|
Kamil Oubayan took his place on the 2011 Niagara Metros
roster in the 11th hour - literally. After the Metros' game on June 30th, the young infielder signed with the team at
11:15 PM...some 45 minutes before the midnight June 30 deadline. Kamil is a 21 year-old, who hails from St. Catharines,
and was late in signing because he did not return from the NJCAA Baseball "World Series" in Texas until mid-June.
His team, the Erie Kats (Buffalo, N.Y.) made it to the tournament semi-finals before finally bowing out, which made them one
of the top 4 teams in the county, at the Division 3 Junior College level. The athletic 6'1" 180 pound 3B/SS, played
all his minor ball in the St. Catharines Cobras organization until 2008, when his Midget AA team made it to the O.B.A. finals.
From there, it was on to the Niagara Rebels (where he teamed up with Metros Evan Baglieri and Brian Kusey) and then the Canadian
Thunderbirds organization in '09, where he was named to play in the PBLO "Jim Ridley" All-Star Classic, alongside
current Metros OF Anthony Vacca. In fact, Oubayan impressed a number of college scouts in 2009, and won a scholarship
to Marshalltown C.C. (in Iowa), where he played in the spring of 2010. 2009 was also a big year for Kamil at home, as
he was voted male athlete of the year at "Jean Vanier High School" in Welland. Oubayan, who also played hockey
at the Junior B level (with the St. Catharines Falcons, and others) transferred from Marshalltown to Erie for the 2011 spring
season. And while he only managed a .167 BA with the Kats in limited playing time, he did manage something much more
important...he was named to the Western N.Y. Athletic Conference All-Academic Team, with a 3.52 GPA. After being inserted
into the Metros lineup last summer, the youngster impressed with his solid (if not superb) defense at the hot corner.
At the plate, Kamil batted .254 in his 77 Plate Apps., collecting 16 hits and 14 walks for a very nice .394 OBP.
|
