VIU Mariners Welcome Eli and Jacob Ortman to the Team

The VIU Mariners, the Vancouver Island University Baseball team are in for a great season after adding Kindersley’s own Eli and Jacob Ortman to their 2021-2022 roster.

“Signing with the Mariners has been a dream come true,” said Eli. “It means we can go beyond Double-A and House League Ball and play the level of elevated ball we have been looking for after high school. But it also means we get to attend a very exceptional academic school and program and I am very grateful for that. Hopefully, in time, we can further our careers in baseball throughout university.”

Both boys began their baseball journey at a young age, beginning around the age of six. However, each fell in love with the sport in a different way. Jacob found his passion for baseball when he began to develop his skills. “For the last couple years I was very interested in other sports like basketball and football, but because I kept getting better at baseball I wanted to pursue it.” Jacob was also spurred on after one particular Bantam game when the coach told him and his mom that he had a college arm. “I think that really had an impact on me,” he shared.

For Eli, it began with his parents talking about his grandpa George’s love of the game, after that it grew from there. “My parents always let us make our own decisions in which sports we wanted to pursue, but after playing baseball for so long it’s almost become an addiction. It’s my favourite sport.”

Eli also remembers one particular game in 2019 that gave him an extra boost of confidence. “We were playing in the Fall Desert Classic Tournament in Las Vegas and I remember going up to the plate with a wood bat even though we were allowed to use metal in the states. I remember hitting the baseball and taking it deep left centre. Unfortunately, the fielder called it, and I was out. However, my coach came up to me and said “if you would have used metal, that would have been out of the park”, and that really encouraged me in my baseball career because I knew I could hit the baseball with power, and that was something I was struggling with that year.”

When asked how they got to where they are today, Eli shared there isn’t one straight path a player can take. “Everyone’s journey is different. It’s very cool to look at Jacob (my twin) and to see what obstacles he’s had, and how different his path in baseball has been. My coach from the Mariners and I have been texting back and forth and he said there are three things a player should be doing to further their career. 1. Trying to help your team win, 2. Developing your approach (at the plate, in the field, etc.). 3. Learning from your mistakes and not continuing to make them. While playing, I try to apply these three rules. As a baseball player, you need to focus on one step at a time, rather than thinking about the 1000 steps you need to eventually climb.

For Jacob, he’s found his path through his faith and those around him, “it’s taking a lot of the hard work and being able to leave everything out on the field. Trying to do baseball and education has been a challenge but I think having good relationships with people and especially God has had a huge impact on me in a positive way.”

As for what’s next, both players are determined to make this year a success while also leaving the door open for future opportunities. “My one goal as a younger player was to play university baseball, and I’ve gotten there. So I’ll have to pray about where I think it’s going to take me, make a decision and see what happens in the future,” said Jacob.