FISHERVILLE—It’s exciting times for Dale ‘Big Lefty’ Schweyer.
The Fisherville-based ball player, still fresh off his first international appearance at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U23 Men’s Pan American Championships last September in Argentina, is now preparing for his second appearance with Team Canada at the U23 Men’s Softball World Cup coming this spring in Sincelejo, Colombia.
In a press release, National U23 Men’s Team Head Coach Doug Allin praised the 16-man roster headed to compete with the Maple Leaf proudly sewn to their jersey.
“These athletes have had a tremendous amount of success at the national level and most have previous international experience at the U-18 and U-23 levels that will be extremely helpful in our chase for a World Cup gold medal,” he said.
Schweyer described a fleeting sense of relief after seeing his name on the player roster for the team.
“You know you made it, but that relief is short lived. Then the real work starts,” said Schweyer.
Big Lefty has been prepping for his international career since 2024, when he played with the national development team in the May Days Tournament in Kelowna, British Columbia. Locally, Schweyer plays for the Haldimand Heat in the Haldimand Erie Men’s League and competed last summer with the Townsend Tide in the ISC World Tournament, held in Minnesota.
With his spot secure, Schweyer is busy with team meetings and reviewing scouting assignments for competing teams he will face.
“You’re looking at other team’s best hitters to try and put together a plan for what your team is going to do,” said Schweyer.
He recalled his experience in Argentina last fall: “When you’re there the first time, there’s a lot of nerves. You have to find a way to control those even though it’s your first time on the international stage. That’s really the big lesson I would say I took from that…. You can be excited, but you can’t let it get over the hill and out of control.”
He said being a pitcher is about more than the time you spend on the mound.
“When you’re not pitching, it’s your job to be loud in the dugout, picking guys up if they’re not playing their best, and just congratulating and cheering, all that stuff that nobody thinks about for pitchers,” said Schweyer. “No matter what you’re doing, you’ve always got a role to play.”
Going from the small town of Fisherville to the international stage is not lost on Schweyer, who hopes his success can stand as an example to the younger players in his community just coming up.
“It really is an amazing feeling to be able to say I’m from a town of 250 people and am playing at the international level…. You can take a run at this and do something with it,” said Schweyer.
He credited the sport for affording him the chance to travel to places he wouldn’t normally think to visit.
“It’s really cool to be able to fight for a WBSC title and I think we have a real shot at it. The team’s really good and I think we can do it,” he added.
Team Canada will face off against 11 teams from Japan, Venezuela, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Czechia, Mexico, Singapore, Colombia, South Africa, and Denmark from April 25 to May 3. See more details at wbsc.org.
“It’s an honour, it really is, to be able to wear a maple leaf,” Schweyer said.
