Chaser’s Baseball Development is leaving town after seven years of helping Orillia’s youth hone their skills.
Behind the academy is 26-year-old Amherstburg native Chase Walach, who played competitive baseball for eight years at the AAA and U.S. Elite levels as a first baseman.
“I was recently offered a job outside of baseball, which is a little bit closer to where I was born, so I decided that it was time to move closer to family and move to London,” Walach explained.
“It’s definitely hard to leave all the kids I’ve been working with over the years.”
He will continue his baseball development program in London, but he plans to keep tabs on his trainees in Orillia.
“I’ll be doing check-ins to make sure the kids are still progressing in baseball,” he said.
Walach learned a lot about teaching the game of baseball and running a business in Orillia.
“I learned that it takes a lot of hard work. When I first started doing it, I didn’t look at the business side of it too much, so it challenged me to work with finances, marketing, scheduling and those sorts of things.”
As Walach moves on to his next journey, he believes the baseball scene in Orillia will continue to grow.
“There is a lot of potential in Orillia, from what I’ve seen. Last summer, having lots of players register to train with me showed the passion that these kids have,” he said.
“Even though they lost their season (because of the COVID-19 pandemic), they wanted to get out and develop their skills and make sure they didn’t fall behind.”
While Walach taught his students many techniques and skills, the players taught him a lot as well.
“I learned that no matter how old you are, you will always love the game,” he said.
“I formed a really strong bond with a lot of kids, and it wasn’t always about being professional all the time. We had a lot of fun.”
The legacy Walach leaves in the Orillia baseball community is something he hopes will live on for years to come.
“I hope that anyone who has worked with me has realized how important it is to put in that extra effort to improve yourself and discipline yourself. It’s the only way to grow as a ball player, especially if you want to play at the college level.”
He thanked the baseball community for its support over the years.
Yojairo Juan is a former Chaser’s Baseball Development student who is moving on to play at the college level. He said Walach will be greatly missed.
“When Chase told us he was leaving, we were all disappointed and sad because he really played a big part in helping us get to the next level,” Juan said.
“Chase was a really big help in getting me to take the step to get to where I am now."
The 18-year-old Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School graduate has signed on with the State University of New York’s Jefferson Cannoneers, who play in Watertown, N.Y.
“He worked with me to get better, took videos of me, edited them and sent them out to schools to get me noticed ... and it paid off.”
Joining Juan at the State University of New York next season will be 18-year-old catcher Lucas Mackey, who spent a lot of time with Chaser’s Baseball Development over the past year.
“He’s a big brother to me. He’s become my coach, and obviously he is one of the biggest factors in me signing to play college baseball,” Mackey said.
“It’s sad to see him moving away. I’m upset about it, but it’s a good opportunity for him to move into a bigger community and have a wider impact on young baseball players.”
