A former Swift Current minor baseball graduate is taking his talents south of the border.

Badlands Baseball Academy's Connor Choo Foo committed to Mayville State University earlier this week.

The outfielder/pitcher had a few offers on the table but a trip to the North Dakota University a few weeks ago influenced his decision.

"That's when I knew this was the school for me," he said Thursday morning.

"Obviously I knew they had some interest, they talked to me in the fall and reached back out here this spring... It was really like a dream come true when I heard him offer me at the end of the tour and just say 'There's a spot here for you'. Kind of just a surreal moment I've always dreamed of."

Choo Foo has spent the past season in Oyen, Alberta playing as the team's starting centre fielder while also logging some action as a pitcher from the left side.

"I guess putting in the hard work here and stronger and bigger this year has definitely helped," he said. 

The former Swift Current 18U AAA 57's commitment to Mayville will see him spend four years in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), a step he's excited for.

"It will be pushing me, but I should get a chance," he said. "The university feel was just a little bit bigger and nicer; I thought it was a better fit for me." 

Choo Foo will be enrolling in business at the school that's home to nearly 1,200 students.

"I really have a love for numbers and finances," he said. "Who knows if that takes me into the sports business."

And as for his summers off from schooling, he'd be open to wearing the 57's logo in the Western Canadian Baseball League should the opportunity present itself.

"I'd absolutely love to play in front of my hometown for the team I grew up watching," he said. "I never even thought it would be a real possibility to play for them... I guess we will see what the future holds." 

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