(Colton McKee, photography)
Truman Bartman | themavericks.ca
Trevor Syer could give you a laundry list of reasons for why his baseball career could have been an afterthought. Injuries, a disappointing collegiate season, the loss of control in his game, and a chance to move on are all factors that plagued his thoughts towards stepping away. The love that Syer once had for the game as a kid growing up in Petrolia, Ontario, had begun to vanish, putting his career on pause during the summer of 2025.
Born into a family full of athletes, Syer’s introduction to playing sports began by being around an athletic environment. Following in the footsteps of his relatives, Syer cannot pinpoint a time when he wasn’t around a gym or ballpark as a child.
“I grew up in an athletic family. My dad was a college basketball player. My aunt played college sports, as did my uncles and my cousins.”
“My dad also coached basketball, so I was always in a gym growing up. My introduction into sports was all thanks to my dad. I was introduced to baseball at three years old. My two sports were always basketball and baseball, and that was really my life growing up.”
Excelling on both the mound as a pitcher with the Great Lakes Canadians program and the basketball court as a guard for the Windsor Junior Lancers, Syer’s year-long schedule was jam-packed. One night he’d be sharing the court with Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe and the next staring down Athletic’s prospect Myles Naylor in the batter’s box. It takes a special type of athlete to pull off what Syer accomplished during his high school playing days, as his journey through sports was just getting started.
Holding a deep passion for both disciplines and skills to go far regardless of what he chose, a 16-year-old Syer elected to stick with baseball in hopes of achieving his lifelong dream of playing collegiate sports.
“I had a love for the two sports, and baseball gave me the best opportunity to go to the United States. Especially because I couldn’t get into a gym to train during Covid but could get on a baseball field and still practice.”
A dream fulfilled, Syer would spend his first collegiate season playing for the St. Xavier Cougars in Chicago, Illinois. But for someone who had long been yearning to suit up and play in college baseball, his first season in the NAIA was anything but sunshine and rainbows.
“It was tough; I moved away for the first time in my entire life. I went to a school that promised some things, and those promises never really came to fruition. I didn’t get the opportunities I was hoping for. They tried to change a bunch of things with my mechanics on the mound and yipped me up, to be honest with you.”
Already grappling with the challenges of adapting to a new environment, Syer found himself battling control issues. These challenges impacted his confidence on the mound and affected his in-game performances. In what has become a complex and frustrating issue for many athletes, Syer was left attempting to find answers to why he was unable to rediscover his game.
He tried taking his talents back up north in hopes of finding his game in the WCBL. However, a short stint with the Fort McMurray Giants created more questions for Syer about his future.
Then came his first season at Kankakee CC, where, despite hoping for a better fate, things continued to move on a downward trajectory for Syer.
Searching to find the love he once had for the game and in need of some time away from the field, Syer pivoted from preparing to play summer ball and instead rerouted his path to where it all began, unsure if he would ever play again.
“I actually took last summer off of baseball and playing and considered it being done and going the coaching route. I coached with the Great Lake Canadians back home all summer, and it reignited my love for the game. Seeing the kids play and how much fun they were having, I was like, why can’t I have that much fun too?”
With a newfound perspective and a desire to suit up again as a player, Syer admits his mindset shifted, and soon after, so did his production. In 2026, Syer would tally a career high in innings at Kankakee CC, while also earning his first win as a collegiate pitcher against Milwaukee Area Technical College.
Then came a second chance to return to the WCBL, where Syer joined forces with close friend and Ontario Great Lakes Canadian alumnus Nate King on the Medicine Hat Mavericks. This summer has once again allowed Syer to continue to feel that rebirthed joy that he so desperately coveted.
In an era where young ballplayers are playing more than ever and are advised to take as many opportunities as possible, Syer understood that stepping away for a summer could be beneficial, and he couldn’t have been more spot on, even if it meant sacrificing a summer of baseball.
“It was instrumental in finding my love for the game again. It has been baseball, baseball, baseball since I was about 16 years old. I hadn’t really taken two months off since I was 16. All that baseball training, college ball, summer ball, and then college again, I needed that break for sure.”
“At the same time, it made me miss playing. Even the daily routine of being a baseball player. That’s what I missed the most. I missed being with the boys; it was tough, but I definitely needed to find the love for the game again.”
A year ago, Trevor Syer wasn’t sure what his baseball career would turn into, but he knew even after a summer off that his passion for pitching still remained intact. Now, as he finishes out his summer season with the Medicine Hat Mavericks and is committed to join Doane University this fall, Syer looks forward to the re-energized path that lies ahead.