A top local pitcher is getting geared up to play university baseball this fall, and will prepare by playing in the Intercounty Baseball League over the summer.
Peter "Bo" Buckley, a 19-year-old Plympton-Wyoming resident, will be suiting up for the London Majors before attending Connecticut's Fairfield University on a scholarship.
He said playing for the Majors will be a great way to prepare for his next journey.
"A lot of the guys on the team are in their late 20s or early 30s, so they're grown men and I've never played against grown men yet. I've been told I'm the youngest on the team, which I'm pretty excited about. I'm excited to see what I can learn from some of the veterans and further my knowledge of baseball."
The Majors opened their season July 9 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at London's historic Labatt Park, and Buckley will join the team on July 14 when they face Brantford.
He said the COVID pandemic has created its issues, but he's been able to adapt.
"The last time I played an actual game was back in October of 2019," he said. "Since then I've put on weight, designed a new changeup, and done a lot of pitch design with my slider, changeup and fastball. I'm excited to put it all to use towards batters."
Buckley said his father built him a makeshift 80 foot pitching tunnel in the family barn.
"That's how I kept my arm healthy and strong," he said. "I was throwing multiple times a week, and weightlifting four to five times a week. I put on a considerable amount of weight and strength that I'm excited to put to use on the ball field."
Buckley trained with former major leaguer Adam Stern with London's Great Lake Canadians until June 2019 before attending The Clubhouse, an elite baseball academy in Fairfield.
He had a 2-0 record, and 0.40 ERA, while striking out 16 batters and walking one over 17 innings pitched.
Buckley started his career with the Sarnia Minor Baseball Association (SMAA), playing t-ball when he was five. He then pitched and played shortstop for the Wyoming Wranglers who won an OBA provincial championship in 2013.