Jared Young has always wanted a chance to play college baseball.
In late August, that lifelong dream turns into reality.
The 18-year-old from Prince George has been knocking the cover off the ball this spring playing in the B.C. Premier Baseball League, which has not gone unnoticed by the Minot State University Beavers.
The NCAA Division 2 school in North Dakota has recruited Young to play second base starting in August. He agreed to terms with the Beavers a month ago on a partial four-year scholarship that will cover half the costs of tuition, food and lodging.
"That's the dream really, that's what I've been working for my entire life and that's why I came here, to have my education paid for and it happened, so I'm really happy about that," said Young, from his home in Kelowna.
"I really like the coach [Brock Weppler] and have talked to him quite a bit. Everything they have going suits me pretty well. The team is pretty good and it's a good school too. It's four years instead of two going to a college, so I'll get a degree."
Young, who plans to major in sciences, attended Prince George secondary school and moved to Kelowna a year ago for the second semester of his Grade 12 year to join the Okanagan Athletics of the BCPBL. He returned to Prince George after the season and went back to Kelowna in February to resume workouts with the A's leading up to the season-opener, April 11. In March he was picked up by the Langley Blaze for a 12-day, 24-game exhibition tour against minor pro teams Arizona.
Facing pro pitching helped Young get off to a great start this season. Through 12 games and 41 plate appearances he ranks third in the BCPBL with a .439 batting average and leads the league with seven doubles and two triples. His nine RBI is fourth in the BCPBL. He hit .309 in 33 games last season for the A's.
Young developed his swing early in life, growing up in a baseball family. His father Randy played college ball at North Idaho College while older brother Tanner was a Prince George rep team player. Evan Bailey, the Athletics head coach and program manager, said Young has shown consistency at the plate since joining the team last season and his batting ability is what drew the college scouts.
"Jared's our best hitter this year, ever since he's come to the program he's been able to hit and that's his biggest asset," said Bailey. ""He's a very mature hitter for his age and he's on fire right now. He has some power and he can put the ball into the gap.
"He is a well-rounded player and he's an athletic guy who can do other things as well like run and throw and he's a decent defender, but it's no secret it's his ability to really swing it that put him in a position to get a scholarship."
The BCPBL has produced a long line of major leaguers, including Justin Morneau, Brett Lawrie, Michael Saunders, Jeff Francis, Taylor Green, Ryan Dempster, Rich Harden and Adam Loewen. The 13-team league is arguably the top baseball league in Canada for players aged 16 to 18.
"I'm playing the best ball for my age right now and I'm happy about it," said the six-foot-two, 165-pound Young. "I'm in the right spot and I'm giving myself a chance."
While the odds are stacked heavily against Young making that list of multi-millionaires, who's to say what will happen once he starts playing full-time college baseball?
"His main goal was to go on to college and I wouldn't be surprised after another three or four years of developing he might be a guy who goes on to play professional baseball," said Bailey. "It's not at that point now, but he's going to fill out and he's a smart player with some ability."
The Athletics were league champions in 2012. So far into the 48-game 2014 schedule they rank sixth with a 6-6 record. BCPBL playoffs start at the end of July and Young plans to head to Minot at the end of August.
Minot State plays in the NCAA Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference against teams based in Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska. The campus in Minot includes the 10,000-seat MSU Dome, where the Beavers practice through the cold-weather months. Aside from the North Dakota weather, Bailey says the Beaver program could prove ideal for Young and he'll be more likely to get playing time right away than if he'd been recruited to a more high-profile college.
"They've signed Jared to step in and play right away, but he has to go in and earn his spot," Bailey said. "I think he's going to fill a big role there."
