Player Spotlight: Rees DeRuyter

Rees DeRuyter already has 22 innings pitched this season, just 4IP behind Sunburst leader and fellow lefty Taran Oulton (Sherwood Park). DeRuyter has been solid this season. With a 2-1 record, 20 strikeouts and a complete game under his belt, he has often been the go-to game 1 starter for the Riggers.

DeRuyter will be attending Prairie Baseball Academy in the fall, and hopes his time in the Sunburst League will help him prepare for his first collegiate season.

We chatted with Rees about the Riggers team this year, and his own personal baseball goals for the future:

• I believe you will be attending PBA next year. Tell us what your expectations are for collegiate baseball, and how do you think the Sunburst League will prepare you for college baseball?

"I’m expecting a very competitive league, everyone will be there for the same reasons, to win and get better. The Sunburst League is a great way to prepare myself because lots of guys are former collegiate ball players. It teaches me to hit my spots and if I make a mistake, they most likely won’t miss it, something I’m not used to."

• Do you hope to play for the Sylvan Lake Gulls, Lethbridge Bulls, or some other collegiate summer team at some point in the future?

"I would love the chance to play for the Gulls at some point. It’s a somewhat local team to where I’m from and would love the chance to play at that level in front of family and friends."

• Why did you choose to play for the Riggers this year rather than the Innisfail Trappers whom you played for last year, or somewhere else?

"The Riggers seemed to be the best fit, as I am now 2 years removed from 18U baseball and the Innisfail trappers aren’t having a season. I couldn’t have thought of a better way to prepare myself for collegiate baseball than to play with and against former collegiate players."

• As an Innisfail guy, did you grow up going to Riggers games? How does it feel to be a Rigger and what do you like most about this team?

"I unfortunately wasn’t able to watch many Riggers games as a kid. My brother and sister both played sports at a high level so I was always on the go somewhere. I wish I would’ve had the chance to watch, now knowing how special it is to play for them. Definitely a group of guys I would’ve looked up to as a kid. My favourite part about the team has got to be having the ability to pick slot of the guy's brains. All the guys that have done what I’m about to experience. There is so much to learn from them."