Vancouver Canadians Baseball Foundation supporting UBC Baseball

The Vancouver Canadians Baseball Club and University of British Columbia Thunderbirds Baseball Program have had a long standing relationship for nearly two decades, which includes the use of Nat Bailey Stadium for both regular season and playoff games.

Most recently, the UBC Thunderbirds baseball program hosted an historic international baseball tournament in August of 2019. This four-team tournament, featured a premiere game at Nat Bailey Stadium, where the Thunderbirds took on the University of Tokyo. Prior to the start of the game, joining the teams on the field was 94 year-old Kaye Kaminishi (the last living member of the Vancouver Asahi baseball team) to throw out the first pitch.

The Vancouver Canadians Baseball Foundation continues to provide funding to the Thunderbirds, to be used by the program to allow student athletes the opportunity to continue their post-secondary education at UBC, while developing their skills on the diamond.

Meet Curtis Taylor: University of British Columbia Baseball

When UBC Thunderbirds pitcher Curtis Taylor heard his name called in this year’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, he is certain to reflect on the journey that brought him out to the campus located at the Western most tip of Vancouver.

A high school standout that played his amateur baseball with the mighty Coquitlam Reds, Taylor had long sought out the opportunity to play for the same school that had produced more than 20 draft picks including a first-rounder named Jeff Francis. Fast forward more than a decade, and Taylor is now being compared to Francis in both ability and poise.

“When I got my offer to come to UBC, it was more of a ‘where do I sign’ moment,” states Taylor, who has long, curly blonde hair peeking out from the back of his blue Thunderbirds cap.

“I had always wanted to play baseball at UBC since I attended the camps they hosted as a kid. It was a huge help having the Vancouver Canadians Baseball Foundation support local players like me. We realize that funding can at times be tough to come by, and we are all very appreciative of the support.”

The focus has long been on those at UBC who have gone on to play professional baseball, be it here in North America or abroad. Director of Baseball Terry McKaig, who coached more than 900 Thunderbirds baseball games before handing the T-Birds keys to former Vancouver Canadians infielder Chris Pritchett, reflects on all of the young men who have helped build UBC into a perennial powerhouse.

“We’ve been fortunate to give a lot of local student-athletes the opportunity to play baseball against some of the best competition in North America. My hope was to show that you could develop these players into the type of leaders you would want on your team, be it on the field or in the boardroom. I am proud of what we have accomplished and what is still to come.”

In September of 2019 Taylor was included in Eric Sogard trade involving the Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays. He spent the 2019 season in the Rays system with the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits, pitching to an ERA of 3.06 in 17.2 frames, striking out 16 and walking five. He started off his minor league career with the Arizona Diamondbacks with led him to be a member of the 2016 Hillsboro Hops. Although he did not pitch at Nat Bailey Stadium, he did face the C’s twice in August of 2016 which resulted in facing his now Blue Jays teammate Cavan Biggio.

The Vancouver Canadians Baseball Foundation is proud to continue its support of Thunderbirds Baseball and wish the 2021 T-Birds a great season on the field and in the classroom