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It was before the legend really started to grow. Be- fore his walk-off homer wonfore his walk-off homer wonf the Blue Jays' final spring training game. Before he belted a home run off a hotel beyond the left field fence in New Hampshire. Before he homered in four straight games after being called up to AAA Buffalo. Before Blue Jay fans started to clamour for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tofor Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tof be called up to the majors. But everyone knew who he was when the Canadian junior national team squared off against the Blue Jays in a spring training game in March. Guerrero Jr., the top prospect in base- ball, and the Jays' other promising young hitter, Bo Bichette, would combine to go five-for-nine that day in an 11-3 Blue Jay win. Only one pitcher would manage to keep them off bases, getting each to fly out twice. Like many Canadian boys growing up, Eric Ce- rantola dreamed of being drafted. He realized his dream earlier this year after being selected by Tampa Bay. But it was Major League Baseball's Rays, not the Lightning of the NHL. Two years earlier, Ceran- tola led the Oakville Rang- ers minor midgets in scor- ing and was picked by the Owen Sound Attack in the Ontario Hockey League draft. Things seemed to be on track for the NHL career he hoped for. Then, because of his fast- ball, Cerantola got thrown a curveball. . . . . . Growing up in Montreal, Cerantola played soccer in the summer. When his family moved to Oakville when he was 10, one of his hockey team- mates convinced him to play baseball. After one year of house league, he made the Oakville A's rep team, play- ing primarily first base and outfield. "I pitched a little but it wasn't really until I joined Great Lakes (Canadians, in 2015), that I really started fo- cusing on pitching," Ceran- tola said. In just his second year as a full-time pitcher, he was selected to play in T12, a showcase for the top high school-aged players in the country, at the Rogers Cen- tre. After the tournament, junior national team coach Greg Hamilton asked him to join the junior national team for their fall tour. It had been just five months since the OHL draft, so now Cerantola had a tough decision to make. "I had been focusing on hockey until then. I was making some big strides, es- pecially on the velocity side," said Cerantola, who at the time was throwing in the mid 80s, but has now touched 93 miles per hour on the radar gun. "The moment I made the junior national team and started getting re- cruited, I saw a path. And I was having a lot of fun." Cerantola represented Canada at the U18 Baseball World Cup, drawing a keyWorld Cup, drawing a keyW start against the U.S. in which he struck out seven and allowed three runs over five innings.five innings.f Returning to T12 for a sec-Returning to T12 for a sec-R ond year, he struck out 12 of the 22 batters he faced, while pitching five shutout in- nings. He drew rave reviews, including former Blue Jay Duane Ward, who told Cana- dian Baseball Network, "he has the most upside of any pitcher here." Ward wasn't the only oneWard wasn't the only oneW taking notice. Mississippi State, a semifinalist at this year's College World Series, offered Cerantola a scholar- ship. That presented the 18- year-old another difficult decision. After being draft- ed, Cerantola had to choose between Mississippi State and embarking on a pro ca- reer. After retiring Bichette and Guerrero, who is tear- ing up the minors, batting better than .400 against AA and AAA pitching, it would be easy for Cerantola to de- cide he was ready for the pros. "I knew they were good hitters so I had the approach of filling up the zone and get- ting ahead in the count," Ce- rantola said. "When you look back at it, to get (Guer- rero) out the two times he faced me, it's cool to see."faced me, it's cool to see."f But Cerantola also knew he is still early in his pitch- ing development. Though he says his time with the Great Lakes Canadians and the ju- nior national team has transformed him from a thrower to a pitcher, there is still work to be done. He allowed just one earned run in 12 innings against pro prospects dur- ing spring training with the junior national team, but he also walked 12 batters. "Overall, I need to get big- ger and stronger," said the six-foot-five, 205-pound righty. "I need to be able to throw three pitches for strikes and work on my overall command." What he enjoys about pitching is being in control of the game. He wants to get better at that and he believes Mississippi State gives him that opportunity. "I really liked the coach- ing staff and their baseball program is so respected," said Cerantola, who will be eligible for the MLB draft again in three years. "I can go there and work on my craft. I want to earn myself a pretty important role on the team. They went to the Col- lege World Series and they're motivated to get back there and I want to be a part of that." OAKVILLE PITCHER PUTS PRO CAREER ON HOLD (FOR NOW) Oakville's Eric Cerentola pitching for the Canadian junior national team. Amanda Fewer photo HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com COMMUNITY AFTER PUTTING HOCKEY ON ICE, ERIC CERANTOLA IS THRIVING ON THE PITCHER'S MOUND