Coming from small town Saskatchewan, breaking into the world of baseball would seem like an unlikely outcome.
However, for John Paul II staff member, former student, and North Battleford resident Andrew Albers, that is exactly what he has accomplished.
Proof of his success includes a United States Division 1 baseball scholarship, being drafted twice by major league baseball teams, playing professional AA baseball and most recently, playing for the Canadian baseball team at the Pan Am games.
To understand how someone in a hockey obsessed country has found success in the world of baseball, I've interviewed Albers about his life in the Battlefords, his career in baseball, and his path to success.
What was it like living in the Battlefords?
"I really enjoyed growing up in the Battlefords. I was fortunate to be surrounded by some great people and had a lot of positive influences in my life. Whether it was coaches, teachers or parents, there were a lot of people around the city that touched my life in a positive manner. I thought it was a good place to grow up."
What were you involved in as a JPII student?
"At first, I was primarily only involved in sports. I played volleyball, basketball and badminton from Grades 8 to12. As I got a little later in my career I became more involved with some other extra curricular activities. These included the SRC (Student Representative Council) where I was the senior ring in my last year at JPII. I was really glad that I decided to join the SRC and had the opportunity to be a part of it. It really helped enhance my high school experience and it was fun to be involved in a lot of the activities going on around the school. Being a part of that and being able to plan a lot of them was a great experience. I also helped out with the yearbook in my last two years."
What college team did you play for? Why did you pick that school?
"I played for the University of Kentucky Wildcats in college. I was very fortunate to get the opportunity to go play there. I only had two other offers from Division 1 programs in the United States (Division 1 is the highest division in NCAA athletics). One offer was from the University of Niagara in New York and the other was from Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. Each school invited me down on a weekend for what was known as an 'official visit' where they bring you in and show you what their campus has to offer. Buildings, programs, academics etc. All three schools were impressive.
"The decision came down to Pepperdine University and also the University of Kentucky. After doing my research I knew that Kentucky played in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) which is one of the premier baseball conferences in the country.
"When I was making my decision, Pepperdine was a more prestigious baseball school, but I knew that if I went to Kentucky I would get an opportunity to play right away as a freshman. I also knew that they played against the best competition in the country and I wanted to get the opportunity to compete against the best college baseball players in the States. Also, after having visited the two campuses, I felt like I would fit in a little better in a place like Lexington, Ken., I feel like Malibu, Calif. may have provided me with a bit of a culture shock if I had chosen to go there."
What was the process of you finding them or them finding you?
"I really caught a break in getting the chance to play for the University of Kentucky. They found me at a tournament in Canada called the Canada Cup. It is a tournament where each province takes their best 16- and 17-year-olds and makes up a team.
"The two years that I played on Team Sask. the tournament was in Melville. The pitching coach from Kentucky (Gary Henderson) made the trip up to watch that tournament every year. As it turns out, he liked what he saw of me well enough to offer me a scholarship to come and play for the Wildcats."
What kind of success did you have with the team?
"My career at Kentucky had its ups and downs. Being from Saskatchewan, I was used to being very dominant when I would go out and pitch. That changed a little bit for me when I arrived at Kentucky.
"As a freshman I got hit around quite a bit, especially in conference play. I believe I went 4-6 and as I mentioned, I struggled a lot in conference play. For me it was a good learning experience.
"We did not have a great team that year, so I was fortunate that I was still given the ball every weekend as a weekend starter. It allowed me to get better and to learn how to compete at a much higher level than what I was used to.
"My sophomore year did not start out very well. I began the year missing the first two weeks because of a shoulder injury. When I came back, I pitched in out of the bullpen and had a couple of rough outings early on out of the pen. However, I was able to right the ship and ended up having a really good second half and led the team in saves by the end of the season.
"We had a good team that year and we were able to win the SEC conference by going 20-10 in conference that year. It was Kentucky's first conference championship in baseball.
"My junior year, I was named one of the weekend starters again. And once again I had a bit of an up and down year. I did not pitch as well as I would have liked. My numbers were OK, but not outstanding and I thought I could have performed better than I did.
"Our team ended up missing the SEC tournament and as a result the NCAA tournament as well. It was a bit of a disappointing year.
"After, my subpar junior campaign I decided to come back as a senior and was really glad I did. We had another pretty solid team. I pitched out of the bullpen all season and had an outstanding year. Senior year was by far my best year statistically in college.
"By the end of the year I led the team in wins, losses and saves. We made the SEC and NCAA tournaments, but unfortunately we lost to the university of Arizona in our regional and that ended our season.
"When I look back on my time at Kentucky I have a lot of good memories. Some of the highlights of my career were starting against David Price in my freshman year, pitching at Vanderbilt university and really having two unbelievable weekends there. Also my entire senior year was a lot of fun and being able to have that kind of success. When I look back on it, I was fortunate to get all the playing time that I did.
"When looking at the career numbers, I believe I rank in the top 10 in school history in appearances, wins and saves. So overall, I'd say that's not too bad."
Were you drafted? If so, by who?
"I have been drafted twice in my career. The first time was coming out of high school in 2004. The Milwaukee Brewers selected me in the 12th round of the draft. However, I chose not to sign with them at that time because I did not believe I was ready mentally or physically for professional baseball. I was drafted once again after my senior season in 2008 by the San Diego Padres in the 10th round of the draft. I signed and began my professional baseball career with the Padres."
