HARD WORK EQUALS SUCCESS
Dan Haugh – Badger Media Liaison


In 1999 Baseball Canada put together a selection process that each year since then has been used to form a Junior National Team comprised of the very best under-18 aged players in the country. Baseball Canada’s Junior National program has become recognized as one of the best programs in North America. For players in Ontario that process starts with the Ontario Cup in June of the previous year which selects the best under-17 players to represent Ontario in the next step of the selection process, the Canada Cup. It is at the Canada Cup where Greg Hamilton and his coaching staff select a group of players to try out and eventually play for the Junior National Team.

The list of players who have played on the JNT includes numerous players who have signed Major League contracts and players such as Russell Martin, Ryan Dempster and Matt Stairs who currently play in MLB.

This year two London Badgers players, Dayton Dawe and Byron Reichstein have gone through the early stages of that selection process and are in the midst of experiencing what the previously mentioned players and several Badgers before them have experienced.

Former London Badger Jamie Romak played on the JNT for two years, and had an opportunity as a 16-year-old outfielder to represent Canada in the 2002 World Junior Championships in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Romak recently commented on his experience in 2002 and what it means to represent Canada, “It was an amazing experience. In my first at bat I hit a home run, and as I rounded third base I remember looking into the stands and seeing thousands of Canadians waving our flag. It still gives me goose bumps.”

Dawe and Reichstein will have memories similar to Romak’s that they will take with them well beyond their baseball playing days. Dayton Dawe spoke of his very busy summer that included winning the TVRAA baseball tile with his Lucas Vikings teammates, trying out for and making the Ontario Youth team and earning the right to represent Ontario in the Canada Cup in Kindersley Saskatchewan in early August and eventually be chosen to try out for the Junior National Team. “Canada Cup was a great experience. To be able to play with and against the best baseball players across Canada was a great experience. Not only did I meet new friends, but it also made me want to get better at the game. Going to Orlando, Florida to try out for the JNT was by far the greatest experience I have had throughout my baseball career. Not only was it the most talented players from across Canada, but also some of the most experienced coaches as well.”

Byron Reichstein also has fond memories of his experiences at both the Canada Cup and his trip to Orlando for the JNT tryouts. “It was a surprise and an honour making Team Ontario's 20-man roster to represent Ontario in the Canada Cup. It was a great experience, and I came home with a Silver Medal and an experience I'll never forget. The JNT tryouts at Disney were also a great experience. I met a lot of guys from all over Canada who are working toward the same goal as I am in baseball. I hope to play against them in the future and along side them in the near future.”

Dayton spoke of the coaching he has received up to now in his baseball career and specifically the coaching he received while at the Junior National Team tryouts, “There is no question my career would not be where it is today without the London Badgers baseball organization and their coaches. Under the guidance of Mike Lumley and his senior coaching staff we were able to compete with some of the top teams across North America. The Badger coaches demand a very disciplined commitment which enables me to better focus on my career.

JNT coaches definitely know what it takes for me to take baseball to the next level, during the 10 days with them I learned a lot about the whole pitching aspect of the game.”

Byron Reichstein also had comments about what the near future holds for him and about the coaching he has received throughout his baseball career. “If you work hard and never give up, great things can happen. Have patience and determination. Anything can happen. Every coach I've had has taught me not to give up and give 100% no matter what. Mike Lumley has been my coach for the past five years, and I owe a lot to him. He has helped me to be a better player and person. I have also learned that when you hear something negative, there is always something positive you can take from it.”

If Dayton and Byron are named to the Junior National Team at the end of November it will mean another very busy summer of baseball. They will be making another trip to Florida in late February and early March, 2011 to play a series of games against the Toronto Blue Jays and the National teams of Australia and the Netherlands. After that they will return with the JNT to Florida for a week of Spring Training and then a week in May in the Dominican Summer League.

It will be a very busy summer indeed and a great opportunity to hone their baseball skills. We asked both Dayton and Byron about their goals and what they feel they need to work on.

Dayton Dawe had this to say, “I feel like I need to work more on my off-speed pitches and try to gain a couple MPH on my fastball. In the short term I plan to workout and train hard to better my chances of achieving my long-term goals of making Team Canada and to possibly get drafted out of high school. My #1 goal is to make it to the MLB."

Byron Reichstein who is from St. Thomas and a product of the St. Thomas Minor Baseball Association had a similar response when asked about short-term and long-term goals. “In the short term I want to do well in school this year, to work hard in the gym and the batting cages at Centrefield Sports, and to continue developing and improving my skills on the field. I feel I need to work on my strength, my agility and my studies to be successful in school and baseball and reach my long-term goals of playing baseball for a living and getting an education at the same time.”

Some final comments from Jamie Romak put things into perspective and give us all an idea of what this opportunity represents for Byron Reichstein and Dayton Dawe.

“Dayton and Byron now have the opportunity to play for their country and hopefully get the same experience that Chris Robinson and I had years ago. We are all pulling for them both. Over the past years at Centrefield Sports they have been a pleasure to work with and they both possess the necessary talents to play on the world stage. Aside from the strong work ethic demonstrated by these young men, I would also credit their families, who I know are all good people, and the Badger Program, for their assistance in their development.” Romak said.

Every story of success could end with the same sentence, and this story is no exception!

Hard work equals success!