CHESTERMERE – A baseball player from Chestermere will be heading over the border come September, as he was recently offered a full academic and athletic scholarship to Parkland Junior College in Champaign, Illinois.
Ramon Valdez, 17, plays for the the Okotoks Dawgs and attends Holy Trinity Academy.
He attended St.Gabriel the Archangel school in Chestermere before transferring to Okotoks in Grade 10.
Valdez said that he ended up playing in Okotoks after going out there to get in some extra practice time and being scouted by members of the academy. In his three years there, he led the midget program to the 2011 Provincial Championship as well as to a silver medal finish at the National Championship.
In 76 games in 2011, Valdez hit .391 with 7 home runs, 96 RBI, and stole 26 bases. Along with his 22 doubles and 7 triples, Ramon struck out just 31 times compared to 64 walks in 293 plate appearances.
Valdez said that baseball has been a huge part of his life since he can remember, and started learning to play as soon as he was old enough to walk.
“The day I was born, my dad took me down into the waiting room and watched a baseball game on TV with me,” he said.
“The first team I played for was the Calgary West Blue Jays in tee ball.”
He said that he loves the sport because it is challenging, but also rewarding.
“The best thing about baseball is if you put you heart into it, it will open doors you never thought were there,” he said. “I also love how it holds you to a higher standard not only between the lines, but off the diamond as well.”
Valdez said that he will miss playing in Okotoks, as they have offered him endless opportunities and have provided the best indoor and youth outdoor baseball facilities in all of Canada.
“The people there are an amazing fans who support to the program, and the coaching staff is unbelievable,” he said. “I love it there.”
Valdez said he is looking forward to taking the next step towards his dream of becoming a major league baseball player, and that receiving the scholarship has brought him that much closer.
“I feel like my hard work has paid off and part of my dream is coming true, but I also realized that I need to work even harder now to accomplish the rest of my goals in becoming a professional baseball player,” he said. “My long term goal is to play in the major leagues, and I’m getting closer and closer every day.”
Valdez said that he has his parents, teammates and coaches to thank for all of their support in getting him to where he is today.
“They have all supported me in a million different ways,” he said.
Brett Thomas, who coached Valdez in 2011, said that he is very proud to see another member of the program going to the next level.
“Ramon has been the epitome of Dawgs Baseball, representing the program with great success both on the field and in the classroom,” he said. “Ramon has been a leader both on and off the field and been a huge reason for the program’ s recent success.
“He is an unbelievable young man who we are so very proud of moving on to the next level.”
