed off his arm Friday in a 12-1 win over Ridge Meadows, pushing the Knights to a 3-0 record prior to the rain-delayed evening game.
Knoop said he wouldn't be surprise if Mosure follows his older brother Leon's path and tries out for the World Baseball Challenge when is returns to Prince George. Leon, now 21, played on the 2009 Prince George Axemen team.
"Mark can go play ball anywhere and be an asset on any team," said Knoop. "I hope he has enjoyed baseball enough with our program this year that he wants to continue playing. He's a great kid and he's a great athlete."
The five-foot-10 Mosure has another year of school left at Kelly Road secodary but he said if he could continue to play ball in university it's something he'd consider. One this is certain, whether he's pitching, hitting or playing infield Mosure tries to leave an impression.
"I tried to do my best with the chances I got," he said.
Extra hitter
The position of extra hitter isn't a familiar one for people who just follow Major League Baseball. Mark Mosure was slotted into that position for the IDL Midget Knights game on Thursday night.
Knights coach Tim Knoop said it's a position most divisions in baseball use up to the midget level in order to better manage the game.
"What it does is it give the coaching staff a chance to bring out a player that's on the field to warm him up to pitch in order to reenter him without causing a whole lot of extra change," said Knoop. "It's just a mechanism for us to make sure the kids are warmed up and we're looking after their arms."
Mosure entered the game Thursday to replace Jared Young at second base in the bottom of the fifth inning. Young earned the final four outs for the Knights.
It means instead of nine hitters a team rotates through 10 players.
