Saskatchewan baseball star Cole Bauml drafted by Detroit Tigers
Bauml is the first Saskatchewan native to be drafted into the MLB since 2008
Cole Bauml heard from more than a half a dozen MLB scouts in the last few weeks, but until Tuesday afternoon he wasn't sure what his fate would be.
But now he knows he'll be a Detroit Tiger.
Bauml was watching TV at his home near Marysburg, Sask., when he received a text message from a friend saying 'congrats man.'
"And then I looked at my dad, because he was following it and I said 'did I just get drafted?' And he was like, 'well I don't know,' he recounted with a laugh.
As it turns out, the feed his dad, Ron Bauml, was watching was a little bit behind live, so the Tigers hadn't made a pick yet.
"It was awesome," Ron said when he heard his son's name called in the draft. "You know, he's worked pretty hard, so just pretty happy to hear it."
Bauml was a stand out hitter for Northern Kentucky University. He led the team this season with a .350 average and eight homers.
Both he and his dad think that had a lot to do with why he was approached by so many teams.
"That's kind of been my calling card all through college ... that's definitely a stronger part of my game," Bauml said.
Bauml is first player from Saskatchewan to be drafted in more than seven years, something he calls "cool" and "exciting."
And while Saskatchewan isn't usually known for its baseball players, Ron says it shows baseball is getting better here, and young players should stay positive.
"When you sit down and think about it when you're young, it seems like a long ways away, and it's maybe not as far away as a lot of kids think it is. It just takes a lot of hard work," he said.