McFarland: Piasentin savors another opportunity to put on Team Canada jersey
Okotoks Dawgs Academy infielder Tim Piasentin (Coquitlam, B.C.) will play for the Junior National Team this spring. Photo: Okotoks Dawgs Academy
*This article was originally published on Alberta Dugout Stories on April 10. You can read it here.
April 12, 2024
By Joe McFarland
Alberta Dugout Stories
Representing his home country will never get old for Tim Piasentin.
Already having done it once at the Little League World Series and then again with the Baseball Canada Junior National Team at their Dominican Fall League trip in 2023, the Dawgs Academy product is hoping to do it more in the years to come.
He took another step in the right direction by being named one of the 35 athletes invited to the team’s Extended Spring Training Camp, which is set for April 17 to 27, 2024 in Florida.
“It feels great,” Piasentin told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast. “It’s been a goal of mine for a really long time to play on Team Canada and it always feels great to wear Canada across my chest and play for my country.”
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Listen to Alberta Dugout Stories interview Tia Piasentin here.
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The team will face some of the top prospects from the Toronto Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles during the 10-day camp.
It will also serve as a way for Team Canada brass to finalize its roster for the World Baseball Softball Confederation Americas U18 Baseball World Cup Qualifier later this year.
Thought of as one of the top draft-eligible Canadians in 2025, it will be another opportunity for the Coquitlam, B.C. native to show what he’s capable of on some of the biggest international stages.
MEMORIES OF WILLIAMSPORT
Piasentin’s first major exposure to the baseball world came in the run-up to the 2019 Little League World Series.
A two-way star with the Coquitlam All-Stars, he hit two home runs and drove in all five runs in a 5-3 win over Little Mountain to win the B.C. title.
In the Canadian championships, Piasentin hit another three-run bomb to help his team to a 6-3 upset win over Quebec’s Mirabel Diamond.
Representing Canada in Williamsport, Pa., Coquitlam lost to Mexico and beat Europe-Africa before falling to the Caribbean in in the elimination match-up.
It was a whirlwind few weeks for Piasentin and his teammates.
“It was crazy – I can’t say I remember it all that well because it was all kind of a blur because it was so exciting all the time,” he recalled.
“Playing for Team Canada then meant everything to me because that’s the dream when you’re playing Little League.”
The experience also proved to the young slugger that he could play with some of the best talent in the world, helping make up his mind that he wanted to pursue the game at its highest level.
DAWG-GONE GOOD
Knowing he wanted to play college baseball, Piasentin started looking at his options for high school.
He landed on Dawgs Academy in Okotoks, and while he admits to being slightly hesitant about moving away from home, he felt it would give him the best chance for development and to be noticed by top U.S. college programs.
“If I had stayed back home, I would probably still play college baseball and I could still be a good player,” Piasentin said. “But I think coming out here would really separate me from the rest of the high school players.”
The hard-hitting infielder arrived in Okotoks during the summer of 2023 and in September, he committed to the University of Miami.
“This move out to Alberta has probably taught me more than anything else I’ve done in my life,” Piasentin said. “It’s just taught me so much about the work you have to put in to get to the next level.”
It’s that mindset that makes those with the Dawgs believe that big things are on the way for the 6-foot-3, 205-pound phenom.
General manager Tyler Hollick says Piasentin has all the tools at the plate and in the field, physically and mentally, to take his game to the next level.
“Timmy is a fantastic kid and works extremely hard at his craft,” he told Alberta Dugout Stories via text.
“I hate to put a ceiling on a kid, but if you combine his skillset with his intangibles, the sky really is the limit.”
A LITTLE MORE RELAXED
No stranger to travel, Piasentin has embarked on a fast-paced few months since starting up with the Dawgs.
He took part in the 2023 Canadian Futures Showcase at Rogers Centre in Toronto, then jetted off to join Baseball Canada for their Dominican trip.
Having seen several familiar faces – many older than he is – during both events, Piasentin has been able to pick up on a few things.
“You can just tell by the way they hold themselves, especially the guys that I haven’t played against regularly, they’re just good,” he said.
“They carry themselves in a way that is confident, their skills, and they know that they’re Team Canada-level players.”
Piasentin used those experiences to learn from his fellow players as well as the wealth of knowledge available through the coaches and staff, to come to the 2024 camp better-prepared.
It also came as a bit of a reality check as well, as he found he was able to play with the best young talent from across the country.
“When I got there, I realized that this is what 95 miles per hour looks like,” Piasentin said. “If I can hit this now, it’s going to be the same as when I move up and play against big-name guys.”
He adds consistency is key heading into his next Baseball Canada opportunity, and that his mind will be at ease knowing he’s been through it before.
HURRICANES WATCH
Ranked as the No. 2 Canadian eligible for the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft by Canadian Baseball Network, Piasentin says he tries not to let the outside noise impact his game.
He says a lot can change in the next year, so he wants to focus solely on being the best version of himself.
“I just hope to do my best and not let my results get to my head because they might not be good,” Piasentin said. “If I’m not good, I can’t let it get to me and even if I am good, I want to stay level-headed.”
Following the Baseball Canada trip, Piasentin says he’s looking to keep improving every facet of his game as he gets ready to head stateside for college in 2025.
“The University of Miami seems great and playing in a conference as good as the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) is just a dream come true,” he said.
“Some of the guys I’m going to play against are definitely future big leaguers and future all-stars.”
If Piasentin keeps projecting the way he has, he may very well find himself in that conversation as well in the months and years ahead.