Port Coquitlam's Jordan Varga chuckles when asked where, exactly, is South Dakota, even though he can darn near drive a baseball there.
"I had to look it up on the map when they first contacted me," laughed Varga, a 17-year-old Riverside secondary school student who signed a letter of intent earlier this week to play NCAA Div. 1 university on scholarship with the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.
While hardly a territory that produces a lot of prospective pro players, South Dakota -- for those who don't know -- is three states east of Washington and is the south-western neighbour to Minnesota. Really, it's about as Canadian as one can come while residing in the U.S.
Ironically, the mid-state campus town of Brookings near the Minny border was slammed with a Manitoba-like snowstorm when Varga visited it on a recruiting fly-down last December.
"It definitely was not baseball weather," said Varga, a third baseman/slugger who was a B.C. Premier league all-star last season with the Coquitlam Reds. "But everyone was so friendly. [Jackrabbits head coach] Ritchie Price took the time to show me around personally. I was most impressed...it was the best match for me, overall."
Varga is back bashing balls this campaign on the Reds, with whom he hit a robust .352 last year with 15 doubles and one triple. While he had no dingers, Reds general manager Bill Green believes the six-foot, 200-pound Varga will fly the fence more being a year older, stronger and wiser this summer.
"He comes to play," Green, the veteran skipper, said of Varga. "He's a high-interest player... he works at it. He never cheats himself in his workouts. He drives the ball well and maybe just has to work on putting the ball in play more."
Basically, Varga must improve on his ability to just make contact. While his on-base percentage of.443 was well above the coveted .400 mark Green and Reds coach Kyle Williams look for from their hitters, Varga led the team in strikeouts last year. Another area the player is working to improve on are his fielding skills, as Green can see the Jackrabbits shifting Varga to the outfield like so many players who get moved to from their standard infield positions after their high school years.
"Sometimes, it's hard to convince the kids they might not play the position they want to at the higher levels," said Green, who on hand to watch Varga and several others at a pro prospects camp that attracted 30 MLB scouts Wednesday to UBC.
Varga's not sure exactly where he'd be without the Reds, but he's pretty certain he wouldn't be headed to South Dakota minus their great influence.
"The Coquitlam Reds club has a real positive reputation at the NCAA Div. 1 level... I have to appreciate that, for sure," said Varga, adding he's made "friends for life" with the Reds. "They [coaches] never gave up on me, not for a moment. They pushed me a wee bit when needed and I learned a lot from them."
A certified lifeguard, Varga also paid tribute to the league.
"The BCPBL is all about developing local Tri-City kids like me, for college and beyond," he said. "There are more playing at the 'juco' or NCAA level from Canada south of the border every year, thanks to the BCPBL and its coaches."
Boasting a 3.4 grade-point average, Varga had his choice of several post-secondary landing spots, with six NCAA Div. 1 schools -- including the tantalizing University of San Francisco Dons -- and nine U.S. junior colleges having inquired about his post-secondary intentions.
Varga's dad, James, admitted South Dakota State was the unanimous choice among Jordan's family members.
"What I wanted was him to have good baseball, good academics and, most importantly, have that instant comfort level where he feels at home right away," James said. "There's no question South Dakota State has all that."
Jordan said his one snow-bound venture to Jackrabbit country in December was all it took for him to realize it.
"Moving from home isn't easy but not many Grade 12 students get this opportunity," Jordan said. "I recognize this and I'm focused on the next step."
