CAMBRIDGE, Ontario - Physical growth and reclassification has Jackson Soucie becoming an intriguing recruit,

“It gives me another year of development to get stronger and bigger, and better grades, too,” explained the sophomore at St. Benedicts Catholic Secondary School. 

A 6-0 190-pounder a year ago, Soucie is now 6-4 and 210 pounds.

“I was sitting maybe high-70s to low-80s last year,” Soucie said. “Now that I’m throwing higher intensity bullpens, the last time I checked I’m sitting 82-83 and hitting the mid-80s.

“I’ve done a lot of training … I’m training every day and throwing every day. I did a throwing program that my brother runs at Playball and that’s helped. He’s a very polished pitcher.”

Tyler Soucie pitched at Canisius and has been a major influence on his younger brother’s game.

“He taught me everything, the proper mechanics, hand positions, and the foot strike and how it helps my explosiveness,” the younger Soucie said of his brother, whose senior year in college was 2014. “He and my dad have been a big help to me. My dad was my coach since my younger days and he was the first one that taught me how to pitch. Then he handed me off to my brother.” 

The desire to follow in his brother’s footsteps was a no-brainer.

“I’ve wanted to play college baseball from a young age after watching all my brother’s games,” Soucie reflected. “After my first PBR showcase I realized my potential as a pitcher. I was one of the hardest throwers there and I have a good breaking ball.”

PBR Canada Director of Scouting Chris Kemlo sees a big future for Soucie.

“Jackson is someone you notice immediately when he walks onto the field,” Kemlo noted. “You lock in even more once you see that he’s a left-handed arm who pitches. Then the fact that he is not just an arm, and he can swing the bat and play defense ... it speaks to the type of athlete he is and can be, and you get excited with guys like that.”

“He has a lot of the things you look for from a physical standpoint, but one thing we’ve noticed as a staff from him attending our events is that he really seems to enjoy the game. That goes a long way when watching guys improve and work to get better.” 

While no visits have been made, the southpaw who is a potential two-way prospect as a left-handed hitting first baseman/pitcher, is beginning to draw interest at the next level.

“With my improvement I’m starting to look at more schools to see which I like better, JUCO or four-year schools,” Soucie explained. “I’ve been emailing some and they’ve started following me on Instagram.”

Aided by his brother’s understanding of the process, Soucie will then weigh all the options.

“Whether I go JUCO or to a four-year school depends on whether I need more development as a baseball guy,” Soucie noted. “If I feel I’m ready to declare for the draft, I’ll go JUCO. If I feel I need more development, I’ll go to a four-year school. My long-range goal is to try and get drafted in the early rounds.”

But if that is to become a possibility, Soucie understands more improvement is needed.

“It’s important I learn to gain control over all of my pitches,” Soucie related. “I can spot up my fastball well, so now I’m working on my cutter and perfecting my secondary pitches.”

Even with COVID-19 hindering most player’s ability to work out, Soucie is trying to make the most of the situation.

“My catcher Andrew Savage comes over and I’m doing a lot of throwing in the backyard, doing bullpens back there,” Soucie said. “But I can’t do long toss or any fully high-intense throwing.”

A 3.1 student planning on taking the business path when it comes to academics at college, Soucie believes there is a lot he can provide a college program.

“I feel I can bring a good-team guy that interacts well with everyone,” Soucie said. “I’ll bring electricity and energy to the field. I’m also a good strikeout pitcher so I could be a starter or a closer.”

For now, Soucie is doing his best to reach out to colleges before seeing what the summer brings.

“Right now I’m lifting more and developing more while reaching out to schools more,” Soucie said. “I’m hoping to get recognized by more schools and see where the recruiting process takes me since I reclassified.”

Kemlo has high hopes with how he sees it playing out.

“There is a lot of opportunity to come for him,” Kemlo said. “I know I can speak for the staff when I say we are excited for his future and look forward to watching him continue to grow and develop.”