Playing sports at the college level will be a dream come true for Sam White.
A two-sport athlete, the Ontario Blue Jays catcher decided to go with baseball over hockey as the former is a safer pick.
“So I was looking to go to school for either baseball or hockey,” White said, on a video call. “For hockey there’s no 18-year-old NCAA goalies, you don’t get a shot until you’re 20-21 years old.”
The 18-year-old prospect is an Aurora native, standing at five-feet-11, 195 pounds, who mainly plays catcher, but also has the versatility to play in the infield as a third baseman or shortstop.
White has committed to the University of West Virginia in order to pursue his dreams.
“It was like a load off my shoulders when I finally signed the paper,” said White. “For four years of my life, all I could think about was I wanted to go to school, play sports and get my education paid for.”
But, that’s not where his dreams stop.
“Obviously I still want to perform at West Virginia,” he said. “I want to be the best player at West Virginia.”
Connor Morro, the Ontario Blue Jays strength and conditioning coach, believes the catcher’s bat is the best part of his game.
“In my opinion, Sam is one of the purest hitters I’ve seen at the high school level,” he said. “All the contact he makes is off the barrel of the bat. There’s no weak contact.”
The Ontario Blue Jays, who were established in 1996, are regarded as one of the top travel team programs in Canada. They’ve produced more than 530 athletes who have committed to a post-secondary school for baseball, over 75 national team players and over 120 draft picks and signings in the MLB.