With three seasons under his belt at the University of British Columbia, playing for the T-Birds baseball program, Mark Hardy has quickly become one of Canada’s top baseball prospects, heading into next month’s MLB Draft.  The draft has been the day to best describe someone’s baseball career to that point.  It can make you, or break you.

Hardy is a Junior, and still has another year of eligibility at UBC, and in the MLB Draft should he not sign or get drafted in June.  Seniors usually get less money, and go later on in the draft, but can still prove worthwhile, as is the case of ex-Canadian Shawn Haviland, of Harvard notoriety.  

Mark Hardy may have the best chances of being drafted for a UBC Thunderbird, even if he doesn’t go in the top round, as did ex-Bird Jeff Francis.  Hardy was 10-1 this year and remains a good choice for a top round draft pick, come June.

Hardy spoke to us this week, in advance of UBC’s final game of the season.  He has been out since April with an arm injury.

Jeremy Knight: Could you have asked for a better draft season than this one (besides the latest injury troubles)? 

Mark Hardy: Well I would’ve prefered to be 11-0 at to be healthy enough to throw for the scouts down in LA (for the NAIA tournament) but yeah I thought I did fairly well.  Hopefully next year will be even better.

JK: Will there be a next year as a UBC Thunderbird? 

MH: Well I’m saying this injury sure isn’t helping my chances of signing.  UBC is a great school, and I’ve learned so much already.  I believe that one extra year will help me get even better, and I hope I get drafted even higher than I may or may not go this year.

JK: Do you remember your first start for UBC in 2007? 

MH: Haha, oh man, it must’ve been late in the year.  No, I don’t remember, but if I had to guess, I’d say Albertson and it didn’t last long?

JK: Lewis-Clark State, 3 innings, No-hit ball.

MH: Haha that was the first one?

JK: Yep.  You held a current AA First Baseman (for Cleveland) Beau Mills hitless in 5 at-bats, do you remember having to face him?

MH: Ah he was pretty intimidating at the plate.  We had all heard about him and how well he was doing, so when he first stepped up I was pretty nervous.  But I was just a young guy at the time, and I think I went right after him.  He hit a really hard line drive to the second baseman so I was out of the inning.

JK: How much did your experience in the Czech Republic boost your confidence (where he posted a 0.00 ERA at the World University Games last summer, earning the ERA trophy)?

MH: Quite a bit, I had a lot of fun playing there.  The guys were great players, and it was just a blast.  When I got my start against the Czechs, I just left everything out on the field, and winning the award was just an extra bonus. (Bottom right)

JK: We’ve all heard a lot about it, but how much has this new practice field meant to UBC?

MH: I’d say quite a lot, just because getting onto an actual field and playing intrasquad games and practicing bunt defence gets everyone focused up.  The past few years, our first games had been kind of sloppy, and we had lost a few key ballgames we could’ve easily won.  This year, however, we came out ready to play and our California trip was much better.

JK: Will you miss the Nat Bailey fences when you guys permanently move to UBC?

MH: Ha, yeah that’s true.  It went both ways, because when we were at our turf field, our hitters were hitting a lot of homeruns and doubles, but when the Nat came along, it was mostly singles.

JK: I read the Brewers are looking at you, are you their next CC Sabathia?

MH: I wouldn’t take it that far, but yeah they’re one of the teams that’s been in contact with me.  They’re a great organization and like to sign a lot of Canadians.

JK: Is Oakland a team that’s contacted you (*cough get on it cough*?  Would it be nice to maybe pitch at Nat Bailey this summer?

MH: That would be really nice to stay in Vancouver, but no I haven’t talked to anyone from the Athletics. 

JK: How great would it be for UBC to win tomorrow, to advance to the final, so you can maybe pitch, and advance to Lewiston as a team (this question was before UBC was eliminated)?

MH: It would be awesome.  I’m really hoping we make it because I felt bad for the guys when I couldn’t pitch in Regionals, so I’d like to make it up to them and pitch a gem here in LA and take them to the World Series.  It would especially be nice for the seniors just to let them go with a nice memory.

Thanks to Mark for the interview, and best of luck to him in the draft, come on Oakland you know you want him.