By Ethan Ready

College Ball

Kim’s dream of NCAA baseball still alive

May 19, 2021 | 6:19 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Luka Kim has dreams of playing college ball down in the United States.

But after garnering interest from a handful of schools, any possibility of earning a scholarship fell through once the pandemic hit and the borders closed, preventing the College Heights Secondary student from going down for in-person school visits.

“I’ve just been playing around Prince George for six years, but I’ve been picked up for Westerns my second year of Bantam and that was when I thought I could actually get somewhere with this,” said Kim, a former member of the Prince George Surg Med Knights.

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His coach here in Prince George, Craig Horswell, recognized Luka’s athletic ability and has seen just how dedicated the 18-year-old is to the sport.

“He’s very dedicated. He’s been dedicated since Day 1. He’s set a goal of becoming a college baseball player and nothing has stood in his way,” explained Horswell. “He has a fantastic attitude and he’s very coachable.

Horswell and Craig Langille have been running a baseball academy called the Elite Baseball Development Academy in association with the Prince George Youth Baseball Association out of the Northern Sport Centre. It was through the academy that they really saw the grit of Kim, training three times a week with them.

While opportunities down south await, Kim has done a quick pivot and instead will be attending the University of Fraser Valley and be a member of the Cascades baseball team. He joins the team with a mutual understanding that he’ll use this time at UFV as a launchpad to the States.

The coaching staff at UFV knows and understands Kim’s intentions. The team has a coaching staff with an ample amount of experience at the professional levels. Kyle Lotzkar, one of the Cascades coaches, knowns the steps needed to get far in the game after he was selected 53rd overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft.

“Coach Craig Langille, he actually first got me to talk to the coach and Kyle Lotzkar was really understanding. I think we have the same idea.”

Being from Prince George, a community known for its keen interest in hockey, it’s a tough road to get to the next level for athletes like Kim pursuing other sports. With shorter seasons due to weather and the region’s natural isolation, it’s harder for players to have access to coaches and scouts, ultimately boosting their exposure.

“It’s important for kids like Luka to get their videos out there and talk to coaches as much as possible, and then hopefully in a non-COVID year to go down for a school visit,” said Horswell.

Graduating from College Heights in June, Kim will be attending UFV come September and regardless of restrictions, will at least be spending his freshman year training and continuing the work in order of one day earning an opportunity down south.