and have considerably more in common than their passion for baseball.
Not only are they teammates with the Okanagan Athletics, the Kelowna teenagers will also be pursuing the next phase of their careers and educations at the same school.
Mandryk and Strother have both made commitments to the 乌鸦传媒� program in Harrisburg, IL for the 2018-19 season.
Athletics乌鸦传媒� program director Evan Bailey said following discussions with the head coach of the Falcons, it was clear the two players were a good fit for the two-year junior college program.
乌鸦传媒淭he (Falcons) coach reached out saying he needed a catcher and some arms and these two guys fit the bill,乌鸦传媒� said Bailey, who has been at the helm of the B.C. Premier Baseball League club since the 2010 season. 乌鸦传媒淭hese kids weren乌鸦传媒檛 hard to sell because not only do they have the baseball ability, they have high academic ability.
乌鸦传媒淭hey乌鸦传媒檙e good kids, they乌鸦传媒檙e going to work hard and that tells a coach a lot about a player.乌鸦传媒�
Mandryk, a pitcher who moved to Kelowna from Vernon in Grade 11, turned in a solid season with the A乌鸦传媒檚 in 2017, posting a 5-5 record with a 3.34 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 67 innings of work.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e always wanted this kind of opportunity, it only really became reality this year,乌鸦传媒� said Mandryk, 17, a graduate of KSS. 乌鸦传媒淚 think going to Illinois is the best situation for me. I乌鸦传媒檓 hoping to go in for fall ball, earn a spot and show them what I can do.乌鸦传媒�
Bailey said Mandryk is deserving of the opportunity for a number of reasons, not the least of which is his work ethic.
乌鸦传媒�(Keaton乌鸦传媒檚) going to go in there and compete for innings,乌鸦传媒� Bailey said. 乌鸦传媒淗e乌鸦传媒檚 really developed himself, he spent a lot of time in the weight room and has just become stronger and stronger. He works hard and that usually gets rewarded. This is well-deserved.乌鸦传媒�
Strother, a 6-foot-2 catcher, batted .267 for the A乌鸦传媒檚 in 2017, driving in 15 runs and stealing 11 bases.
While he乌鸦传媒檚 competent with the bat, Bailey points to Strother乌鸦传媒檚 work behind the plate as his biggest asset.
乌鸦传媒淗is strong suit is his throwing ability and that乌鸦传媒檚 big in the college game,乌鸦传媒� Bailey said. 乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 a lot of speed at that level and he has the ability to throw runners out.
乌鸦传媒淟ike Keaton, he乌鸦传媒檚 another guy who will step in there and compete for playing time. It乌鸦传媒檚 a nice opportunity for him.乌鸦传媒�
Not surprisingly, neither Mandryk nor Strother knew anything about Southeastern Illinois College prior to this fall.
With an enrollment of 5,000 students and situated in the middle of an agricultural area outside the town of Harrisburg (pop. 10,000), Strother is looking forward to being immersed in an entirely new environment.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 kind of exciting to be going somewhere that乌鸦传媒檚 unknown, kind of a smaller community, to go to school and play baseball there,乌鸦传媒� said Strother, 17, who can also play at third and first base. 乌鸦传媒淚 think it乌鸦传媒檒l be good for me, a pretty cool opportunity.乌鸦传媒�
Still, both players are expecting some degree of homesickness at times during their planned two-year stay at SIC.
Mandryk said going through the experience with a good friend and teammate should make for a smoother landing.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 very excited,乌鸦传媒� Mandryk said. 乌鸦传媒淗aving Marcus there should make the transition easier. If we start missing home, we kind of have someone to talk to and lean on a bit. I think it will help.乌鸦传媒�
Mandyrk and Strother each have one more season to hone their skills at the high school level. The Athletics will host the BCPBL championship tournament in July 2018.
Then in August, the two will head to Harrisburg to kick off their freshman seasons in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference.
Both Mandryk and Strother plan to enroll in science programs at SIC.
To report a typo, email: edit@kelownacapnews.com.
<>
whenderson@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on and follow us on .