Have you ever suffered any injuries while playing?
"I have suffered some minor injuries such as some bicipital tendinitis and some sore arms here and there. I had been able to stay relatively healthy until the 2009 season when I tore a ligament in my left elbow and needed surgery. The surgery was to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament and is better known as 'Tommy John' surgery. This surgery forced me to miss the entire 2009 season as rehabilitation from that surgery usually takes about one year."
Have you been to any big league training camps?
"I have never been to a big league spring training camp. However, I have participated in the minor league spring training camps for both the San Diego Padres and the Minnesota Twins."
How did you end up on the Canadian Pan Am team?
"The Pan Am games team was selected based on the performance from the past year in the minor leagues. I had a good season in the Minnesota Twins organization and as a result of that season, I was invited to play for Team Canada in both the World Cup of baseball and the Pan American games."
What was it like playing for a gold medal in the finals and being the starting pitcher?
"That was certainly the experience of a lifetime. It was the first time that a senior Canadian men's team had ever played for a gold medal in international competition. It was fun just to be a part of.
"Then to be named the starting pitcher for Team Canada and to have been able to perform like I did, it was really special. I can say that as of right now that night has been the highlight of my career. Having the opportunity to represent your country on such a big stage and performing well when given that opportunity was a great feeling.
"I was really excited when they told me I would be starting and was really looking forward to competing against the United States, who is always a baseball powerhouse. It is always a big deal when we (Canada) can beat them and to do it on that stage was fantastic."
Were you nervous during the final game when the United States got the early lead?
"To be honest, not really. Once the game starts, the nerves pretty much go out the window and the adrenaline takes over. I was certainly nervous the night before the game and it was difficult sleeping that night. But once it was game time I was relaxed and comfortable and had my set routine that allowed me to get focused and prepared to execute my game plan.
"When they scored in the first inning it wasn't a big deal. For me it was all about continuing to try and execute pitches and take things one pitch at a time. I knew that if I located my pitches and was able to work ahead in the count I would be OK. I just wanted to make sure I kept our team in the game and gave us the opportunity to win."
Was it the most pressure that's been put on you for a game?
"It was probably the highest pressure situation I've been in. I felt good about the game though. I kept thinking that even if we lost we would come out with a silver medal and that would still be the best finish ever for a Canadian men's team in an international baseball tournament."
Are you still playing baseball? If so, for what team?
"Right now I am playing for the Minnesota Twins organization and am planning on heading down to Fort Myers Florida for spring training. I am not sure what teams I will be playing for this year but I am hoping either AA in New Britain Connecticut or in AAA with the Rochester Red Wings."
What are your baseball related goals for the future?
"The ultimate goal is to eventually reach the big leagues. I am continually creeping a little bit closer to reaching that goal. If I am able to have a good season this year and be in AAA then I am just one step away from reaching that ultimate goal. But even if that doesn't happen, I have been very blessed to have been given the opportunities that playing baseball has presented to me.
"It has given me more than what I would have ever thought growing up. Now it's a matter of pursuing 'the dream' as far as I can and seeing what happens."
With all your success in baseball, what drew you back to the Battlefords for teaching in the off-season?
"I have always enjoyed the Battlefords, and the teaching aspect came because of the great experience I had in high school. I really enjoyed my time as a student at John Paul II and want to try and be a part of that experience for the students there now.
"I was so fortunate to have such amazing teachers going through elementary and high school. They inspired me to try and become a teacher who is able to have an impact on their students."
Who got you interested in baseball?
"I've been interested in baseball ever since I was small. I remember being young and going to the ballpark to watch my dad play for the senior Beavers before I started playing. Then when I had some success early on playing baseball it became a passion of mine and something I wanted to pursue."
Who is the most famous household name you've played with/against?
"This year I was fortunate enough to get the chance to play with Joe Mauer for a couple of weeks. He was down on a rehab assignment in Fort Myers and ended up playing with the Miracle for about 10 games. It was neat to see a player of that calibre come down and watch how he goes about his business on a day to day basis.
"I also played against many big leaguers in college. David Price from Vanderbilt, now with the Rays, I started freshman year against him. They ended up beating us. Luke Hochevar from the Royals, Justin Smoak with the Mariners, Mitch Moreland with Texas, and there are quite a few more."
Any defining moments that helped in your decision to play baseball?
"It's hard to say if there was one defining moment that helped me decide to play baseball. I'd say it was more a culmination of events.
"There was the success that I had early on when I was young and we were able to win a provincial championship when I was 10. That was something that made me want to play baseball.
"When I was selected to play for Team Saskatchewan in the Canada Cup that opened up an opportunity to play college baseball for me. I knew from then on that I would try and pursue that career path as long as I could to see where it would take me."
Any advice for Saskatchewan kids who think becoming a baseball player is an impossible goal.
"I would have the same advice for anyone with a goal. That advice is to simply pursue it to the best of your ability. It doesn't matter what the goal is, pursue it with passion and if you want it bad enough there is a way around the obstacles that are in your path.
"I know, having grown up in Saskatchewan, that baseball isn't something that many people achieve high levels of success at. That doesn't mean it's not possible, it just means you have to be a little more creative and work harder.
"I know that from my personal experience, I am not the most talented baseball player out there, not even close, but I also know that I can have success by competing each and every day and being prepared to go do whatever it is I must in order to succeed. It takes a lot of hard work and it isn't easy. But anything is possible.
