Baseball: Kiwi pitcher gets trip of a lifetime

Kyle Glogoski while playing for the New Zealand Diamondblacks. Photo / Andrew Cornaga

Young New Zealand Diamondblacks pitcher Kyle Glogoski is about to embark on the trip of a lifetime after being selected to a Major League Baseball World Select Team, which could set him up perfectly for a career in baseball, playing in front of dozens of college and professional scouts during extended Spring Training in America.

The team is a selection of top amateur talent from around the world and chosen from four separate continents (Asia, Australasia, Europe and South America), and will assemble in St Petersburg, Florida on 6th April to play eight games against top professional players from Major League Baseball (MLB) teams as well as a MLB Select team from Puerto Rico.

"I'm very excited to be going on a trip like this as this will only create more exposure to better coaching and scouts from both college and MLB, which will only open up more options in my future for baseball," said Glogoski, adding, "trips like these are primarily designed to get recognition from scouts and due to my previous experience at MLB academies and rep teams, I know that anything is possible."

"Kyle deserves this opportunity as much as any of our young players in recent years," said Baseball New Zealand CEO Ryan Flynn. "We hope to work with Major League Baseball officials in New York to secure more numbers on these world teams in the future as our sport continues to grow, but Kyle is the perfect trailblazer with his talent, mindset and clear goals in the sport. We believe Kyle is going to go a long way in the sport, and also become one of our young prospects that will help New Zealand break through on the international stage in the sport of baseball."

For his part Glogoski knows exactly what a solid performance on this tour could mean for his future in the sport he dedicated so much time and resources to over the past eight years. "Many of my close friends have been scouted by MLB teams and are now living their dream over in the states, so it's very intriguing to see what will happen once I get over there," he added. Glogoski has already played at a high level for his country at the World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Sydney in February 2016, cementing his spot as the youngest player on the roster at just 17 years of age.

He also has played age grade baseball in Sydney for the past two seasons to get more game time over the summer, and he will line up for the Howick Pakuranga Hawks at this week's United Airlines Men's Open National Tournament on a team that will be considered a favourite to take out the title. Glogoski will be using the tournament to prep for Florida as he attempts to help his teammates reclaim the national title they lost last year to the upstart Counties Baseball Club.

"I'm aiming to be at my peak during the trip, so scouts will hopefully see me at my best," he said. "I'm also hoping to build relationships with many of the players and coaches while also looking to learn as much as I can to make myself into a better player, as without a doubt this will be one of my most productive trips yet."

Glogoski will be joined by three of his Diamondblacks teammates and one extra international on the Hawks roster, with fellow pitchers Andrew Marck, Blair Johnstone and John Lee in the lineup, while South African Keegan Swanepoel is also playing.

The United Airlines Baseball New Zealand Men's National Tournament will be held at Lloyd Elsmore Park in Pakuranga and begins at 10.00am on Thursday, 30 March, with 2016 Champions Counties playing the Hamilton Raiders and Glogoski's Hawks playing Orewa.