Liam Dupuis-Cundy still has another year of high school, but he's already pitching a career path to professional baseball.
The 17-year-old student at St. Theresa's Catholic High School is now training with the U.S. Elite Nationals team. He is the only Canadian playing on the team that will take part in tournaments across the northeastern states starting in June.
Up until recently, Dupuis-Cundy was playing with the Newmarket Titans, which also took part in U.S. tournaments last summer.
"The coaching got him to the point where he made this U.S. team," says his father Jon Cundy.
Seven tournaments will take the family to New York, Baltimore, Maryland, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and to a six-day tournament in Atlanta.
The benefit to all the travel is that it will put Liam in front of U.S. college and university scouts and Major League Baseball recruiters and coaches.
“By the end of July, he will have committed to a university down in the States. This is where you go, and then you are placed,” Jon says.
Liam's dream is to play major league baseball.
"I have a passion for the sport. I've grown up playing it," says Liam, noting his favourite team is the Toronto Blue Jays and his favourite player is former Blue Jay Josh Donaldson.
"I grew up watching him. He was my idol."
Liam also plays hockey with the Midland Centennials U18 team with his favourite NHL team being the Pittsburgh Penguins.
While Liam's first goal is to play with an MLB team, afterwards he wants to work in sports management, which will be a course of study at university.
As the tournaments will be on weekends, Liam will be playing ball with the Orillia Royals, within the North Dufferin Baseball League, a league he played with before the COVID pandemic.
“They’ve asked him if we would train with their U18 team,” Jon says. "It’s allows him to have a team to keep training with during the week and play some games to keep active prior to each weekend when he goes to the States to play."
Liam also plays on the St. Theresa's varsity baseball team, a team he's been playing on since Grade 9. He won the Most Valuable Player award last year.
“For school baseball, I play anywhere they want me to play,” he says. “It’s fun. It's a change from my real baseball because I don’t play every position. I play first base and I pitch too.”
As there is zero funding for amateur sport, Liam has been working with fellow student Olivia Reynolds to design T-shirts, baseball hats and hoodies that he is selling. Reynolds, who has started her own company Livy Lulu Designs, is making the merchandise at cost, so Liam can sell it and make a little bit of money.
"I'm excited to watch Liam in the MLB. It's going to happen," she says.
Liam has also secured sponsors including S.C. The Depot Landscape Supply and Muskoka Rock Company but wanted to have some items to sell that everyone could afford.
Follow Liam on Instagram @LiamDC93. For merchandise and to become a sponsor, email l[email protected] or call (705) 229-8690.
