Orillia's Kaden Noble is heading south to play National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Division 1 baseball on a full scholarship.
The right-handed pitcher best known for following up his power fastball with a devastating breaking ball, started playing baseball when he was around 10 years old.
"My dad played softball for Slo-Pitch Canada," Noble explained of his baseball roots. "I grew up playing hockey but decided one day to try out for the Orillia Royals."
Noble, who is now 18, was assigned to a rep team right away because of his athletic abilities. After one season, he followed his close friend Caleb Clark to Barrie to play for the Red Sox.
Both Noble and Clark would advance their careers to London where they played for the Great Lakes Canadians, an elite amateur team. Today, Clark plays for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, a Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) baseball team.
Noble was originally a power-hitting second baseman, who would occasionally pitch, which sparked the interest of many scouts across the province.
"Hitting was my strong suit," he said. "Going into my 15U year here for the Great Lakes Canadians, my pitching coach said the staff saw more potential with my pitching which could be my ticket into the next level."
From there on, Noble turned his focus to pitching. In 2022, Noble decided to move to London, live with a billet family, and begin honing his craft every day.
"I needed to be closer to the training facility and diamond," he explained. "Everything was baseball surrounded."
Noble spent countless hours with Clark and other well-accomplished young baseball players to learn what had made them so successful.
"We were always bouncing ideas off each other to work on our craft," he explained.
Noble, an alumnus of Twin Lakes Secondary School, says it was difficult "starting a whole new life" in London, but it has been all worth it.
"I had to figure out how to get my schooling done all by myself," he said. "I was missing out on things that my friends and community were doing in order to achieve my dreams of being at the diamond and facility every day."
Noble, a Mother Teresa Catholic Secondary School graduate, spent the fall doing college tours in Michigan and Missouri where he had the opportunity to pitch in front of scouts. After seeing his highlight reel, Noble was offered a full scholarship from McCook Community College in Nebraska.
"I knew it was a great fit knowing how much this team can compete," he said. "They have a chance to go to the JUCO World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado."
Noble is ultra-competitive, which is why it was so important for him to play for a winning team that would give him lots of opportunities to take the mound in high-pressure situations.
"That's a team I want to be a part of," he said. "I want to go down there, compete, and help win a championship."
Noble, who will be taking sports management at McCook, hopes that surrounding himself with championship-calibre players will help him reach the next level of his baseball career.
"My goal from here is to go to an NCAA school," he said. "I'll be playing my first two years with a NJCAA school to gain experience, and then walk into an NCAA program and compete right from day one on that mound."
Noble's ultimate goal is to make the major leagues. He doesn't have an alternative plan if baseball doesn't work out.
"I want to see how far my talent can go in the sport," he said.
Noble thanks his teammates, especially Clark and Max Hewitt, for helping him reach this next step in his career.
"They pushed me and showed me how to improve in my position," he said. "They helped me with my love for the sport and have been there for me when I have questions."
Noble also thanks his Great Lakes Canadians coaches Chris Robinson and Adam Stern for allowing him to play with the highly talented group.
