Nick Pivetta gets to live a dream tonight at Royal Athletic Park.
The hometown 20-year-old right-hander will start and throw the first pitch in Victoria HarbourCats franchise history when the West Coast League expansion club opens at 7 p.m. against the Kelowna Falcons.
Yet, it could also be the last start for Pivetta.
But that鈥檚 a good thing. It鈥檚 what the WCL, a development league, is all about.
Pivetta is the third-ranked Canadian 鈥� rated 115th overall by Baseball America 鈥� for the 2013 Major League Baseball draft that begins Thursday. If the six-foot-five, 250-pounder is selected, and signed to a professional contract, he would immediately leave the WCL and be assigned to minor-pro ball. That could happen as soon as Thursday.
鈥淭his could be my first and last start. I鈥檒l have to see how it goes,鈥� said Pivetta, the Victoria Eagles product, who played at New Mexico Junior College, and represented sa国际传媒 at the 2010 world junior championship.
鈥淚t all depends on how much money is offered [if he is taken in the draft and an immediate pro contract is tendered]. This [MLB draft and pro ball] is what I鈥檝e worked for my whole life. I鈥檝e heard I could go in the top three rounds but I can鈥檛 expect anything. I鈥檝e done everything I can. We鈥檒l see what happens later this week.鈥�
Although his HarbourCats career could be a day-by-day proposition, Pivetta wants to enjoy every moment of it, as brief as it might be.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so nice to be able to play ball at home,鈥� said the Lambrick Park Secondary graduate, who will count numerous family and friends in the opening-night crowd.
鈥淚 loved coming out to watch the [former Victoria pro franchises] Capitals and Seals play. It鈥檚 nice to have a summer-league team [HarbourCats] here now.鈥�
Pivetta said Tuesday afternoon he won鈥檛 have any trouble sleeping the night before the opener, not that he doesn鈥檛 expect some natural jitters.
鈥淣erves are always in play,鈥� he noted. 鈥淵ou have to learn to use those nerves to do good things out there on the diamond.鈥�
Pivetta, who certainly has the size, describes himself as a 鈥減ower pitcher.鈥�
鈥淭he goal tonight is to come out and win a baseball game,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 backed by a good group of guys.鈥�
But it鈥檚 not the complete HarbourCats roster. Far from it.
Five HarbourCats players are still involved in the NCAA tournament with their U.S. collegiate teams. Another six HarbourCats were just eliminated over the weekend in the first round of the NCAA tournament and aren鈥檛 expected in Victoria for the opening set against Kelowna, which continues with games Thursday and Friday evenings.
HarbourCats co-manager Bob Miller, son of former Saskatchewan Roughriders football head coach Ken Miller, said missing that many players is 鈥渁bove average, but not uncharacteristic鈥� for a league such as the WCL.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a good sign that our players are coming from good [NCAA] programs,鈥� he added.
Thirteen regular HarbourCat roster players have arrived from teams that did not make the NCAA tournament. Eight to 10 Canadian college players, several of them from the Island, will be signed on special 10-day contracts to supplement the Victoria lineup until the NCAA tournament players start arriving in the following weeks.
鈥淚t will not affect us too much,鈥� said Pivetta. 鈥淭hese [10-day contract] guys have played ball their entire lives. These are young guys who will come in and play hard.鈥�
