Saturday, 6 February, 2016 - 07:53

Young Kiwi baseball player Jimmy Boyce is facing a possible suspension from the entire spring High School baseball season in Seattle for playing at this month’s World Baseball Classic Qualifying tournament in Sydney.

The 18-year old has been living in Seattle for the past few years after growing up in Auckland and attending Sacred Heart College in the city’s Eastern Suburbs, and a rule about playing with or against professional players could prevent him from playing baseball in his last semester at Mt Si High School.

"It really sucks having this hanging over my head going in to the biggest tournament of my life" says Boyce who adds, "despite this happening, it is the last thing I’ll be thinking about when I’m on the mound in Sydney."

The Washington Interscholastic Athletics Association (WIAA) has warned the pitcher he could be suspended upon his return as the body says its rules prevent high school players competing against professional athletes, something Boyce believes is a double standard. "I have already played three tournaments against pro players over the last couple of years and nothing’s been said."

Boyce played for the New Zealand 18U and 21U teams against professional opposition and also played at the Arizona Senior Classic showcase tournament in August and said, "No one said anything then, probably because other Americans were in the same boat, so I can’t understand why it has come up now."

The right arm pitcher is one of the top high school prospects in the state of Washington and while not playing high school ball will be disappointing, he will still get some baseball in when his club Chaffey Baseball begins their season prior to going to college in August.

Boyce hasn’t chosen a college yet, but has numerous offers on the table to pick up a highly valued baseball scholarship, something Baseball New Zealand CEO Ryan Flynn says is a virtual lock for Boyce.

"Jimmy has come a long way since leaving Auckland to pursue more and stronger baseball competition, and throwing an 8-inning shut-out against top ranked Korea at the 2014 21U Baseball World Cup in Taiwan proves the move is paying dividends. Jimmy is a bulldog and one of the top prospects New Zealand has ever produced.

"It’s beyond me as to why this suspension is hanging over the young man’s head, but if that’s what the rules say, there’s not a lot we (Baseball New Zealand) can do about it at this stage other than to point out how much of a sacrifice such a talented young man has to make in order to play for his homeland."