Csusb Baseball Goes Pro

By: Kaila Morales 

SAN BERNARDINO,Calif. - Former CSUSB baseball players Tyler Wells and William Ouellette are cruising their way through their new careers.  A few months ago the two got the exciting news that they were selected to play on professional teams. 

Wells, who is a right-handed ace for the Coyotes, was selected by the Minnesota Twins. Ouellette, who dabbled as both a shortstop and relief pitcher for the Coyotes, signed a free agent contract as a pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Once they were selected they immediately hopped on a plane to join their new rookie affiliate teams. Wells was assigned to the Elizabethton Twins  and Ouellette was assigned to the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays. 

Both Ouellette and Wells finished their first seasons as minor league players in September. 

Ouellette had a record of one win and three saves, tying for second place as a pitching leader with the most saves. Wells earned a win in five of his seven starts and led the team with 59 strikeouts. 

This achievement is nothing new for Wells who also led the CCAA in strikeouts while he was a Coyote. 

However, his prior achievements from CSUSB did not follow him to this new playing level. 

“It was a fresh start in the minors, because its all new coaches, all new players and a whole different environment,” Wells said.

It is no sudden shock that college baseball wouldn’t even begin to compare with Minor League baseball. 

“The competition is much higher. Hitters can hit anything, and pitchers throw harder and have better stuff... I used everything I learned from CSUSB to help me progress but everything was completely new to me,” Wells said. 

The hardest transition from college ball to pro ball for Ouellette was going from only playing on the weekends to playing every day. 

Even though it’s now the offseason for minor league baseball, Ouellette and Wells aren’t done with their first seasons just yet. 

Both Ouellette and Wells were asked to be part of the Instructional league. 

"Instructs" as they are referred to, are an extension for players who are just beginning their careers.

Instruct workouts run for about a month and are usually a few hours daily. 

Offered to a select few, these instructs are designed to pave development for each player’s future career.

“It’s such an honor to get the invite to instructional league, especially being a non- drafted, free agent. It means that they liked what I was able to do,” Ouellette said.

As for Wells, he has not been able to make the most of this opportunity as he suffers from a strained quad, but says that even though he is injured and can’t play, he still takes the time to talk to coaches and coordinators to learn as much as possible. 

Chris Amaya, who coached Ouellette in his early stages of his career, had no doubt that he would make it to the big leagues. 

“He was always the first one to the ballpark, always the last one to leave. His work ethic and drive, the drive to always want to get better,” Amaya said. “To be where he’s at right now is just a testament to his work ethic.”

Ouellette commented on his on own work ethic saying he developed it playing in school. 

“A lot of getting better is on your own from that point, so you have to work to get better,” he said. 

After instructs, the two will head to Spring Training which starts in the beginning of March. 

Spring Training is the preseason of baseball, where each player’s performance is closely monitored during practices and games. 

“I’m just looking to workout and condition to get in really good shape,” said Wells, who wishes to make a really good impression at Spring Training. 

Since it will be both Wells, and Ouellette’s first appearances, there is no doubt that they will need to stay focused to prove their ability and show that they have what it takes to be moved up to a higher level team.

“A guy like Will is a guy that a former coach wants to see succeed. He’s a great kid and he plays the game the right way, he's very talented and as long as he gets the opportunity to show what he has, he's going to be successful at the pro ball level,” Amaya says.  

Ouellette and Wells will report to Spring Training in Florida in early 2017.