Pitcher Kaden Coldwell ready for university

Fans who follow the Carillon Sultans closely may have noticed a big name was missing from all their rosters this season, as Kaden Coldwell remained out West to play summer ball with Lethbridge in the Western Canadian Baseball League.

The pitcher has spent the last two seasons playing non-summer ball at Vauxhall Academy, an elite baseball-focused high school in southern Alberta.

The WCBL was the perfect proving ground for a pitcher ready to make the leap from high school baseball to NCAA Division 2, as Coldwell is set to join the University of Mary this year. Coldwell said he knew players who went to the school and are on the roster, so the decision to commit there was an easy one.

“(Head coach) Tanner Spencer seems like a great guy, a great coach,” Coldwell said, speaking the day before he left for Bismarck, North Dakota.

“He’s actually from Canada too, he went to (Vauxhall Academy) as well.”

The WCBL features plenty of players already suiting up for Division 1 schools, a perfect spot for a younger player looking to prepare for his own collegiate career.

“There was a lot of great players out there, and it was a lot tougher on me to be consistent,” Coldwell said, comparing the WCBL to academy baseball.

“I had to push through tough situations and find a way… They’re a lot smarter hitters I would say.”

Instead of overpowering or fooling batters with strikeouts, Coldwell started trying to force weak contact as the 18-year-old faced seasoned, high level hitters from some of the top colleges in the world.

He made 15 appearances with Lethbridge this summer, all out of the bullpen. Baseball teams have increasingly relied on multi-pitcher performances over the past decade.

“I was kind of doing a little bit of everything,” Coldwell said, noting he normally sticks with a sinker/slider combination, occasionally throwing a change-up or four-seam fastball.

“I had a save, I went in for two innings at a time sometimes. I got to set-up for the closer, depending on the situation.”

Coldwell should get a chance to impress with the Marauders, as Division 2 teams often play Division 1 teams in exhibition games. The latest Manitoban to make a major league appearance, Winkler’s Tristan Peters, started at a junior college. Cody Gunderson, who know suits up for Charlotte in Division 1, also spent two years at a junior college.

“For Canadians, it’s very hard to get Division 1 interest,” Coldwell’s former coach, Louis Cote said.

Spending two years at an academy and playing summer ball in a relief role should prepare Coldwell well to perform at college. With exhibition and inter-squad games in the fall, he’s hoping to make an impact in league games as early as this spring.

“I’ve just got to trust myself, and trust my defense,” Coldwell said while imagining his first pitches on the mound as a college player.

“The scoreboard doesn’t matter as long as you do your best… I think of it as nine versus one.”

Coldwell will be taking physical education classes at university.