The Summer That Introduced Micah Bucknam To Canada

2021 Washington commit, Micah Bucknam, took the mound this summer for Team Canada at the Future Games and Team B.C. at the Canada Cup in what would become one of the biggest weeks in his young baseball career.

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound right-hander quickly made a name for himself as one of the top 2021 pitchers in the country but still didn’t have his Canadian citizenship, although he had status in the United States and New Zealand.

Back in January Bucknam finally gained his citizenship, something that may have cost him a spot on the Junior National Team but he’s hoping that opportunity will represent itself again with his new Canadian status.

“I’ve lived here for pretty much my whole life so it’s really cool to finally be a citizen and to be able to relate to all these other people now,” says the Fraser Valley product. “I’m thankful I did it because it opens up so many more opportunities on the Canadian side of things, in baseball specifically, and possibly things with the Junior National Team and things like that.”

Bucknam’s coming out party was at the Future Games when the B.C. resident ran his fastball up to 91, sitting 90 throughout his first inning. He had never touched 90 and it was the perfect time to bring out his best stuff, pitching in front hundreds of Division I coaches and recruiters.

“At first when I was going down there I had no expectations and I didn’t know what it was all about but I had been told one good performance could really change your life and I didn’t really take that into account as much as I probably should have,” explains Bucknam. “Before I pitched, I walked around the park for a little bit and I was just like, ‘this crazy… the amount of people, the amount of scouts who are here just watching the teams and the players.’”

“It was probably the coolest experience I’ve had in my life and just pitching in front of so many scouts like that, you know that there’s tons of eyes on you but at the same time this is an experience you should treasure and you shouldn’t be scared of it. You should take the ball and just be happy to be there in that position.”

It may have been the best performance of his life velocity wise and he carried that into Regina for the Canada Cup just a handful of days later where he proved to be one of the top arms in the tournament, working nine innings for Team B.C.. Bucknam picked up two wins and allowed just three hits and two earned runs as a sophomore in a tournament full of juniors.

Back-to-back quality outings on a big stage, especially in Cartersville in front of hundreds of college coaches, had nearly a dozen schools expressing interest including several power five schools. He knows it was the perfect time to showcase his best stuff and he says the events could not have been held at a better time.

“I feel the deeper I get into the season, the looser my arm ends up feeling. I feel like I end up having more location and more command,” explained the 16-year-old right-hander. “Especially coming off a really big start or a good outing, you just feel so much more confident going into certain things, especially the Canada Cup for me. Going in there I just felt confident and had fun and that was probably the biggest thing for me.”

The two outings were vital on the recruiting trail but no matter which schools kept calling, there was one in particular that Bucknam had a difficult time getting out of his head.

Whether it’s because his dad was enrolled there for a year, or if it’s because he’s grown up watching football, basketball and baseball games there with his dad, but the University of Washington has always somewhat felt like home for Bucknam and his family.

He lived in Seattle for a couple years between New Zealand and Canada, and living on the West Coast of the country has allowed him the chance to return to his old stomping grounds over the years. Where to attend school is one of the biggest decisions in a young player’s life and when you grow up around a power five school and they express serious interest, it can be difficult to say no to a program you’ve always dreamed of playing for.

For Bucknam, that familiarity and the ability to stay close to family was one of the most important factors as he announced his commitment to the Huskies.

“I am more of a guy who likes to be close to home, it’s really a nice thing to be close to my family. I was really considering going to another school and I was trying to figure it all out but at the end of the day, Washington was the place I wanted to be since I was a little kid. I grew up around the school, my dad is from Seattle so I grew up just going to football games, going to basketball games and even went to a couple baseball games when I was a little kid. It’s just really cool to be able to say ‘I play for that school now, or I am going to play for that school.’ It’s a dream that came true.”

After what was the biggest summer in his life, baseball wise, Bucknam has just two season’s left to impress pro scouts and make a case to have his name called in the 2021 draft. With all the uncertainties going forward in baseball due to the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, he’s not worried about the lack of looks he may get or the looming possibility of a larger roster when he eventually joins the Huskies in Washington.

Bucknam has always been one to bet on himself and he always welcomes competition, fueling his motivation to be the best in every situation he puts himself in.

“You’re going to have to fight for your job. You might get there and roster sizes might increase so you need to go in with the mindset of ‘I’m going to work harder than the guy next to me,’ and if you think like that, I think you’re going to do good things and succeed,” says Bucknam.

“I know I’m going to have to work a little harder and I’m excited for that. I decided to go to a power five school because I wanted to work harder and have to earn my spot on a team. I’m happy I did because even more so now, I’m really going to have to work to earn my time and I think that’s going to be fun.”

That competitive mindset helps Bucknam every time he takes the mound. Whether he gets the chance to take the rubber in his Fraser Valley uniform this year or not, you can be sure the next time he gets handed the ball he will be fully prepared mentally and physically.

After a summer that changed his life, Bucknam knows there’s the possibility 2020 gets taken from him or delayed at the minimum, but he’s just rolling with the punches.

The end goal for him is stepping onto campus in Seattle and being able to contribute to the Washington pitching staff. As he says, that was the dream and it still is going forward. Every workout and every sprint done during this isolation period has a purpose.

There’s a lot of unknown’s right now and no one knows exactly when baseball will be back, but if there’s one thing we do know, it’s that Micah Bucknam will be ready to come out and dominate whenever that time comes.