ST. PAUL – Two baseball players from St. Paul competed at the 2025 Best of the West tournaments held from May 1 to May 5 at Kamloops, BC., where top minor baseball players from across the Northwest and Canada collided.
Pitcher Kaysen Young with the AHP Baseball Academy played for the Prep Baseball Canada’s National U18 team and infielder Caleb Poulin from École du Sommet played for U15 team.
Both players also played for St. Paul Minor Ball and have a history of competing at the top baseball levels in Alberta, having played with a Triple-A team in Sherwood Park.
While both their teams did not advance to the Best of the West finals, Young and Poulin said to play at the national stage was an opportunity not only to showcase their skills, but also to improve their game for being able to play among and against many of the top baseball talents in the nation.
“It’s a great honour being invited to play for a national team at such a well-known tournament with some of the best players in Canada,” said Young.
Poulin admitted he was a little anxious leading up to the tournament.
And justifiably so, as scouts and evaluators for professional baseball teams are usually present at the Best of the West tournaments.
“But then, once you start playing your game . . . all worries go away,” said Poulin. He also thanked his coaches and friends for helping him mentally push through prior to the tournament, telling him that, “I deserve to be here.”
Young has a similar sentiment. “You could have a lot of thoughts going into the game, but honestly, once you step in between the lines . . . you just do your thing.” He said among his main goals for the tournament was to showcase his skills to be able to hopefully be drafted one day or play at Canada’s junior national team.
Both players reiterated their main priority was still their personal growth.
“Because at this level, all the kids are good,” according to Young, which means an athlete needs to keep training and keep getting better if they wish to play at the next level. “Just putting your nose down in the dirt and working hard every day is what you got to do.”
Poulin agreed. He said even at the U15 level, getting better every day is still extremely important, especially at an early age. He explained what people see at the baseball field is the culmination of the hard work and ethics a player has.
“Getting better every day . . . it’s a really big deal here,” Poulin said.
Both thanked everyone who helped them along the way, including their families, and especially their parents who made sacrifices for them to be where they are.
“They’ve driven a lot of countless miles,” from throughout Canada and the U.S., said Young.
Poulin appreciates what his parents do to “just to give your kid a great experience and a chance to go pro.”
“It’s also friends and family. My aunties, uncles, grandpa, and grandma, they devoted time to let me reach my goals,” added Poulin.
Leanne and Joe Young and Carrie and Miguel Poulin expressed their pride for their children.
Joe said he is glad that Kaysen’s hard work has paid off and believes his son will only keep getting better as he continues to train harder. Leanne agreed, noting the sport taught her son “more than just baseball, that’s for sure.”
For Caleb, Carrie said her son trains all-year round, even in the winter. “That just shows you how passionate he is about baseball.”
According to Miguel, it’s fortunate for Caleb to have people he could look up to from St. Paul. In fact, he said, Kaysen taught Caleb how to catch a baseball in the Young’s backyard when they were younger. “It kind of goes around,” he said, explaining while St. Paul may be small, it’s a tight-knit community where people look after each other.
Kaysen said that while he may live in St. Albert now to follow his passion, he was “born and raised in St. Paul,” he said. “Just being able to represent the county and being from a small town like St. Paul is a true honour.”
It also shows to other youth that “if we work hard, we can do it too,” added Kaysen.
