New Zealand born high schooler forfeits eligibility to play in WBC

Qualifying round action for the 2017 World Baseball Classic is on-going right now in Sydney, Australia. By Sunday, either South Africa or the host country Australia will have qualified for the event. And between Sunday and September, three additional teams will qualify to complete the 16-team field.

For many of the countries involved in the qualifying process, it’s a pretty exciting time. Not often is the baseball spotlight put on South Africa or New Zealand, for example, but it’s there now and they’ve both embraced it with big wins during this round.

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In New Zealand’s case, there’s actually a pretty interesting story to go along with the success they’ve enjoyed. Jimmy Boyce, an 18-year-old high school pitcher who attends Mount Si High in Snoqualmie, Wash., is representing his country of birth during the qualifying round this weekend. In fact, he picked up the win on the hill in Friday’s 17-7 victory against the Philippines.

(MLB.com) In order to join the team though, Boyce had to make a decision that would impact his baseball future. By pitching in the WBC, he willingly violated the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association rules which prohibit student-athletes from competing in team sports with or against professional players. The WIAA has since ruled Boyce’s case, making his ineligibility in Washington official.

According to Baseball America’s Alexis Brudnicki, it wasn’t much of a decision at all for the young hurler despite the possible repercussions. He wanted to give back to his home country, and did just that by pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings in Friday’s win.

“I knew, but that’s a risk I wanted to take,” Boyce said. “That’s something I wanted to do for my country. I think there’s no greater feeling than that … This means absolutely more than anything. I’ve been growing up playing for New Zealand all my life and I’m not going to stop.”

Boyce could still appeal the ruling, but indicated that a long, dragged out appeal would probably take too long to be worth the time or effort. He’s perfectly content with his decision, even though his country’s dream was ended with a 9-2 loss to South Africa on Saturday.

“I’m not surprised,” New Zealand manager Chris Woodward said. “I had him last year on the 21-and-under team. I know what Jimmy’s all about and Jimmy’s one guy who I don’t care if he was 14. The way he pitches and the way he competes, I would trust him every time.”

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Boyce still has collegiate and professional baseball aspirations as well, and seemingly has both the talent and mindset to handle the pressure. Let’s face it, it takes courage and confidence to make such a big decision in the face of authority, and in the face of people who no doubt tried to influence that decision.

He did it because it felt right to him, and because he knew how important this tournament could be for his country. That’s a commendable stance and sacrifice.

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