GUELPH, Ont. – Throughout the 2020 fall semester, the University of Guelph Department of Athletics will be highlighting various members from our Gryphon varsity teams as part of our "BioSteel Student-Athlete Spotlight." This week's edition features
Evan Kiser, an accounting major and standout pitcher with the Guelph Gryphons varsity baseball program who has attracted interest from several Major League Baseball scouts.
BIG LEAGUE POTENTIAL FOR GRYPHON PITCHER EVAN KISER
Over the years, there have been plenty of highly touted baseball prospects who have come through the Guelph Gryphons varsity baseball program. But you would be hard pressed to find any Gryphon baseball player, past or present, with a higher ceiling than Evan Kiser.
Kiser, a 6-foot-3, 215 pound right-handed pitcher, made his Gryphon debut during the 2019 OUA baseball season. Evan spent the previous two seasons on scholarship south of the border in upstate New York, where he played NCAA baseball with the Niagara University Purple Eagles.
While the opportunity to play Division I baseball on scholarship was a well-earned opportunity for Kiser, the now 21-year-old native of Mono, Ontario felt it was not the best fit, which ultimately led him to a decision to transfer back closer to home and attend the University of Guelph. For Kiser, who is now in his fourth year academically and majoring in accounting, the decision to attend U of G was an option already familiar within the Kiser family, with Evan's older sister, Julia, having already graduated from U of G with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. For Kiser, a product of the
Ontario Royals baseball club, the icing on the cake in choosing Guelph was the opportunity to continue his collegiate career with a highly respected baseball program in the Gryphons.
"I really enjoyed my year as a Gryphon," says Kiser, who also excelled in the classroom during his first season at U of G, earning the status of
Academic Award Winner after achieving an average north of 80% while majoring in accounting.
"It was great to be able to play a key role for the team and everyone involved in the program showed such great commitment throughout the year. It was a great season." The stats from Kiser's first season of OUA baseball were also great, with the right-hander posting an impressive 1.35 ERA while averaging 10.4 strikeouts per 9 innings.
From a team perspective, 2019 will go down as one of the best seasons in Gryphon baseball history. During the 2019 regular season, the Gryphons posted an impressive 10-2 record versus OUA competition. At the 2019 OUA Baseball Championship Tournament in Ajax, the Gryphs posted a 2-1 record during round robin play but fell just short of reaching the knockout stage. One week later, Evan Kiser and the Gryphs would end their varsity season on a high note, this time leaving Ajax as champions of the inaugural edition of the
Canadian University National Invitational Baseball Tournament. Kiser pitched 3 scoreless innings in the national championship final, a game which the Gryphons won 2-1 over their OUA rivals, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks.
The fall of 2019 not only marked Evan's first season as a Gryphon, it also marked the first time in which he officially took part in a private work out in front of Major League Baseball scouts. Evan points to the summer of 2019 as a crucial time in his development, with his velocity reaching the low 90 MPH range during that summer.
Evan Kiser with Guelph Royals
The velocity has continued to climb in the past year and a half, with his fastball now sitting between 92-94 MPH and topping out at 95 (MLB average for RHPs is 93.2 MPH) with a spin rate over 2,200 RPM (MLB average is 2,263).
Although Evan's 2020 OUA baseball season with the Gryphons was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, his focus on training has remained at an all-time high. And the interest from several MLB teams has also remained high, with Kiser once again throwing in front of MLB scouts as recently as August and October of 2020. The workouts have taken place at the
Baseball Development Group, which is an indoor facility located in Scarbourough and a regular training site over the years for Kiser, with the facility located about an hour's drive from his hometown of Mono, Ontario.
These days, Evan's daily routine revolves around remote learning, with the 21-year-old studying from the confines of his off-campus student house in Guelph. His current course load is made up of primarily upper-year accounting courses, with the product of Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School in Caledon scheduled to graduate from U of G in the spring of 2021, shortly after his 22nd birthday.
Opportunities to take the mound in a real game have been hard to come by since the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic. Evan was, however, able to get into a game on August 21, 2020 when he pitched for the IBL's Guelph Royals versus the London Majors in the Legacy Classic (a special exhibition game to
continue the Guinness Book of Records streak of 144 seasons of baseball at Labatt Memorial Park since 1877). By May of 2021, COVID-19 numbers pending, Evan will head south of the border to suit up for the
Kalamazoo Growlers of the
Northwoods Baseball League to compete against the top college baseball players from across North America. Kiser will then hope to see his name called during the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft, which is set to take place next summer from July 11-13.
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