Among 24 athletes representing Canada at the Pan American Games qualification tournament next week is Langley’s Kellin Deglan.
Deglan is a baseball catcher and will be travelling to the cities of Ibiúna and São Paulo, Brazil from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 to play against eight other teams – including host Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela - in the qualifiers.
“I’m very thankful to be selected to be part of the team. Really looking forward to putting on the Canadian jersey again and playing with friends,” said Deglan, who is now living in Atlanta, Ga.
“It’s going to be a good challenge, [with] tough competition. I believe in the team we have,” he shared.
In 2015, Deglan played in the Pan Am Games that took place in Toronto. That year, Team Canada took home the gold in a tournament that Deglan called “amazing.”
“We won a gold medal on home soil in front of loud Canadian fans, so it was as good as you can imagine, kind of like a mini Olympics. I’ve never been to the Olympics but that’s how I’d imagine it. Baseball-wise the talent was really good.”
Deglan, now 26, used to play for the Langley Blaze Premiere Baseball program and graduated from R.E. Mountain Secondary.
While playing for the Blaze, Deglan was drafted by the Texas Rangers, and signed to play professionally with the Rangers organization after graduating high school in 2010.
READ MORE: Deglan ready for Aussie adventure
Despite being in a different country and keeping busy with training, Deglan said he visits Langley – since his parents, siblings, and extended family members still live here.
After the Pan Am Games qualifiers, Deglan will start the 2019 baseball season playing for the New York Yankees. He begins spring training next month.
This is Deglan’s third season signing with the Yankees, although in 2017, he sustained a shoulder injury that put him out of most games.
He was off for about 13 months, and had to undergo shoulder surgery.
At the tournament in Brazil, the top four teams will be entered into the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Also on Team Canada’s roster is seven players with big league histories including Phillippe Aumont, Chris Leroux, Adam Loewen, Dustin Molleken, Dalton Pompey, Scott Richmond, and Michael Saunders.
“It’s special to be a part of this, that’s for sure,” Deglan added.
He started playing T-ball when he was five years old, and the passion for ball continued to grow.
“I think it’s a great game, very difficult, a lot of failure, but also very rewarding. It’s definitely a challenging game, but it’s something I really enjoy playing.”
Outside of playing ball and training, Deglan enjoys his downtime going for walks and hiking with his wife and their German shepherd dog.
While in Brazil, Deglan said he’d like to have some time for tourist activities – if time permits. However, he said the main goal is to qualify for the final four.
“It’s going to be a business trip for sure. We’re there to qualify.”
Ernie Whitt is the manager of Team Canada for the 15th time, and will be joined by a coaching staff made up of Larry Walker, Denis Boucher, Paul Quantrill, Tim Leiper, and Greg Hamilton.
Whitt began coaching with Baseball Canada in 1999, and has led the senior national team to two Pan Am games gold medals.
“It’s always an honour to coach Team Canada,” said Whitt.
“I’m looking forward to working with our coaching staff and this talented group of players with the goal of qualifying for the Pan Am Games,” he shared.
Team Canada will open the qualifier on Jan. 29 against Panama, then will take on Venezuela on Jan. 30 and Colombia on Jan. 31.
Semi-final and medal games are then being held on Feb. 2 and 3.
For the full roster of players visit: https://www.baseball.ca/baseball-canada-announces-roster-for-pan-am-games-qualifier