THUNDER BAY – A year ago, Jack Pineau was handed the ball for the home opener and turned himself into a Northwoods League all-star.
Expectations are even higher this summer as he makes his return to the Thunder Bay Border Cats, once again slated to get the start in the Northwoods League team’s first game at Port Arthur Stadium on Friday night against the Minnesota Mud Puppies.
Pineau, still just 19, had a stellar rookie campaign at Creighton University, running through his Division 1 opponents to put up an 0-1 record with a sparkling 3.21 earned run average.
He’s excited to be back.
“Last summer was awesome and I have even higher expectations for this summer,” Pineau said.
“I was super happy with (my college season), but I also learned a couple of tough lessons. I gave up quite a few home runs, so I think this summer I’ll be working on just keeping the ball down and making it tough for the hitters to get one out of here,” said Pineau last Friday, as the team opened an abbreviated training camp before hitting the road Monday to kick off the 2024 campaign with a four-game road trip.
Pineau, a former member of Canada’s junior national team, pinned a lot of his success as a freshman on his season with the Border Cats, as he got the chance to get a feel for the college game for a few months before landing in Nebraska.
“I think I learned, just as an 18-year-old, how to pitch to guys who are so physical, honestly. High school to college is a huge jump and just learning to trust my stuff still, still fill up the zone and not be scared to throw strikes to those guys is huge,” Pineau said.
“This league helped me do that.”
Pineau finished last season with a 1-3 record and a 4.58 ERA with the Border Cats, and second-year manager J.M. Kelly said there was no question he was going to hand the ball to the only Thunder Bay player on the roster to throw out the first pitch of the season at home.
Kelly said in his first conversation with the hometown favourite, Pineau was already asking if he could get the first start.
“He’s excited, I’m excited. He’s going to continue to grow. There’s no way that kid shouldn’t be drafted when that time comes for him. He’s just a really good player,” Kelly said.
“Here’s the thing about all these guys: I don’t want just good players, I want really good people around here and I think he fits perfectly into that category. He’s one of the captains. He’s going to be one of the guys who leads this year. He’s got nothing but bright things ahead of him.”
This summer, Pineau said helping the team get back into the playoffs for the first time in 15 years is his number one team goal. On an individual level, he’s hoping to work on his fastball command.
“I think that’s definitely the part of my game where I have to work on the best. I think my off-speed is definitely my strong suit. So, if I just dial in the fastball command and make the hitters think about that often, my off-speed will play even more,” he said.
Game time Friday is 7:35 p.m., with fireworks to follow. Eau Claire and Duluth will also visit the stadium on the opening homestand, which concludes on June 6.
